The biological basis for hypnosis and hypnotherapy becomes clearer after a new study in the UK has provided insight into how hypnosis works on the body and the brain.

Studies on hypnosis have previously hinted that it affects where activity takes place in the brain. It is thought that during hypnosis there is less activity in the left hemisphere – thought to be where rational, conscious thought originates – and more activity in the emotional, artistic right hemisphere.

This theory has been given weight thanks to a new study by Peter Naish of the Open University in Milton Keynes.

Published in Consciousness and Cognition, Naish’s study was based on the commonly accepted theory that different people have different levels of susceptibility to hypnosis. It is thought that around 15% of people are extremely susceptible to all forms of hypnosis, another 10% are extremely difficult to hypnotise and the remaining majority of people fall somewhere in between. For example, for the susceptible 15% a stop smoking hypnotherapy session would have an immediate and dramatic effect in fighting nicotine addiction.
The study aimed to establish if resistance and susceptibility to hypnosis had a biological basis in individual brain structure. By testing 10 resistant volunteers and 10 susceptible volunteers, Naish found that susceptible volunteers had an “imbalance in efficiency” between the hemispheres of their brain. Effectively, those susceptible to hypnosis were more likely to have mental activity take place predominantly in one side of the brain than the other.
When under hypnosis their responses to LED stimulus were shown to favour one side over another even more predominantly than before. Conversely, the resistant group showed no preference for either side both under hypnosis or without, though their performance on the task deteriorated during hypnosis.

According to Naish, the test suggests that hypnosis requires temporary domination by the right side of the brain – and this might be easier to inspire in people who have a natural imbalance in the efficiency of their two hemispheres, even when awake.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hypnotherapy Hypnotherapy can help relieve severe non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP), reports the BBC.

Severe chest pain is a common problem, yet when it can’t be put down to a heart condition it becomes difficult to treat as the cause is unknown.

Despite assurances that there is nothing to worry about, many people are often incapacitated by their chest pain and unable to complete average daily tasks and go about their normal lives. The condition is particularly rife among young women and certain experts have linked the condition to psychological problems, or heartburn.

A small UK study conducted in the journal 'Gut'  found that 12 out of 15 people treated with hypnotherapy reported an improvement in their symptoms.

Researchers at Manchester’s Wythenshawe Hospital randomly divided 28 patients with the condition into two groups, with one group receiving 12 hypnotherapy sessions and the other given “supportive therapy” and dummy medicine.
80% of the hypnotherapy group reported significant pain relief alongside a significantly improved sense of overall wellbeing and reduced use of painkillers and other drugs prescribed for the condition. The success of hypnotherapy where other treatments have failed can be put down to a number of factors. For instance, brain scans of patients treated with hypnotherapy for other conditions show that it affects a region of the brain that processes emotional content of a painful stimulus. It can also work by cutting levels of gastric acid produced by the stomach and helping patients to relax.

Lead researcher Professor Peter Whorwell told the BBC News website it could be that hypnotherapy reduced NCCP by reducing the sensitivity of the gullet, or the strength of its contractions. He said: “What is clear is that simply reassuring these patients that there is nothing seriously wrong is not enough. We have shown that if you can modify their symptoms and improve their stress levels then they seem to do quite well.”