Allergies are a physiological response to a stimulus, so why then would you see a hypnotist to help with your symptoms? Even as a physiological response, it is well documented that certain allergies can be worsened by psychological factors, including stress and fatigue.
Stress can cause your body to start an involuntary reaction of the immune system making the allergy symptoms worse. In fact, many allergy sufferers experience anticipatory stress when it comes to their allergies. For example, an allergy sufferer might start experiencing symptoms related to cat allergies during the drive to a friend’s home, because they previously had a reaction to the friend’s cat. This anticipatory stress worsens the symptoms and by the time they are at the friend’s home, they may already be in a full-blown allergic attack. This creates a feedback loop that is self-reinforcing, meaning that every time they experience it, the reactions become quicker or stronger and eventually the person may even avoid the place that caused the reaction.
It goes without saying that if increased stress can exacerbate a reaction, then decreased stress can help better manage the reaction. A hypnotherapist can help you develop skills so that you experience less stress, and even a state of relaxation before entering into the situation that has previously caused your allergies. In addition to the stress work, hypnosis can be helpful in many other ways, for example, it can help to decrease the desire to eat foods that cause an intolerance or allergic reactions, it can be used to learn mindfulness which can help decrease the reaction, it can teach visualization techniques which have been proven to help with diarrhoea and it can help reduce pain related to allergic reactions.
As a hypnotist, I have heard several anecdotal cases in which allergies have disappeared completely following hypnosis, but well-documented independent evidence for this is still rare. The type of allergies that disappear completely tend to be allergies that come on as adults and are often psychosomatic in nature, related to some type of stressor or traumatic event.
The hypnotist could be a part of your holistic health care team, including medical supervision, nutritional counselling, and allergist.
Some Interesting Links for Further Reading:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4485969.stm
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-mind-allergic-response.html
http://ci.nii.ac.jp/naid/110001119115
http://pedsinreview.aappublications.org/content/29/8/e44.full
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/asthma/in-depth/asthma-treatment/art-20044554
http://www.foodsmatter.com/natural_medicine_comp_therapies/hypnosis/articles/hypnosis_food_intol.html
Derrick Barnes, Registered Social Worker
Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist
