According to the City Hypnotherapy Centre in London, 10 percent of men experience erectile dysfunction, also known as impotence. The condition can involve a total inability to achieve an erection or happen inconsistently or for only a few minutes. Hypnosis can help some men with this problem, but only if a physiological cause isn't present, according to the Health Care Center, an Internet guide for health issues.
Premise
When impotence has a psychological cause, it can be the result of one small thought locked away in the subconscious, according to the City Hypnotherapy Centre. Hypnosis can help find and identify that thought and either eliminate it or change your reaction to it.
Methods
According to the website Erectile-Dysfunction-Facts-You-Need-to-Know, clinical hypnosis has three approaches. One works on the belief that the human mind is capable of using imagery to bring about desired results. Another method focuses on the power of suggestion. It integrates into your mind alternative responses to how you previously reacted when you were unable to perform. Erectile-Dysfunction-Facts-You-Need-to-Know.com suggests that this is a more successful approach. Finally, hypnosis can potentially unearth the hidden feelings, thoughts or memories that may be causing your problem in the first place. This method is considered the most successful.
Studies
Erectile-Dysfunction-Facts-You-Need-to-Know.com cites two studies that support the success of hypnotherapy for impotence. The Scandinavian Journal of Urology and Nephrology found that 75 percent of the men in its study experienced improvement after hypnotherapy. The British Journal of Urology reported the same result when no physiological cause was responsible for the problem.
Myths
Hypnosis as an entertainment venue has resulted in the belief that the subject is unconscious or has no control over his own actions while under hypnosis. Erectile-Dysfunction-Facts-You-Need-to-Know.com says that this is untrue. Most people remember everything about the session. They maintain the power to resist anything the hypnotist suggests to them if they want to.
Success
According to the Erectile-Dysfunction-Facts-You-Need-to-Know, hypnosis for erectile dysfunction is most successful in men with a high capacity for hypnosis. It will not work if you resist the process, even subconsciously. The British Journal of Urology found that when successful, hypnosis works better in patients than either testosterone or trazodone.
Warnings
Erectile-Dysfunction-Facts-You-Need-to-Know.com warns that most states have no regulating body to license and govern hypnotherapists. Many hypnotists do not have professional health care licenses or training. Ask any potential hypnotist what his degree is in. If it is not in any of the health care professions, look for someone else. He should also be a member of either the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis or the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. Both are national organizations whose members possess both health care licenses and training in hypnotherapy.
