ROLE
OF NEURO-HYPNOTHERAPY IN HELPING PEOPLE WITH TIC DISORDER
Neuro-hypnotherapy is practiced by licensed clinical hypnotherapist who has been trained in the area of EEG biofeedback
technique. Neuro-hypnotherapy is first of its kind in Malaysia developed by Hiro Koo. It is based on the concept of clinical hypnotherapy which can be
classified as psychotherapy as well. It is well known to deal with the subconscious
mind directly and is commonly used to deal with symptoms of various problems
such as habit breaking, smoking cessation, weight management, and mood-related
issues. There are many approaches and techniques in the field of clinical
hypnotherapy. The most commonly used clinical hypnotherapy techniques for
patient with tic disorder are hypno-behavioural methods such as hypno-desensitization
and habit reversal therapy. Cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy (CBH) can also be
used to deal with tic disorder or the comorbid feature of TS such as OCD or
anxiety related symptoms.
Neuro-hypnotherapy for tic disorder
includes a combination of different types of therapies. The first step of the neuro-hypnotherapy is
psychoeducation. During this initial step, the possible causes of tic disorder will
be elaborated by the clinical hypnotherapist. Patients will be guided on ways
to communicate with the school or co-workers effectively to prevent conflict
and misunderstanding, while their caregivers will be educated on ways to
provide appropriate amount of support. Furthermore, although habit reversal is
an effective intervention for tic disorder, individuals should be informed that
tic disorder is not just a bad habit but neurological disorder. Thus, it cannot
be solved based on positive or negative reinforcement alone, let alone the
possibility that reinforcement in either positive or negative manner may worsen
the symptoms. It is very important to neutralize the self-defeating belief,
while empowering the patient and setting realistic expectations.
The following sessions will focus on
functional intervention, cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy, HRT, as well as relaxation
therapy. During the functional intervention session, patient will be hypnotized
in order to identify how environmental factors may worsen, maintain or improve
the symptoms. Patient is able to observe his or her behaviour before and after
the tics occurrence during the neuro-hypnotherapy session. CBH technique can then
be applied to deal with the irrational feelings, cognitive distortion, and
unhealthy coping ways.
According to the systematic review done
by Dutta and colleague (2013), HRT can significantly reduce tic severity for
patient with tic disorder. During the neuro-hypnotherapy session, the
hypnotized patient will observe all of their tics in detail such as how it
feels in the particular muscle group and where it feels most intensively in the
body. During this stage, HRT will be incorporated into neuro-hypnotherapy
session to find out the premonitory urge. Thus, patient will notice how it
feels before the tics occur more clearly. Hypno-desensitization focuses on helping
patient getting used to the premonitory urge, so that the patient doesn’t need
to react to it by doing the tic. In this way, premonitory urge can be
controlled before the tic happens. Soon after the patient becomes more aware of
the premonitory urge, competing response will be discussed and implemented.
During the neuro-hypnotherapy session, an intentional movement that can prevent
tic from happening will be suggested. After that, the clinical hypnotherapist
will use the hypno-exposure therapy to reinforce the competing response.
Progressive hypnotherapy relaxation is
taught to relax the patient as it can directly reduce the stress response. Tics
are commonly known to become worse when triggered by stress. Progressive
hypnotherapy relaxation technique which requires patient to progressively
tensing and then relaxing the different muscle groups is taught in a self
hypnosis format. This is a very helpful method to reduce the arousal level in
the brain and empower the patient with positive coping strategy. Patient was
taught to utilize this progressive hypnotherapy relaxation technique whenever he
or she has the need to stay calm and relax.
During the neuro-hypnotherapy session,
electrodes are applied to the individual’s scalp, which allows the patient and
therapist to observe the brainwave activity. The electrodes do not hurt and
conduct no amount of electricity that one can feel. The person’s hair is not
removed or shaven during the electrode placement. This is done in real-time
setting, so the individuals see exactly what is going on in their brain as they
think of certain thoughts, feel stressed, or relaxed. After the self hypnosis
session, patient commonly will learn how to self regulate their brain activity
naturally, without pharmaceutical medications.
Retrieved from the Integrative treatment for tics and tourette syndrome in Malaysia (Author: Hiro Koo).
References
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