Introduction to Medical Hypnosis for Dental Work

Hypnosis can help you become comfortable with dental procedures. You can control your physical responses and create calmness by accepting anxiety or fear. Focus on your breath to overcome fear of needles. Needles are small and not as painful as you think. Panic and fear are only a problem if you follow those thoughts. Label them and return your attention to the breath. By practicing mindfulness, you can be comfortable and proud of overcoming fear. Any needle can be handled with confidence. Stay in the moment and complete tasks with calmness and confidence. Many people ask me, is it possible to become comfortable with procedures like cleanings, fillings, and the application of local anesthesia in a short time by using hypnosis? The answer is yes, and the reason is simple. You have opened your mind to the possibility of creating calm and comfort, and we become the thoughts we think. In this short time, I'm going to teach you three things. First, that you can control your physical responses, creating comfort during procedures, even when you anticipate discomfort. Second, that you can create calmness, not by giving up anxiety or fear, but by simply accepting anxiety or fear. And third, that you can accomplish anything, in any setting, by the use of principles this session contains. To begin, close your eyes and adjust for comfort. During this session, it is perfectly okay to adjust at any time by altering your posture, your muscles, or by clearing the throat in any way, allowing yourself to become more comfortable. This is lesson number one. You have the ability to decrease discomfort and increase comfort at any time and in any way. If you can do this now, you can easily do this even during a dental procedure. As you relax, bring your attention to your breath. Become an observer and pay attention to the way it feels to breathe air in and out. Do you notice the place in the lungs where the inhale turns around and becomes the exhale? Do you notice the temperature of the air as you breathe in and out? Can you study the way each breath feels? The reason you focus on the breath is to overcome a fear of needles. This is simple. As long as you are breathing, you are actually okay. By paying attention to the breath, you are setting aside past experience and staying in the moment. Not paying attention to any anxiety caused by fear. Notice how just by closing the eyes and adjusting for comfort and paying attention to the continued supportive breath, your breath has become smooth and rhythmic and your heart rate has slowed and become calm and regular. Now, here is a fact about needles. Today's needles are so narrow and small. It is almost as if they do not even need to pierce the skin but glide between the cell walls to deliver this release that you want while the dentist works on your teeth. And while we all know that being at the dentist is not the most comfortable thing we can choose to spend our day doing, by focusing on each breath when we notice anxiety, rather than following that anxiety, you will notice an instant sense of calmness, a decrease in your heart rate, and increased comfort. Lesson 2 is also quite simple. Panic, anxiety, and fear are only a problem if we follow those thoughts. In other words, instead of using the mind to explore the meaning of these things or even ways to get rid of them, you can use the mind to label them and accept them. So during this time, or during your actual procedure, or any time you have panic, fear, or an anxiety, instead of exploring these emotions and following them with your mind, simply label them. You can say to yourself, as an observer, that was a fear, or that was a panic. In those moments, just let it be what it is, using that recognition as your cue to return your attention to the breath. We know that in each breath is a new moment, and no matter what else is going on, as long as we are paying attention to our breathing, we are actually okay. You can actually take a moment right now to congratulate yourself because you have come this far, and you've learned that instead of fearing a process or a procedure, you can be comfortable, calm, and relaxed in every moment. You can even anticipate having your dental work completed and look back at all you did feeling proud and overcoming a fear by practicing mindfulness and creating comfort. You are taking care of yourself. The upside to this, and from this time forward, is that any needle from any doctor or nurse is something that you will be able to handle. And this isn't because you gave up your fear, but because you have chosen not to follow it. Instead, you simply return your attention to the breath and staying in each moment. So now, with a deep breath and a smile, yes, let a smile come to your face, even if it feels silly. Why not? Open the eyes, feeling ready to complete the tasks of the day with confidence, calmness, and a little bit new perspective. For more information, visit www.osho.com OSHO is a registered Trademark of OSHO International Foundation