Emotions, Chronic Illness, and the Healing Power of Hypnosis
Written by Michael J Berkowitz, Hypnotherapist
Michael J Berkowitz is a Hypnotherapist and Certified Sexological Bodyworker who has built a successful practice addressing a broad range of issues from sexuality and chronic health conditions to phobias, anxiety, and spiritual concerns.
For centuries, healing has been seen through the lens of the physical body alone. We were taught to believe that if something went wrong in the body, it had to be due to something physical, such as genes, pathogens, or injuries. However, a growing number of medical doctors, scientists, and practitioners are revealing a more nuanced and holistic understanding: that our emotions, especially those that are unprocessed, repressed, or overwhelming, can play a foundational role in the development of chronic illness and persistent pain. In my experience as a hypnotherapist, and through both study and direct client work, I've come to believe that true healing involves not just the body, but also the mind and spirit.
"There is no 'incurable' disease from which someone has not recovered, even at the threshold of death." – Dr. Bernie Siegel
The emotional roots of illness
Dr. Gabor Maté, a pioneer in mind-body medicine, has long argued that emotional suppression and childhood trauma are at the root of many chronic diseases. In his powerful book When the Body Says No, Maté documents how patients suffering from autoimmune diseases, cancers, and neurological conditions often share a history of people-pleasing, self-neglect, or early emotional wounds. These emotional patterns, repeated over time, tax the nervous system and immune function until the body eventually "speaks" through illness.
Similarly, Dr. Jeffrey Rediger's research into spontaneous remissions, presented in Cured, explores how certain individuals heal from supposedly incurable diseases by undergoing emotional, psychological, and even spiritual transformations. Rediger noted that these individuals didn't just treat symptoms; they fundamentally changed the way they lived, thought, and related to themselves and others.
Dr. John Sarno, a rehabilitation specialist, brought mainstream attention to the role of repressed emotions in physical pain. His work with back pain patients led to the development of Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS), a condition in which unresolved emotional conflict, often unconscious, manifests as chronic physical pain. Sarno's theory was radical for its time, but thousands of patients, including high-profile individuals, found relief after acknowledging and addressing their buried feelings.
Dr. Lissa Rankin's book Mind Over Medicine is another testament to the mind's power in healing. She presents extensive research showing that stress, fear, loneliness, and other emotional states suppress the body's natural healing response. Conversely, joy, love, and purpose activate healing mechanisms, from immune function to cellular repair. Rankin argues that belief and expectation can be as powerful as any medication and that cultivating emotional wellbeing is not optional, but essential.
Dr. Ellen Langer, a Harvard psychologist and pioneer in the field of mindfulness, has conducted fascinating studies showing how shifts in mindset can produce measurable changes in physiology. One of her most well-known experiments involved elderly men placed in an environment designed to resemble their youth; by merely acting younger and thinking younger, their vision, strength, and memory improved.
And then there's Dr. Steve Bierman, an emergency room doctor turned hypnotherapist, whose own awakening came when he noticed a pattern: patients often experienced serious illness immediately following emotional upheaval. He began asking, "Why this illness, at this time?" His quest to answer that question led him to hypnosis and a deeper understanding of how ideas, beliefs, and emotions shape health.
The rich medical history of hypnosis
Hypnosis is often misunderstood or seen as a fringe technique. But it has a long and legitimate history in medical practice.
As far back as the 1840s, Scottish surgeon James Esdaile performed over 300 major surgeries using hypnosis as the only anesthesia. These weren't minor procedures; he performed amputations, removed large tumors, and even operated on the eye. Remarkably, his patients had significantly reduced rates of post-operative shock and death. In fact, mortality dropped from 50% to 5%.
In the mid-20th century, Dave Elman began training thousands of American doctors, dentists, and mental health professionals in clinical hypnosis. His methods were used for pain relief, surgical anesthesia, treatment of depression and anxiety, and even as a diagnostic tool to uncover the root causes of mysterious illnesses.
Despite these successes, hypnosis still remains on the periphery of mainstream healthcare. Many still view it as "alternative," despite the American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association formally recognizing hypnotherapy as a valid procedure since 1958. The National Institutes of Health has recommended it as a treatment for chronic pain since 1995. Research continues to validate its efficacy in a wide range of conditions, from IBS to migraines to recovery after surgery.
Why hypnosis works: Mind over biology
Hypnosis works by accessing the subconscious mind, where core beliefs, memories, and emotional patterns are stored. Under hypnosis, a client can bypass the critical, analytical mind and reach the deeper layers where long-held trauma, limiting beliefs, or unconscious emotional conflicts reside. This state of focused attention and suggestibility allows for transformative change.
Unlike talk therapy, which may take months or years to yield shifts, hypnosis can catalyze profound transformation in a much shorter time frame. It's not about "mind over matter," it's about using the mind to influence matter. Neuroscience has now shown that thoughts and emotions produce chemical and electrical changes in the brain and body. Hypnosis leverages this principle to directly affect pain perception, immune function, and even gene expression.
Hypnosis is not a miracle cure. Nothing is. But in many cases, it has been the key that unlocked a healing process which other approaches had failed to initiate.
Stories from the front lines
One of my most transformative experiences as a hypnotherapist came just months after my certification. I had been working with a woman on anxiety and anger, and she was so impressed by the changes she experienced that she asked me to work with her husband.
He had been diagnosed with a rare degenerative neurological condition, similar to ALS, and had been steadily declining for 12 years. He was wheelchair-bound, unable to speak clearly, constantly drooling, and experiencing violent, repetitive tics. Doctors had given up hope. The best they could offer was palliative care. Initially, I doubted whether hypnosis could make any difference. But after consulting with my mentor, I agreed to try. During our first session, I was able to bring him into a deep trance. After just 45 minutes, the tics stopped. He slept soundly that night for the first time in years. In our second session, as I brought him out of trance, he clearly said, "I feel good!" His wife was stunned. He then stood up from his wheelchair and walked across the room.
Within a few sessions, the symptoms had virtually disappeared. He was back to walking the dog, gardening, and living his life. Years later, he remains well, with no signs of the condition that once dominated his existence.
Another case involved a 45-year-old man diagnosed with adult-onset Muscular Dystrophy. He experienced chronic fatigue, joint pain, brain fog, and digestive issues. After our first session, he emailed me the next morning saying he woke up feeling energetic and pain-free. Over several sessions, we addressed not only his physical symptoms but also deeper emotional themes in his life. Nearly four years later, he remains healthy, vital, and productive.
A new vision for healing
Healing is not always linear. It doesn't always mean the disease disappears. But what I've seen and what researchers are increasingly documenting is that addressing the emotional and psychological roots of illness can lead to profound physical changes. Hypnosis gives us a powerful tool to make those changes possible.
I believe the body has an extraordinary, innate capacity to self-heal. The question is not whether that capacity exists, but how we access it. Hypnosis is one of the most direct, gentle, and profound ways I've found.
My work is not about selling hope, it's about exploring possibilities. We will use proven palliative techniques and experimental protocols based on the research into spontaneous healing and radical remission. There are no side effects, no risks. At worst, you'll feel calmer and more relaxed. At best, you may experience healing beyond what you thought was possible.
"Is there scientific data to support the seemingly miraculous stories of self-healing that float around? You betcha. There's proof that you can radically alter your body's physiology just by changing your mind." – Dr. Lissa Rankin
An invitation
If you or someone you know is navigating a chronic or life-limiting illness, I invite you to reach out. Healing may not lie in another pill or test it might lie within you. Hypnosis isn't magic. But the human mind, when aligned with purpose and relief, just might be.
Read more from Michael J Berkowitz
Michael J Berkowitz, Hypnotherapist
Michael J Berkowitz is a Hypnotherapist, Certified Sexological Bodyworker, and Reiki Master. Previously, he excelled as an artist, photographer, and martial artist, earning worldwide acclaim in each field. For the past several years, he has turned his attention to helping clients across the US and around the world deal with a broad range of issues, with a particular focus on sexuality, chronic illness, and pain.
