Many people associate warts with witches and other such unsavory characters. However, warts are not limited to those who fail common hygienic practices and are in fact quite common among the human population. Warts are an interesting virus that can appear anywhere on your skin. The exuberant cells of a wart are the elaborate reproductive apparatus of a wart virus. These warts can be removed by many simple solutions. In the essay, “On Warts” by Thomas Lewis, he discusses the fact that these warts can be removed efficiently, and effectively by hypnosis. Robert Goldstein and Nicholas Spanos have done studies that agree with Thomas’ argument that the unconscious mind is a powerful thing and may serve useful in the treatment of warts. In their articles,
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Thomas states in his article, “ If my unconscious can figure out how to manipulate the mechanisms needed for getting around that virus, and for deploying all the various cells in the correct order for tissue rejection, then all I have to say is that my unconscious is a lot further along than I am” (Thomas, 4). The unconscious mind is powerful in the sense that you give yourself thoughts and listen to opinions from others on how to treat and get rid of warts. In the treatment of warts, it is not known whether the healing response to hypnotic suggestions is due to increased immunity functions, more or less blood circulation, some unknown chemical action, or other internal processes. How the unconscious mind is able to prompt warts to disappear when conventional treatments fail is still not fully known. In his article, Goldstein argues that the more powerful the suggestion, while the patient is under hypnosis, the more likely the patient is to heal. Goldstein’s patient was able to visualize having “clear, natural, pink healthy skin” (Goldstein, 261), and after a few treatments, this proved to be true. It is a common misconception that placebos function in a similar way to hypnosis, that is the unconscious mind directs and stimulates the sought after response of healing. With a placebo, the unconscious mind is tricked into believing that the source of change or effect is coming from the …show more content…
Thomas notes historic research in which several patients had warts that were destroyed after a hypnosis session, where the therapist made suggestions to the patient and the warts eventually disappeared. Spanos’ research proves he agrees that hypnosis could be viewed as a successful way to approach the treatment of warts. He noticed in his research that there was a correlation between the hypnotic procedure and the medical treatment, allowing the medical treatment to become more effective. However, it has been reported that the high expectancy of successful hypnotic treatment of warts is not necessarily predictive of a positive treatment outcome. “More specifically, these findings indicate that neither a hypnotic induction procedure nor instructions for relaxation enhance the efficacy of suggestions at inducing wart regression” (Spanos, 257). From a practical perspective, the equivalent outcomes in the hypnotic suggestion, compared to suggestion alone, indicate that some therapists can offer psychological treatment for warts without expending the extra time required to employ hypnotic techniques. Patients who have received hypnotic treatment in the past react negatively towards the idea with the belief that it is
Thomas states in his article, “ If my unconscious can figure out how to manipulate the mechanisms needed for getting around that virus, and for deploying all the various cells in the correct order for tissue rejection, then all I have to say is that my unconscious is a lot further along than I am” (Thomas, 4). The unconscious mind is powerful in the sense that you give yourself thoughts and listen to opinions from others on how to treat and get rid of warts. In the treatment of warts, it is not known whether the healing response to hypnotic suggestions is due to increased immunity functions, more or less blood circulation, some unknown chemical action, or other internal processes. How the unconscious mind is able to prompt warts to disappear when conventional treatments fail is still not fully known. In his article, Goldstein argues that the more powerful the suggestion, while the patient is under hypnosis, the more likely the patient is to heal. Goldstein’s patient was able to visualize having “clear, natural, pink healthy skin” (Goldstein, 261), and after a few treatments, this proved to be true. It is a common misconception that placebos function in a similar way to hypnosis, that is the unconscious mind directs and stimulates the sought after response of healing. With a placebo, the unconscious mind is tricked into believing that the source of change or effect is coming from the …show more content…
Thomas notes historic research in which several patients had warts that were destroyed after a hypnosis session, where the therapist made suggestions to the patient and the warts eventually disappeared. Spanos’ research proves he agrees that hypnosis could be viewed as a successful way to approach the treatment of warts. He noticed in his research that there was a correlation between the hypnotic procedure and the medical treatment, allowing the medical treatment to become more effective. However, it has been reported that the high expectancy of successful hypnotic treatment of warts is not necessarily predictive of a positive treatment outcome. “More specifically, these findings indicate that neither a hypnotic induction procedure nor instructions for relaxation enhance the efficacy of suggestions at inducing wart regression” (Spanos, 257). From a practical perspective, the equivalent outcomes in the hypnotic suggestion, compared to suggestion alone, indicate that some therapists can offer psychological treatment for warts without expending the extra time required to employ hypnotic techniques. Patients who have received hypnotic treatment in the past react negatively towards the idea with the belief that it is