exam. But of course the best training is often on yourself, and

Susannah is a living testament to how it can help.

In October 1998, she received a diagnosis of Hodgkin's

lymphoma. She recalls: "To try to improve the terrible spinal

headaches that I had from the intrathecal methotrexate, I went

to  see  an  aromatherapy  masseuse  who  had  been

"Hypnotherapy is not mystical or magical. It is an altered state

recommended to me. She gave me an insight into

of consciousness where the body is relaxed and open to

complementary medicine. Despite being a sceptic and a

suggestions," explains Susannah Baron, specialist registrar in

scientist, I thought why not. I did not stop the chemotherapy but

dermatology and hypnotherapist. She explains further: "There

conventional medicine treats only the part of you it can see is

is a door between your conscious and subconscious mind.

sick. Complementary medicine takes a more holistic approach

Hypnotherapy can open that door wider when you are relaxed

and tries to treat all of you. It can give you that edge and

so when a positive suggestion is made, it can change your

sometimes that's what you need to survive.

pattern of behaviour quite quickly." However, she is quick to

point out that it is not a panacea for every ailment:

Susannah was already interested in hypnotherapy and had

"Hypnotherapy can only help people if they want to make that

started to train in it before she got ill, so it naturally was included

change. You can only help them to help themselves. It is a tool

in her complementary therapy. She still uses self-hypnosis

rather than a cure."

regularly to maintain her wellbeing and has been clear of

cancer for three years. However, she says: "There are so many

This sounds relatively non-threatening and a far cry from stage

different treatments out there and so many claims. It makes

performers who use hypnotherapy for entertainment value.

sense that different things work for different people. Do things

Susannah explains: "We all go in and out of an hypnotic trance

that make you feel better."

all the time. That's what daydreams are."

change.

This article was first published in BMJ CAREERS on 3 May

But how can this power of positive suggestion and daydreams

2003 and is reprinted by the kind permission of the publishers.

be used in medicine? Susannah is already using it in her own

specialty with her eczema patients: "I ask them to remember a

time when their skin felt good, what it felt like, and what they

were doing. For example, I take them back to the beach and

describe the feeling of the sun on their skin when it felt healthy

and not itchy. I also ask them what their skin stops them from

doing now and what they would like to do, then, through the

In this role you experience the course from a different

power of suggestion, take them there." According to Susannah,

perspective, will expand your knowledge and enhance existing

it is all about direct suggestions, ego strengthening and stress

skills.The opportunity to oversee new students will give you

management. People with skin disorders often have a negative

experience and insight for tutoring, and as a weekend

body image and so they get themselves into a vicious cycle

supervisor you can expect students to approach you in this

where their stress and negative emotions can drive their skin

capacity. It is also a valuable addition to your CV when applying

condition. This is where self-hypnosis can help. Susannah

for clinical placements and talking to patients.

explains: "It is reasonably simple. I teach them self-hypnosis.

Once patients are in a quiet place and feeling relaxed, such as

London office: 020-7402 9037, or contact your local course

just before bed, I ask them to take themselves in their minds to

somewhere they want to be. Then I ask them to imagine that

their skin is cool and clear."

But does it work, and how can you fit hypnotising patients into

a busy outpatient clinic? Susannah admits that it is difficult to

find the time to fit it in and insists that the way forward is robust

research: "It is difficult for the medical profession to accept if

there is no good evidence, and so I am planning to do a pilot

study on ten adults and ten children with eczema, which

hopefully will lead on to a randomised controlled trial." It is

difficult to imagine what the placebo will be for hypnotherapy,

the thorn in the side of many complementary or alternative

treatments, especially acupuncture, but Susannah is pretty

positive: "There has been a lot of work already with irritable

bowel syndrome (IBS) with fantastic results. Research with a

large number of patients has shown that hypnotherapy (in

group sessions) is cost effective in managing IBS and

improving quality of life." Maybe eczema will be next.

Unsurprisingly, some of her colleagues are sceptical about her

work but others are supportive and interested and Susannah

stresses the importance of practitioner regulation. She has

trained through the medical diploma at the London College of

Clinical Hypnosis which is specifically for doctors. It involves

one weekend a month for six months and a written and practical