Nevner hvordan hypnose og visualisering kan øke blodgjennomstrømning i spesifikke deler av kroppen.

http://bscw.rediris.es/pub/bscw.cgi/d4434404/McGuirk-Effect_guided_imagery_forearm_blood_flow.pdf
«This study was conducted to determine in a non- ulcerated population, the potential of guided imagery in a hypnotic context to influence blood flow, which is a critical variable in the process of ulcer healing.»

«It is known, however, that psychologi- cal factors are important in healing. Stress, for example, can affect the healing of experimental wounds (Kiecolt-Glaser et al., 1995) and there is contradictory evidence as to whether it affects healing of duodenal ulcers (Holtmann et al., 1992; Armstrong et al., 1993).»

«More specifically in the case of leg ulcers the pathological process is associated with disturbed blood flow and consequent tissue breakdown due to inade- quate oxygenation. Any psychological intervention that assisted in altering and cor- recting the blood flow in the affected limbs would be expected to facilitate healing.»

«Similarly Moore and Wiesner (1996) used suggestions of hand- warming in hypnosis, augmented by biofeedback, to create local vasodilation (as measured by objective increases in hand temperature) with a concomitant reduction in pain in patients with upper extremity repetitive strain injury. In earlier work from the same research group Moore and Kaplan (1983) reported acceleration of burn wound healing and pain reduction by hypnotically induced vasodilation in the targeted hand compared with the control hand.»

«The authors concluded that while the blood flow change is under central neurological control, and hence can be directly affected by hypnotic suggestion, ery- thema reflects local changes related to the release of inflammatory mediators.»

Subjective temperature (arbitrary units)

Target ‘hot’ arm 90·8 (18·6)
Target ‘cold’ arm 89·4 (21·7)
Before After

103·5 (18·6) 38·1 (21·8)

Change (%)
+12·7 (13·9) –51·3 (57·4)

*Means (and standard deviations)

«The subjective temperature change, however, was greater for ‘cold’ imagery. This may be because the subjects perceived their arms as already warmer than usual prior to the imagery suggestions, thereby creating a ceiling effect. An alternative explanation is that the cold script was the more powerful of the two or possibly that reducing perceived temperature in a limb is an inherently easier task. «