Can Hypnosis Help with ED?

I'm reviewing the different psychological ED treatments so you can decide what one's right for you.  Today we’re talking about hypnotherapy: the limited academic research and my super-biased (but based on experience) opinion.

OK, first, what are we  talking about when we say 'hypnotherapy?'

It’s not sleep. Hypnosis is about guiding someone into a state of heightened awareness and helping them use their focus in ways they don’t usually access. Sometimes it’s deeply relaxing; other times, it’s not relaxing at all.   Once a person is in that state of hypnosis, there're all kinds of ways we can work together.

-In classic hypnosis, it's about giving the client suggestions that their subconscious can actualize later when they're in the bedroom.

-Sometimes it's about uncovering unconscious material, often working with old memories that primed the client to have the problem.

-Sometimes it's about helping guys see things in a different way through the use of language and metaphor.

-Sometimes it's about using classic psychology approaches - CBT for instance - in a way that resonates more deeply when the client is in trance. Guys often  'get it' more when we do the work in hypnosis.

Hypnotherapy for Erectile Dysfunction Research

Honestly, there's not much out there for research into hypnosis for ED.  

-One study from 1982 found that an average of  5 sessions was sufficient to get ED symptoms under control and 10 solved the problem.  A year after the sessions were done, 87% of patients were free from any kind of ED symptoms.  NIce!  But it was a small study done a long time ago.

-An even older study from 1977 followed 50 guys through a series of hypnosis sessions.  At the end of the study, ALL the guys who remained in therapy were able to perform sexually at the time of their discharge.  In a follow-up done a year or so later, there were a few guys they couldn't reach.  But of the guys they could reach, only two said they weren't doing well.  Everyone else said they were doing well.  Bottom line: They said "Hypnosis used as an uncovering modality is shown to be markedly effective. This, incorporated with ego-strengthening and new self-image suggestions, seems to be the treatment of choice for psychogenic impotence."  Pretty old study...decent but not amazing number of subjects...but pretty great result!

Beyond that, though, there doesn't seem to be too much out there for research.  There are some studies that have been done on different combinations approaches that included hypnosis but then it gets kind of hard to interpret the results.  And there are lots of case studies as well, but there's really not much at all for really solid controlled research studies.  Especially recent ones.

OK, now for my extremely biased opinion.  

MY OPINION

OK, now for my extremely biased opinion.  And while 100% admit to my bias, I'd also point out that it's based on over 20 years of helping guys resolve their mental ED.  And for most of those 20 years, I've worked on a system where if the guy doesn't succeed, refund half their fee.  So I know who's succeeding and who's not.

My opinion?m Hypnotherapy is fucking awesome for ED!  It's that simple.  I've worked with a TON of guys with ED over the years.  Hypnosis isn't the only approach we've taken.  But damn.  For most of them, we've done at least some type of hypnosis work as part of getting things solved. And for a whole lot of them, that's the only approach we needed.  

Why is it so effective?  Mostly it's because the ED reaction so often works like a phobia.  I'll explain.  Think of a guy with a spider phobia. Walking down the street, he sees that little spider.  Logically, rationally , analytically, he gets that he's totally safe. But his body is freaking out -  his heart is pounding, his palms are sweating, his stomach's clenched...he's getting this really strong signal of fear. And all that conscious awareness that the fear doesn't make any sense doesn't do anything to make it go away. 

Hypnosis is a really good way of connecting with that outside of consciousness part of him that's sending that fear signal. The part of him that's scared EVEN THOGUH it makes no sense.  So that he can find out what's going on there and he can basically help it. Usually on the other side of doing that type of work, he can walk down the street, see the spider and feel just fine. With mental ED, it's often the exact same structure, it's just that instead of a spider being the trigger it's the sex.

The other way hypnosis can be especially useful is as a learning state. You can do cognitive behavioral therapy type of work with someone when they're in trance and they're probably going to be able to connect with it more deeply with their body than if we're just doing it as an intellectual exercise. I find that the body really needs to be engaged in order for the work to stick and be meaningful.

Honestly, I'm surprised more traditional sex therapists are able to do as well as they do without hypnosis as a tool.  Kudos to them, probably some stuff I could learn from there.

BOTTOM LINE?  

There are a lot of different approaches I take when I'm helping guys resolve their erectile dysfunction. If you told me that I could only have one? It would absolutely be hypnosis. For most guys, it just works.  So if you're deciding what approach to take for your mental ED, I'm biased, but I can't recommend hypnotherapy highly enough.