When I was training as a hypnotist, I took a course in medical hypnosis where a film was shown. In the film, they showed a woman who developed a skin lesion in seconds without being touched, from a hypnotic suggestion alone. Our subconscious mind can regulate many automatic body functions, including blood circulation, hormone levels, and nerve impulses -- all of which can effect the health of our skin. It is amazing how skin conditions that have persisted for years can start to heal in days -- even scar tissue from burns can start to smooth and become less red.
The American Academy of Dermatology has a wonderful web page that summarizes eczema and atopic dermatitis. As a child, I had a patch of dermatitis on my forearm that seemed impossible not to scratch, especially when I was sweating, and that just gave me a huge rash. Oddly the condition seemed to be seasonal for me -- there for 9 months, gone for 3 months -- coming back on that cycle for several years. Eventually, my dermatitis disappeared, but though common in children, it can persist into adulthood.
In a recent survey of research into hypnosis in dermatology, Dr. Philip D. Shenefelt, a professor of dermatology at the University of South Florida College of Medicine and Chief of Dermatology at James A. Haley Veterans Hospital concluded: "Hypnosis is currently an underused therapy in dermatology. In appropriately selected patients, it can decrease or eliminate symptoms, and, in some cases, it can induce lasting remissions or cures of skin diseases."
In treating eczema with hypnosis, I focus on behaviors that reduce the itching and work with the subconscious to change the blood flow and the hormone responses to whatever is triggering the inflammation. I usually suggest 3 or 4 sessions over the course of a month, and consultation with your doctor or dermatologist is recommended.
Common warts are caused by a virus, a version of the human papillomavirus (HPV). That means that you can spread them to other parts of your body or to other people through contact with your warts or even with towels you use.
Similar to the way hypnotherapy can reduce the immune response in eczema and psoriasis, hypnosis can produce a targeted immune response in the areas where you have warts. In a 1990 experiment, Nicholas P. Spanos, Victoria Williams, and Maxwell I. Gwynn compared hypnosis, placebo, and salicylic acid treatments and concluded that hypnotherapy created the greatest incidence of wart disappearance. (Click here for the complete article)
I usually recommend 1-3 sessions, and results usually occur in 2 or 3 days after deep trance is achieved, 1 or 2 weeks after medium trance.