RTT Hypnotherapy in Women's Health

Interview with Dr. Dorothee Struck, Author: Nina Ebert, M.Sc. Biology

Hypnotherapy has achieved sensational success in medicine, including in the treatment of long-standing, painful women's health conditions such as fibroids and endometriosis, as well as in the treatment of infertility. Hypnotherapy is also used as a valuable tool in birth preparation and obstetrics.

In an interview with Dr. Dorothee Struck, we gain fantastic insights into our body's self-healing powers. What exactly is hypnosis? How is it used as a therapeutic method in medicine? Which diets, medicinal plants, and nutritional supplements should be integrated into therapy? The charming and fun-loving gynecologist herself had fibroids at the age of 28 and, after a hypnosis session, a healthy mindset, and a suitable diet, is still fibroid-free today, which she impressively recounts in the following article.

Dr. Dorothee Struck - Gynaecologist & Hypnotherapist

Dr. Dorothee Struck has been working as an integrative gynecologist, naturopathic doctor, and clinical hypnotherapist for many years, trained by the British hypnotherapy expert Marisa Peer. As a certified RTT® and IACT hypnotherapist, she helps women with fibroids and those trying to conceive. She also uses the 3-keys® hypnobirthing method for birth preparation. She runs an established gynecological practice in Kiel and offers online courses, including self-hypnosis, to help as many women as possible activate and establish their self-healing powers. Her group hypnosis courses, specifically for those trying to conceive, as well as topic-specific individual sessions, are also popular.

With her warm, powerful, and life-affirming approach of "Positive Gynecology & Precious Pregnancies," Dr. Struck achieves great therapeutic success in women's health and encourages women to live a life free from limiting beliefs: Focus on the positive—and that's something we can learn.

What is hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a type of trance of varying depths, in which we consciously control the process of this experience. The control is usually taken over by another person, while the person in the trance always remains in control. Contrary to popular belief, this is not the classic "stage hypnosis," in which the person is beyond their own control and mentally completely at the mercy of the hypnotist. In self-hypnosis, you are the one guiding the person through the trance state, which, however, cannot reach as deep a level as guided hypnosis.

“In hypnosis, we invite the mind to explore new paths and thereby influence the body and mind ,” explains Dr. Struck.

Hypnosis: Natural State of Mind

Trance is a completely natural state and exists in many different forms. These include, for example, the state of being absorbed while reading a book or watching a TV series. The trance state is usually only noticed when an external stimulus abruptly breaks it, for example, when someone unexpectedly enters the room and you realize you were somewhere else entirely.

Even under the influence of drugs, one enters a trance state, which can also trigger so-called "bad mood trips." These are trance states in which the mind uncontrollably summons emotions and reactions from the subconscious that can no longer be influenced, controlled, or stopped. "Of course, that's not what we do with hypnosis," smiles Dr. Struck. "With medical hypnosis, the patients remain in control the entire time."

Relaxed & open to suggestions

"We put the mind into a completely natural state where the brain waves slow down." The brain waves transition from the active daytime beta wavelength to alpha or even deeper theta waves. In this state, the mind is open and receptive to suggestions. Suggestions are merely suggestions we give the mind.

"I cannot act against the participant's inner convictions, beliefs, or ethical principles during hypnosis. During medical hypnosis, the patient remains in control the entire time ," says the gynecologist.

Vehicle into hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy goes one step further: the induced trance, the state of consciousness where communication with the subconscious is possible, serves merely as a vehicle for subsequent therapy. This makes it possible to delve deeply into the root cause of something. In this way, a person can be taken back to childhood to understand early childhood traumas. "We can't undo experiences, but we have the tools to reframe them," says the hypnotherapist. Once the subconscious has been accessed, various therapy techniques are used. For example, Dr. Dorothee Struck uses techniques from Virginia Satir's family therapy, NLP, and others.

Conclusion: Hypnosis vs. Hypnotherapy: Hypnosis primarily involves total relaxation of the mind and the creation of a receptive state. Here, too, blockages can be released to some extent, but not as specifically as in individual hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy allows the past to be placed in a new context. Traumas and negative beliefs are resolved, the body's self-healing powers are activated, and the body is encouraged to reprogram itself.

Hypnosis in gynecology

Dr. Struck vividly recounts her time at the Institute for Integrative Psychiatry in Kiel, which was affiliated with one of the only two clinics in Germany at the time that performed assisted reproductive technology. She wrote her doctoral thesis on psychotherapy effectiveness research there in the early 1990s and, in this field straddling gynecology and psychology, also encountered hypnosis for the first time. "In the second hypnosis session, my colleague, who led the hypnosis, brought me into dialogue with my fibroids – it was incredible. After a year, they were gone."

Myomas and hypnosis

Dr. Struck, then still a junior doctor, felt two fibroids at the age of just 28 and went straight to her gynecologist. She had learned that fibroids are dangerous, can grow, cause heavy bleeding, pregnancy is impossible, and my uterus would probably have to be removed. These were negative beliefs, as she learned. Her gynecologist at the time diagnosed two fibroids, each about 3 cm in size, and offered two alternatives: 1. Take the pill, 2. First examine my lifestyle, i.e., stress and diet, closely. Dr. Struck admits: "At the time, I was under a lot of stress due to my studies and parallel part-time jobs, which meant I lived almost exclusively on cheese sandwiches. Maybe I had yogurt, very rarely with fresh fruit in it, but I didn't have time to chop up vegetables." Seeing a homeopath and adopting a more mindful diet initially led to the fibroids no longer growing. However, one of the fibroids was located directly on the cervix and the carousel of thoughts around questions like “Can I get pregnant like this?” or “Could I even have a normal birth without a Caesarean section?” continued to spin.

Entering into dialogue with myomas

The aforementioned hypnosis session allowed Dr. Struck to enter into a dialogue with her fibroids. Her eyes still light up when she talks about the insight she gained from that session and the miracle that occurred. "Don't believe everything you learned in college!" That was the main message of this session. "Maybe fibroids aren't so dangerous after all, and maybe I can do something to take care of myself." Ms. Struck subsequently reported that the fibroids had disappeared since then. They had disappeared, as had the spinning in her head. "It's extremely important to me to share this with all women out there."

Hypnosis for the desire to have children and fertility

In early 2000, Dr. Struck began researching the topic of fertility. This led her to the sensational successes of a London fertility clinic: "With one to three hypnosis sessions, the doctors increased the success rate of in vitro fertilization from 25% to 55%—better egg production, better fertilization, and better implantation rates."

The therapist was Marisa Peer , with whom Dr. Struck completed his training in RTT Hypnotherapy , Rapid Transformation Therapy .

RTT Hypnotherapy - Rapid Transformation

There are various approaches to hypnotherapy, often modeled on traditional psychological psychotherapy sessions, meaning 10-20 sessions of 50 minutes each. "What I like so much about RTT Hypnotherapy, Rapid Transformational Therapy, is its high and effective transformative power. The sessions are particularly deep and usually last longer, but usually require much less therapy. Everything that comes up in a session is also cleared up. It's about finding the deep causes of symptoms," emphasizes the hypnotherapist.

Recognize the message behind the symptom

In a trance state, the central messages behind an illness can be explored: What is our subconscious trying to say with certain illnesses and symptoms? Where is the root? When did it all start? “At some point, the soul, usually in pain, says to the body: You do something, it will listen to you,” says Dr. Struck, illustrating the traumas of the soul that are often kept beneath the surface for years. This means that emotional pain or trauma builds up until it turns into physical symptoms and often only surfaces as a symptom much later than the actual cause. In this case, the symptom is usually treated, but not the deeper root cause.

Transforming negative beliefs

One thing is recognizing the message or being transported back to early childhood situations. It's about feeling again which emotions have become entrenched and have stored a physically detectable belief. The other is reversing this belief and reprogramming it. "In hypnotherapy, we cut the bug out of the system, so to speak, and write a new program over it ," explains Dr. Struck. "In RTT, patients receive a recording of the hypnosis session and subsequent tasks. For women, a period of 28 days is ideal. This corresponds to one cycle, one lunar orbit, in order to listen to, repeat, and internalize the new beliefs over and over again."

Nutrition for fibroids

"Nutrition is always the foundation. It's like computer science: GIGO - garbage in, garbage out. If I eat poorly, the program can't run," the doctor compares. "Medicinal plants are absolutely essential; I work a lot with my patients. There's so much women can do themselves." Dr. Struck also offers important tips on important supportive nutrition and diets for fibroids .

• No soy and dairy products for more than 3 months

At the beginning, it's important to strictly eliminate all soy products and dairy products made from sheep, goat, and cow's milk, including cheese, yogurt, and cream, from your diet. All of these products contain many growth factors and have an estrogen-promoting effect. Estrogen stimuli promote fibroid growth.

• Eat warm food & warm up your digestive organs

According to TCM, dairy products are cold and high in protein. They cost the body a lot of energy to convert. If the spleen meridian is weakened for various reasons, it has difficulty doing this, leading to stagnation. Congestion is a contributing factor to the formation of fibroids and cysts in the genital organs. This means always having soup before salad, and eating warm meals in peace. "A quick salad, raw vegetables, or yogurt for a quick lunch is the worst thing a woman can do, especially in cooler climates like ours in Germany," says Dr. Struck. "Fruitarians and raw foodists also have a hard time. Warm meals like porridge are excellent; I always recommend adding green tea extract to them."

• Sort out plastic

Plastic bottles, shrink-wrapped food, or plastic bowls at snack bars are not only bad for the environment but also contain plasticizers that have a xenoestrogenic effect in the body, meaning they promote estrogen production, thus stimulating fibroid growth or the development of endometriosis. This also applies to cosmetics, such as non-organic sunscreen, which is applied all over the body and exerts its estrogen-promoting effect.

Myomas: Green tea & warm meals

Dr. Struck recommends warm porridge for breakfast.

" People eat because they are struggling with loneliness, because they are afraid, because they are putting on a "protective coat", because they were sexually harassed during puberty and learned that weaker girls are harassed more - there are so many reasons. This can be remedied with hypnotherapy. "The desire for a sustainably stable, individually healthy diet then comes automatically from the subconscious ," summarizes the gynecologist. In conclusion: First and foremost, it is not about imparting knowledge about nutrition to people, but about bringing the mind into a stable state of well-being so that women want to eat healthily from within. Hypnosis is important for this.

Dietary supplements in myoma therapy

According to Dr. Struck, the basis of therapy is to give women responsibility and trust. For the first three months, the diet should be very strict, particularly avoiding dairy and soy products. "After that, things can be relaxed a bit," says the doctor. "After all, you want to go to a restaurant with friends again someday or enjoy your aunt's favorite cake." However, targeted nutritional supplements are essential, particularly green tea extract and various medicinal plants, as well as an individually adjusted vitamin and mineral supply. The vitamin status of vitamin B12, vitamin D, and iron stores should be monitored regularly, as should the red blood cell count.

Are fibroids really a disease?

"I used to only have a picture of fibroids from the university hospital," sighs Dr. Struck. "Fibroids need to be monitored, as they can grow and degenerate. Today I know that's not entirely true. In 20 years of my practice in Kiel, I've only had one patient where we had to operate and remove the uterus due to a rapidly growing fibroid. However, the fibroid grew rapidly, from 4 to 12 cm within 4 months. That's very rare."

What is the natural course?

According to Dr. Dorothee Struck, fibroids should be monitored; however, they rarely degenerate to the point where surgery is necessary. It was only through her own practical experience that she learned about the natural progression of a fibroid. She describes a striking experience she had as a junior doctor in a rural area:

"An 83-year-old woman came to the hospital with lower abdominal pain and was scheduled for a gynecological examination. I found three to four small "lime beans" in her uterus and didn't know what they were. Based on my questioning expression, my colleague at the time explained that in this rural area, surgery is only performed if the woman has real problems. What I had in my case were dried fibroids. After menopause, fibroids shrink if they aren't operated on. In old age, the uterus becomes very small, and the fibroids calcify."

For Dr. Struck, this was an eye-opening experience in her approach to dealing with fibroids and fibroid therapy.

Myomas: Estrogen-dependent growth

So when the estrogen stimulus subsides after menopause, the fibroids also shrink. Usually, fibroids grow by one to a maximum of two centimeters during pregnancy when there is an estrogen stimulus. They usually shrink on their own when estrogen levels fall after birth and the breastfeeding hormone rises. "Whenever estrogen levels fall, fibroids also shrink." This is ultimately what GnRH analogue therapy achieves. The body is artificially put into menopause using hormones, thereby drying out the fibroids. This is now also available as an add-on therapy so that women experience fewer menopausal symptoms. Usually, the fibroids shrink naturally when women come out of the high hormonal fluctuations of menopause and their hormone levels settle at a lower level.

No hormonal chaos can be seen in the ultrasound

On the topic of vitamin intake, fibroids, and heavy bleeding, the gynecologist shares another observation from her practice: "Fibroids and heavy bleeding don't necessarily have to be causally related. Often, the fibroids aren't the cause of heavy bleeding, but rather a lack of iron or vitamin B12. You don't see the hormonal chaos on an ultrasound; you only see the fibroids. During puberty, the cycle isn't always straight either." Fibroids are a sign to pay attention. This means changing your diet and ensuring your body is balanced with conscious self-care and high-quality supplements such as green tea extract and vitamin D. According to Dr. Struck, this is how you can effectively control the growth of fibroids until menopause.

How do hypnotherapy sessions work?

Both online and in practice, there are various techniques for bringing the person into a trance state and reassuring them that they are actually there. Once the subconscious is receptive, there are various techniques for asking the subconscious questions: When did it start? What happened? What is the meaning of a symptom? A session unfolds very differently depending on the individual. Some people function very visually and describe detailed scenes from childhood. Other sessions use other sensory channels. According to Dr. Struck, no two hypnosis sessions are the same; each patient's processing of their experiences and the therapy are completely individual. It's important to note: "In all sessions, the participants always retain control. With medical hypnosis, the patients always have control. This is not a stage hypnosis. After all, the participants are supposed to tell me something about their childhood over and over again."

With Dr. Dorothee Struck, a one-on-one session, either online or in-office, lasts approximately one to three hours. If a specific problem is present, three sessions are usually sufficient. "For fibroids, it rarely takes more than two sessions in my practice ," says the hypnotherapist.

Group hypnosis sessions for those wanting to have children

The online group program for fertility patients, featuring live hypnosis sessions, is a resounding success. You can join at any time. It always begins with a "subconscious purge," as the experienced hypnotherapist learned from the American hypnobirthing expert Lynsi Eastburn. Lynsi Eastburn has been conducting hypnosis exclusively for fertility and the unfulfilled desire to have children with her hypnofertility programs for 25 years. Dr. Struck's fertility hypnosis program is highly successful. She also collaborates with a fertility clinic and has recorded a nearly 70% pregnancy success rate, which is also consistent with an Israeli study. Hypnotherapy can also be claimed as a tax deduction for fertility treatment.

Subconscious Purge

This brings us back to "Positive Gynecology." A cleansing of subconscious beliefs that hold women back is performed. These include, for example, "Fibroids are bad and often lead to a hysterectomy." Dr. Struck speaks with great force: "We hear so much from the medical establishment, for example, that only hormones help and that the pill must be taken. Questioning helps, including one's own morals and beliefs." How often does the belief "Oh, wanting a baby over 35, and then fibroids on top of that, you can forget it" become entrenched in women? Hypnosis offers women the opportunity to let go. Hypnotherapy provides positive suggestions, and group sessions explore what needs to be done.

In summary: Positive Gynecology

If we focus on the good, the positive, great changes can occur - in a positive way - for the entire organism.

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How can women from anywhere get in touch with you?

Contact Dr. Dorothee Struck:

Practice Kiel:

https://www.frauengesundheit-kiel.de/

Her gynecological practice in Kiel, where she focuses particularly on her heart's desire to have children and pregnancy.

Online hypnotherapy:

www.dorotheestruck.de

All information about hypnosis, as well as individual and group sessions on fertility and other topics in gynecology.

Watch the full interview on YouTube