Anyone who thinks hypnosis is harmless might do well to remember that Hitler studied it after being cured by a hypnotist of the hysterical blindness that he suffered at the end of the First World War. His personality changed at that point as the result of a strong suggestion given in trance by a psychologist who told him that he was special and that he had great personal powers and that, with these great powers, he could cure himself of the blindness.
This acted as a post hypnotic suggestion and Hitler went on to induce receptive trance states in vast crowds at rallies, bombarding them with emotionally arousing nominalisations. He even adopted a stylised form of arm levitation as the Nazi salute. At the very least, over-use of trance-inducing positive abstractions can prevent a client from moving forward, if certain abstractions are not made concrete. For instance, suppose a client scales herself at a 2 for depression on a scale where 1 is the deepest of depressions and 10 is living life fully again.
The therapist then asks what number of the scale the client will need to reach to feel satisfied. The client says 7 or 8. All we have here is a set of abstracts, including the descriptors for 1 and 10 and a couple of meaningless numbers above mid-scale. Unless the therapist ascertains the behaviour the client associates with 1 and 10, and with 7 or 8, the client has nothing concrete to work with, in terms of making positive changes — and the therapist has nothing for the client to rehearse achieving in guided imagery.
I have seen this sort of thing happen often over the years that I have examined trainee therapists. The point I am making is that it can be surprisingly easy to be seduced into trance, even when you think you know better. For instance, if a therapist, for whatever reason, is feeling below par and wishes that they had fewer clients that day, clients will often start to ring up and postpone appointments. It is astonishing and happens far too often to be down to chance.
A related, common experience is that of suddenly knowing that someone close has died, even if they were miles away and previously thought to be in good health. This is territory that we should only enter respectfully if invited in, and we must be careful to close the gate properly when we leave. Using hypnosis repeatedly with an individual is ultimately weakening to them, because it can put out the spark of volition by making them increasingly open to suggestion, and not only to the suggestions of their therapist.
That is one reason that therapy should be as brief as possible. The aim of therapy is to help people detach and cope alone, not become dependent. All dangerous mass movements involve hypnosis and the programming of people, once they are emotionally aroused. This danger has long been known. Each time another stuns the horses into submission the person loses an amount of their own mental energy. From continued regular sessions of hypnosis from another person, entering into this docile state, instead of gaining power and better control, the mind can become a shapeless powerless mass eventually leading to the mental asylum.
Of course there is a bright side to hypnosis, otherwise we would not have been teaching how to use it in therapy all these years. To recap, hypnosis is the accessing of the REM state artificially by focusing attention until it can be guided. Once a person is in that trance state, therapists can make powerful, positive psychological interventions, such as offering metaphors, embedding empowering suggestions, giving direct instructions and by guiding rehearsal of desired new behaviours in imagination, such as successful public speaking or driving confidently.
Trance also provides the best platform for unhooking strong emotions from traumatic memories that the brain has interpreted as life threatening, which is why, using specific techniques, it offers the quickest means to help people overcome phobias and PTSD.
Trance plus therapeutic interventions is what constitutes hypnotherapy. The activating agent is whatever means the therapists chooses for inducing the REM state in the client we recommend gentle ways, not harsh ways, like shock. Every pattern match fires an emotional response an expectation , however subtle. The client may then think about the new ideas and rehearse new possibilities. All learning happens in trance. Whenever we recognise something familiar in the world, it is always because we are making a pattern match between what is out there in the environment and an internally stored pattern, which we normally call a memory.
Our brains are constantly pattern matching to the outside world and we only become aware of that if something different from the norm occurs — the orientation response fires and our attention is drawn to it. All learning, by its nature, involves novelty and we have to focus, however briefly, on what is new and different in order to absorb it.
That requires us to go into the REM state. When the new knowledge to be absorbed is profound, we need to introspect about this new pattern match and adjust our model of reality to it. Thus all learning is post-hypnotic. When we use hypnosis to induce trance in psychotherapy, our brain is our prize tool. So we must keep it sharp by improving our understanding of what we are doing, developing our skills and staying alert and focused when activating the REM state in our clients, otherwise we can harm the very people we want to help.
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Counsellors who use it know that the ' rewind technique ' is fast, safe, painless and effective for dealing with trauma. Keith Guy and Nicola Guy have tested it in research. There are many methods to help you quit, such as nicotine patches or prescription medications. Hypnosis for smoking cessation works best if you work one-on-one with a hypnotherapist who can customize the hypnosis sessions to match your lifestyle.
How it works: In order for hypnosis to work for smoking cessation, you need to truly want to quit smoking. Hypnosis can work in two ways. The first is to help you find a healthy, effective replacement action, and then guide your subconscious toward that habit, rather than smoking. This could be something like chewing a piece of gum or taking a walk.
The second is to train your mind to associate smoking with undesirable feelings like a bad taste in your mouth or a foul odor from smoke. It is usually most helpful when hypnotherapy is used in combination with diet and exercise changes.
How it works: When you are hypnotized, your attention is highly focused. This makes you more likely to listen and respond to suggestions for behavior changes, such as eating a healthy diet or getting more exercise, which could help you lose weight. Have questions about hypnosis and how it can help you? Request an appointment with a primary care physician at Penn Medicine online or by calling to discuss how relaxation techniques — including hypnosis — can boost your overall health and wellness.
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Complementary therapies in medicine, 23 5 , — Learn more about Sleep Hypnosis. What Causes Insomnia? By Eric Suni August 6, By Danielle Pacheco November 3, By Jay Summer October 29, By Danielle Pacheco October 15, By Eric Suni June 24, By Danielle Pacheco June 24, By Alexa Fry June 24, Exercise By Danielle Pacheco December 11, Women By Eric Suni October 2,
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