HYPNOSIS & HYPNOTHERAPY
Hypnosis is a dreamlike state of consciousness, that has been used for centuries
to promote healing. It is best explained as a state of extreme physical and mental
relaxation, whereby the patient experiences a sense of detachment from reality
and a heightened suggestibility.
Hypnotherapists consider that the workings of the mind have a direct effect on
the body and aim to stimulate subconscious problem-solving and healing mechanisms
to affect mental and physical processes. Hypnotherapy is increasingly accepted
as a
legitimate form of therapy.
CONSULTING A THERAPIST
Most hypnotherapists agree that all hypnosis is self- hypnosis. The hypnotist's
role is to
guide you into a trance.
You cannot be hypnotized against your will, and you can rouse yourself from a
trance whenever you really wish to do so. Nor can you be made to do anything
under hypnosis that you
find offensive or repugnant.
People are sometimes worried that they surrender all control of their thoughts
and actions to the hypnotist and that an unscrupulous practitioner might take
advantage of them.
In fact, the worst that can happen is that people can lose their inhibitions
- much as they might do under the influence of alcohol - and they may then be
persuaded to do something that that they later regret; but this will not happen
if you choose a responsible hypnotherapist
in the first place.
TREATMENT
A course of hypnotherapy will usually begin with a full consultation. The therapist
will find out details of your medical history and discuss any current physical
or psychological problems. He will also explain what will happen during hypnosis,
and the number of sessions
that are likely to be required.
Hypnotherapy treatment usually consists of a number of sessions, which will vary
according to the problem. The techniques used to induce a trance vary from one
practitioner to another,
but the basic principles are much the same.
You will be asked to relax, perhaps by imagining yourself in some favourite place,
or, by remembering a time when you were contented and at ease. The therapist
will then talk to you in a calm, controlled, and relaxing manner. This may take
the form of constant repetition of a particular phrase, or it might involve a
description of a walk
along a sunny river bank, for example.
You may be asked to concentrate on a particular spot on the wall, or to stare
at a pendulum or even simply the tip of a pencil. After a while your eyelids
will start to feel heavy and the therapist will encourage you to close them,
talking all the time in
the same slow, soothing fashion.
After a while, you begin to feel more and more detached from the everyday world.
Sounds, except for the hypnotist's voice, seem to be coming from far away. You
will feel comfortable, peaceful, and relaxed. After about 5 minutes you will
be in a light trance. This may be sufficient for certain purposes, such as for
those who want to give up smoking. Sometimes only a single session in a light
trance is required for the treatment to succeed.
DEEPER HYPNOSIS
However, for most forms of therapy, a medium or deep trance is required.
A common method of taking the subject into a deeper trance is to use the image
of a staircase. The hypnotherapist will ask you to imagine yourself at the top
of the stairs,
and will slowly count from one to ten as you go down.
Alternatively, he may ask you to think of yourself descending in an elevator,
and will count down from ten to one as you pass successive floors. You will be
asked to "go deeper" into your inner self as this is going on.
UNDER HYPNOSIS
At this stage, the hypnotist can plant the required suggestions in the subject's
mind. Allergic symptoms, such as the itching skin of eczema, or the breathlessness
of asthma, can sometimes be cured by the straightforward suggestion that they
are going away.
However, most reputable hypnotherapists would regard this as dubious practice.
Most physical and psychological disorders have underlying causes that need to
be discovered
and dealt with if a successful cure is to be affected.
Therefore, an important part of therapy is the uncovering of repressed feelings
of anxiety or anger and their replacement with positive feelings of confidence
and a belief in the ability to cope. It is also vital that the suggestions continue
to work
when the subject is roused from the trance.
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