What is Hypnosis?
When a person responds to suggestions given by another
person (the hypnotist) for “unconscious”
experiences involving changes in perception, memory
and the voluntary control of action. Generally, the
most well known characteristic of hypnosis is increased
suggestibility. Though there are varying degrees of
this heightened responsiveness to suggestion, the
potential power of this direct access to the unconscious
or subconscious should not be underestimated. Imagery,
emotions, regressing to past memories, thoughts, feelings
and reactions will inevitably give access to altered
states of consciousness.
Generally hypnosis needs two conditions:
- ability to focus on a thought or object for a limited
period of time, and/or;
- to dissociate from one stream of thought or cognition
(cognition defined as a thought or image).
Some of these processes are described as follows:
- Ego State Therapy - working
with the parts of our personality or mood states.
- NLP (neuro linguistic programming) working with
our representational systems, such as visual, kinesthetic
and auditory systems
- Creative Visualisation
- Ego-Strengthening suggestions or affirmations
- Ericksonian approach - involving a naturalistic
style that leans heavily on pacing and leading
Various Spiritual Therapies using hypnosis
- and many more (go to Ego State Page)
What is Hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy is used to help patients gain more control
over their behaviour, emotions, and even physiological
processes that cause undesired consequences.
Hypnosis is used to promote relaxation, enhance imagery,
and generally loosen the flow of free associations
(some psychodynamic theorists consider hypnosis to
be a form of adaptive regression or regression in
the service of the ego). In spite of the increased
suggestibility inherent with hypnosis, genuine motivation
is necessary for a person to achieve meaningful results
in therapy. Clients become more motivated toward their
goals if significant underlying resistance issues
get properly addressed and there is some degree of
rapport with the therapist. The range of approaches
and techniques to hypnotherapy is wide and various.
Who can be hypnotised?
According to the World
Health Organization, 90% of the general population
can be hypnotised and therefore intervention with
the unconscious patterns of long established habits
and patterns is possible.
Health Applications of Hypnosis
The list of ways hypnosis has been used to help children,
adolescents and adults is practically endless and
includes:
- weight loss
- stopping smoking
- building self-confidence and self-esteem
- improving academic performance at every age level
- pain management
- eliminating anxiety, fear and phobias
- stress management
- insomnia
- other sleep problems
- helping to heal physical problems
Overview of hypnosis from the
American Cancer Society
Hypnosis is one of several methods that have been approved
by an independent panel, convened by the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), as a useful complementary
therapy for treating chronic pain. The technique may
also be effective in reducing fear and anxiety, treating
pain during labour and delivery, reducing labour time,
and controlling bleeding and pain during dental procedures.
There is no scientific evidence that hypnosis can
influence the development or progression of cancer,
however, it can help to improve the quality of life
for many people with cancer.
Can Hypnosis help with Weight Control?
Hypnosis has been shown to be especially favorable
in the treatment of obesity (Kirsch, I., Montgomery,
G., & Sapirstein, G.1995), where individuals in
the hypnosis group continued to lose weight even after
formal treatment had ended.
In one study, for example, women who received personally
tailored hypnotic suggestions for specific food aversions,
in the context of a traditional self-monitoring and
goal-setting treatment, lost approximately twice as
much weight as a comparison group.
Can Hypnosis Help People Stop Smoking?
Where the patient is appropriately motivated, as in
the obesity study described earlier, hypnosis may
offer a boost to treatment. A single-session hypnotic
treatment has an advantage in terms of efficiency
over other cognitive methods that tend to be longer
term.
Before you start to use hypnosis for your self-improvement,
you should get it clear in your own mind why you want
to change. This clear intention to change will help
the hypnotic suggestions to take hold and manifest
themselves in your everyday life. Over the years,
self-improvement and personal growth using hypnosis
has helped millions of people change their lives permanently
because it is a safe and powerful tool for changing
your thoughts, feelings and habits.
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