Understanding Hypnotherapy
The Stages of Hypnosis
Preparation
The hypnotherapist explains hypnotherapy and answers any questions the client may have. Then the client and hypnotherapist agree what is to be achieved by the treatment and the hypnotherapist decides which type of hypnosis will work best.
Stage One Induction
This comprises a relaxation 'script' and sometimes a further relaxation stage called a 'deepener'. This prepares for the work with the subconscious mind in Stage Two.
Stage Two
The hypnotherapist uses one of the many scripts at his disposal to introduce helpful suggestions to counter the symptoms of the client or to regress the client to uncover early life events relevant to the clients presenting issues.
There are thousands of published scripts which have been developed and successfully used by hypnotherapy practitioners over recent decades. These scripts cover a very wide range of symptoms.
Stage Three
Re-alerting the client, usually by 'counting out' 1, 2,3,4,5 from trance state to alert state.
Stage Four – Conclusion of the hypnotherapy session
The therapist and client discuss how the session was experienced as a basis for planning any future sessions which may be needed.
How Hypnosis Works
Hypnosis is widely used by Healthcare Professionals
- As an adjunct to therapy
- In psychosomatic medicine
- In the treatment of pain
- In medical and surgical procedures
- In midwifery
- In dentistry
- In physical manipulation
- In speech therapy
- In stress management
There is a British Society of Dental and Medical Hypnosis. The first published evidence for the benefits of hypnosis in dentistry was presented to the French Royal Academy of Medicine by Cloquet in 1837.
Stage Shows
Much damage has been done to the public view of hypnosis by stage performers. After all, who wants to be turned into a chicken?
In fact we cannot be induced to do anything in hypnosis against our will or in conflict with our personal values, morality, and physical safety.
Hypnosis depends totally on the willingness of the client to go along with the suggestions of the hypnotist. Many people are initially concerned about the apparent loss of self-control of those taking part in stage shows. However stage shows are nothing like therapeutic hypnotherapy.
In stage shows, participants are particularly susceptible people who, in accepting the invitation to go on stage, are demonstrating that they wish to be part of the spectacle, that they are 'up for it' whatever happens.
We each experience the hypnotised state in different ways
There is not a specific 'hypnotic sensation' where all hypnotised subjects experience themselves sinking into some dreamlike, detached, trance. On the contrary, being under hypnosis might be experienced as one of heightened concentration and clarity where the concentration is on the voice of the hypnotherapist and upon the accompanying thoughts and feelings triggered. Sometimes clients will feel that they were not hypnotised at all! Clients need not try to reach a trance like state, just relax and listen to the hypnotherapist.
Under hypnosis we retain the ability to re-alert spontaneously should anything require our urgent attention, should we be asked to do anything which is at variance with our values
Why Hypnosis Works
The overall purpose of our brain activity is to keep us safe and to keep us fully functioning without bothering us with the millions of details involved in this ceaseless task which includes all of our body functioning.
Our conscious mind may be focussed on reading a book. Out of awareness our brain is monitoring every physical sensation and function in every part of our body. It is also monitoring everything happening around us e.g. the noise downstairs which may be an intruder, the smell of smoke etc.
For example – you were not conscious of how your right foot is feeling right now until this moment, but your brain was monitoring in case you needed to know, in case you needed to take any action.
Another example. - you are not listening for a door banging, but if one did your subconscious will spring you into an appropriate response.
For example - you may not be listening to a conversation between people on the other side of the room, but if they mention your name you will hear it.
You don't ask your unconscious mind to tell you when it's time to go to the loo, but it will.
Being a brain at the centre of all this activity, this monitoring, and this data processing must be a bit like us being in a noisy and crowded room at a party.
All that noise! All those different sights and sounds. Having to shout to make ourselves heard.
I imagine that the effect of hypnosis on our brain must be not unlike turning down the volume in the room at the party until there is only one voice to listen to. First the music, then the shouting, and singing, the chink of glasses and plates. Then the sound of conversation. Each sound gradually getting quieter and quieter until there is no sound at all, except for one interesting, reassuring, voice.
Perfect silence, except for one voice.
Now we can hear ourselves think, choose to focus on the only voice we can hear. It's like being deeply focussed on a film or play; the other senses are still available to us but are temporarily put on standby.
In hypnosis the film or play which holds our total concentration is replaced by total concentration on the voice of the hypnotherapist.
In this state of total concentration conscious thoughts and mental activity are put aside.
The subconscious can then be accessed to receive new and helpful thoughts 'Hypnotic Suggestions'.
Repressed memories which are adversely affecting us in the 'here and now' out of awareness, can be accessed and processed.
Our Subconscious
Our subconscious holds a comprehensive file of every significant thing that has ever happened to us. Much of the file is not readily available to our conscious mind. Access to our subconscious is impeded by the clutter and noise of our conscious thoughts, our established thought processes and our psychological defences.
These defences form a kind of protective shield. This shield works to block new thoughts which challenge our established beliefs about ourselves, others, and the world around us; in other words block out anything which challenges our unique personal 'Map of the World'.
After all, an attack on our map of the world is an attack on our perception of reality – something which we humans find scary and difficult to handle. This is why people cling to thoughts and behaviours which are very unhelpful and which they know are very unhelpful.
Hypnotherapy aims to bypass the overly protective outer shield of the conscious mind and work directly with the subconscious.
Hypnotherapists like to think of the conscious mind as a sort of guardian, a watchman, a gatekeeper whose job it is to prevent access to the unconscious. The deep relaxation involved in hypnotherapy induces feelings of trust and safety which persuade this 'guardian' that it's OK to step aside, to allow access to the subconscious for a time.
The subconscious sometimes blocks conscious recall of some events which have been too painful to be accessed by the conscious mind. The deep relaxation of hypnosis offers a safe place for the client to allow his or her subconscious to release its repressed memories, to lower its protective shield.
Where the memory is so painful that it is still not safe to be admitted into consciousness it may remain impossible to access. Often however, the subconscious gives up its secrets under hypnosis. This allows the previously repressed memories to be processed in a helpful way by the thinking, rational, adult client.
STRESS & ANXIETY REDUCTION
Hypnosis is often used simply to achieve deep relaxation in order to lower stress. Its visualisation techniques are very powerful so that you may visit a beautiful garden, a tropical beach, or any place in the world without leaving your chair.
If you have never experienced the deep relaxation of hypnosis you have a real treat waiting!