Hypnosis is a word that is used to describe a state of being as well as a therapeutic process. Some call it a heightened state of focus, yet the focus is not associated with effort or concentration. When a person is in a hypnotic state or a trance, they are having an experience that is different from their normal waking state. Everyone has been in a naturalistic trance at one time or another. An example of a natural trance is being “spaced out” or driving along a very familiar route and then realizing you’re at your destination but you don’t remember much of the ride. You experience some awareness, you can respond to stimuli, but you are not “fully there”, not fully “conscious”. Your conscious mind is somewhere else. Hypnosis is not sleep, although in a deep trance state one might experience sleep-like phenomena, like slower breathing, immobility, time distortion, and sometimes amnesia for the trance itself.
Hypnosis is a powerful therapeutic tool. Therapeutic hypnotic trance allows you access to resources you have within you. These resources are abilities and strengths that can help foster emotional growth. Hypnosis can also give you some control over physiological processes that are not under your conscious control, such as pain, bleeding, digestion, and hand temperature. Hypnosis can give you the ability to see things in a new light, that helps solve old problems. It can increase emotional resilience and flexibility. It can augment will power and even give you access to memories forgotten long ago. *
One way to understand how hypnosis works is by imagining a task force meeting with several participants. In every group there are usually a few individuals who are the first to speak and have a lot to say. In fact, they might have a hard time making room for others to contribute their ideas. You have others who might try to offer a suggestion here or there but won’t struggle to be heard. Some might be more confrontational, while some might have good ideas but choose to remain silent instead of fighting to be heard.
Using trance is like taking those loud people out of the room to let others have a say. Without the constant chatter and quick responses and pre-set ideas of the conscious mind, we can allow the rest of the task force (the unconscious mind) to share ideas, make associations, and implement plans to solve various problems.
Clinical hypnosis is the process of inducing this trance state, either by yourself (self-hypnosis) or with the help of a therapist, to achieve a specific goal. That goal may be the removal of a specific symptom, like smoking, the regulation of a physiological process like IBS, mood regulation, healing trauma, or even greater self understanding. Hypnosis can help with just about anything you would seek therapy for. And in many cases, the use of hypnosis by a competent therapist can help you achieve your goals faster because it works directly with the unconscious mind. (Alladi, 2010; Aladdin and Alibbai, 2007; Milling, et al, 2019; Daitch, 2018)
Many people fear that they will be taken over by the hypnotist and be forced to do things against their will. This myth usually stems from stage hypnosis where a performer selects individuals from the audience to put into trance and do things they would not normally do. Stage hypnotists chose participants that are likely to have exhibitionistic qualities who will be more cooperative as well as responsive to trance. Clinical hypnosis has no resemblance to stage hypnosis and you cannot be made to do anything against your will.
Another common myth is that you will forget everything you heard or said or did in trance. Although there are some rare individuals who go very deep into trance and may not recall what was said in trance, most people have some awareness both during the trance, and afterwards about what was said and done. There are times that a clinician may make suggestions for forgetting if especially troubling material surfaced in trance that the client might find very dysregulating while conscious.
Some people worry about being “stuck” in trance. Most people re-alert quite easily at the end of trance but there can be some lingering effects which are important to address. A qualified hypnotherapist is aware of signs that might indicate the patient is still in trance and will make sure that you are fully awake before you leave the session.
Hypnosis is used for anything one would seek help for from a mental health practitioner including, but not limited to phobias, anxiety, sexual problems, alcoholism, smoking control, psychogenic speech disorders, weight control, chronic pain, trauma therapy, self-esteem/ego strengthening, and executive functioning. In the realm of medical practice it can be used as anesthesia for surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, cancer treatment, control of bleeding, pain control, burns healing, dermatology (rashes, warts), dental procedures, saliva control, gagging, bruxism, tongue biting, and general oral hygiene.
You want to make sure that the person you are seeing is a licensed mental health practitioner. A good rule of thumb is anything you are seeking to treat with hypnosis, the practitioner is trained and comfortable treating it without hypnosis. Hypnosis is a tool. While it is very effective, like any tool, it doesn’t work for everybody. Your therapist should be able to use multiple approaches to help you get the results you want.
They should also be formally trained in the use of hypnosis. One way to make sure the clinician has ample training and experience is to seek someone who is certified by the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH) or the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (SCEH), both of which are clinical, professional organizations. If a practitioner has a different certification, you want to make sure that its members are licensed professionals.
While repressed memories can be retrieved in hypnosis, they are not reliable enough to be used in a court of law. Memories can be shaped by many factors. A competent, licensed therapist should be able to help you use whatever comes up to facilitate your growth and healing.
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