Hypnosis: Fact or Fiction?
We’ve all seen them. Old horror movies where someone is put into a hypnotic trance, adopts a zombie like state and performs all kinds of terrible acts they would never dream of in normal life. This image of hypnosis might put some of us off, but in reality hypnotherapy (hypnosis used to promote healing or positive development) works very differently.
Contrary to popular belief, hypnosis is not a state of deep sleep and patients cannot be made to do anything they would not ordinarily do. Totally safe, patients stay in control and can terminate the hypnotic state at any time. In fact, most people can’t tell the difference between a hypnotised and ‘waking’ state. Different for everybody, a hypnotic trance may feel like daydreaming for some, whilst others may simply experience feelings of relaxation or lethargy. Weightlessness and a tingling sensation in fingers are other possibilities.
During hypnosis, the analytical left-hand side of the brain is turned off, whilst the non-analytical right-hand side is made more alert. The conscious mind becomes suppressed, and the sub-conscious mind more aware. In this altered state, positive suggestions for change are accepted readily. As the subconscious mind is deeper-seated and more instinctive than the conscious mind, this is the part which has to change for a person’s behaviour and physical state to alter.
During a hypnotherapy session, the patient remains alert, but experiences a sense of deep relaxation as they focus on the hypnotist’s voice suggesting ideas, concepts and lifestyle changes. Hypnotherapy aims to re-programme patterns of behaviour within the mind, thus enabling irrational fears, phobias, negative thoughts and suppressed emotions to be overcome. Amongst other things, it can be used to help people lose weight, overcome addictions, conquer stammers, improve sleep, deal with pain, and release repressed events from the past. Hypnotherapy is not about being made to do things, in fact it is the opposite - it is about empowerment.
In order for hypnosis to work, the patient must want to change some behaviour or habit and be highly motivated to do so. The readiness and ability of patients to be hypnotised varies considerably, and hypnotherapy generally requires several sessions in order to achieve meaningful results. However, the patient can learn the technique of self-hypnosis which can be practised at home, to reinforce the usefulness of formal sessions with the therapist. In fact, it is common for patients to be given a recording of their hypnotherapy session to listen to at home. It is generally accepted that all hypnosis is ultimately self-hypnosis and that a hypnotist merely helps to facilitate the experience.
So, forget all those myths and remember that hypnosis could be your single most effective tool for change!
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