Leading the way to what we now refer to as “traditional” medicine, scientists, theorists, experimenters and religious leaders have dabbled with treatments, incantations, herbal wraps and prayers to help the sick get better.
Hypnosis was also used to heal patients and has been traced back to ancient Greece, where priests would whisper instructions and assurances to sick patients. These patients believed that the gods were speaking to them in their dreams.
In the 1730’s the offbeat theories of Franz Anton Mesmer (think mesmerizing) led to the discovery of hypnosis as a way to alleviate pain, a sort of suggestive anesthetic.
Today, hypnosis is used in a variety of clinical and wellness settings, offering a drugless reach into the far corners of the conscious and unconscious mind. Research has shown that hypnosis can have curative effects by helping to lower heart rate and diminish anxiety, and also has proved effective in stress management, weight loss and smoking cessation programs.
What is Hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a naturally occurring state of consciousness that makes use of concentration and focused attention to help foster change and provide an increased level of control over behaviors, thoughts, emotions, physiological responses and physical heath. Many people equate the hypnotic state to the feeling they get during meditation, prayer or day-dreaming.
How is hypnosis used by mental health professionals?
- By encouraging the use of imagination: Mental imagery can be a powerful tool to bring about significant change.
- In presenting ideas or suggestions: A hypnotic suggestion is a thought or idea that, when consistent with the individual’s treatment goals, can have a profound impact on the individual’s ability to meet those goals.
- Through exploration of the unconscious mind: The hypnotic state allows the individual to avoid the internal defenses of the conscious mind and helps make connections between present and past events and to highlight new possibilities.
The hypnotic trance
While in the hypnotic trance, an individual may be more susceptible to suggestion but this does not mean that there is a loss of control. Most people will not do anything in the hypnotic state that they would not do in any other state of consciousness.
In clinical settings, hypnosis is a collaborative process where the health professional helps guide the experience created by the individual. An important maxim that many professionals use is that “all hypnosis is self hypnosis” because it reinforces and empowers the individual seeking services.
After the trance
In most clinical settings, the hypnotic work can be accomplished in a light to medium trance where there is a clear memory of everything that has transpired.
In most situations, it is beneficial for the person to remember what happens during the hypnotic trance because doing so can help foster generalization of treatment gains between sessions. There are a small percentage of hypnotic subjects who go into a very deep level of trance where they experience amnesia, but this is rare.
Locating a reliable hypnotherapist?
There are two types of professionals that use hypnosis: licensed health care professionals and lay hypnotists.
Licensed health care professionals typically have extensive education and supervised training through internships and residency programs.
Lay hypnosis training programs vary widely in their credentialing requirements. While many have extensive training (often over 200 hours), some need only attend short weekend workshops with little supervised practice.
The main distinction between the two types of hypnosis practitioners is that health care professionals have extensive, specific training in their field of practice (medicine, psychology, dentistry, social work and counseling).
Ask about credentials. If the response is “hypnotist” or “hypnotherapist,” then they are a lay hypnotist.
It is generally recommended that you consider a professionally-trained health professional when hiring a hypnotist. Be sure to ask if the person is licensed (rather than certified) in the state where they practice.
The American Society for Clinical Hypnosis (www.asch.net/referrals.asp) and the Florida Society for Clinical Hypnosis (www.fsch.org/Membership_Directory.html) both maintain websites to help people find local health professionals who are trained in hypnosis. To find professionals who are listed with the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis send an E-mail to sceh@mspp.edu to request a list of those in your area.
For more information, visit online:
The American Society for Clinical Hypnosis, www.asch.net
The Florida Society for Clinical Hypnosis, www.fsch.org and
The Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, www.sceh.us/index.htm.
Timothy Fortney, Ph.D., a graduate of the psychology program at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, is completing his internship at a community mental health organization in Fort Wayne, IN. He has specialized training in clinical hypnotherapy. For more information, E-mail timothydfortney@yahoo.com.
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