| Hypnotherapy and Hypnosis |
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| Andrew Myers | |||
| Thursday, 21 September 2006 | |||
 
The idiotic behaviour that people indulge in at hypnosis shows can be easily explained. The kind of people who are drawn to this kind of 'entertainment' go there in hope of seeing this kind of behaviour, or 'allowing' themselves to be the guinea pig that is hypnotized (after a dare from friends who egg them on). The hypnotist himself goes through a careful process of selection, ending up with only those who are very susceptible to hypnosis on the stage. These people are then made to do strange things. The majority of people who submit to this have suppressed exhibitionist tendencies, and are quite happy to make an exhibition of themselves and then blame this on the hypnotist who 'made' them do whatever it was. The horror films that show people reduced to mindless subservience are pure fantasy. It is not the weak-minded who are more susceptible to hypnosis. Tests have shown that it is the more imaginative and intelligent who are able to work with the hypnotherapy process, rather than the dull and the slow. How Hypnotherapy Works The therapist places the client in a state of deep relaxation. This does not necessarily involve a swinging pendulum or the need to look deeply into the eyes of the therapist. Quite often it will just involve the client closing his or her eyes and being guided through a sequence of muscle relaxation exercises. Once the body is deeply relaxed, the brain shifts from it's normal Beta state to Alpha, the state in which the hypnotherapist can work with the client in a creative way. There are four states of consciousness that have been identified in the human brain: Beta - The normal wakeful state where one is bound by time and space and the 'now'. Alpha - The relaxed and creative state, used in meditation and by creative artists. It is this level that the hypnotherapist will work with to change destructive behaviour patterns. Theta - The deeper state than Alpha in which a person can control the automatic functioning of the body, for example to control pain. A hypnotherapist can take a patient to this stage, and surgery can be performed. This is called hypno-aenesthesia. Delta - This is the level of the spiritual plane, where all thought is left behind. It is a timeless zone. The hypnotherapist works to bring the client to the Alpha brain wave level. At this stage of alert restfulness, the therapist can work with the client to remove destructive illusions or mind patterns that may be creating problems and difficulties in a client's life. Quite often this is done through a process known as 'creative visualization', in which the therapist helps the client to create a mind picture of a more positive way of life. For example, if a client came with a phobia such as fear of flying, the therapist would take such a client through a series of guided visualizations in which they could see themselves going to an airport, boarding a plane and arriving safely at their destination. If a client has a weight problem, the hypnotherapist does not attempt to 'brainwash' them into a diet plan. Rather the therapist would look at the reason why the client might need to carry excess weight. Usually this is a form of protection. Once the client is made to feel safe with their sexuality and feel that it is safe to love themselves, they begin to normalize their weight. Hypnotherapy can also be used to good effect for pain control with a problem like migraine. The therapist can teach the client a technique with which to 'switch off' the pain. In fact, 'autogenic training' or self-hypnosis is commonly taught at pain clinics in America as part of the non-drug approach to pain management. A good hypnotherapist will be happy to teach a client techniques of self-hypnosis, or to supply them with tapes that they can use to continue the process of self-healing on their own. A Visit to a Hypnotherapist A visit to a good hypnotherapist will be a calm and relaxing experience. Many people feel apprehensive about someone 'taking over' their consciousness, but as explained above, this is not what happens. The therapist will usually listen as you explain what your particular problem is. The therapist will need to formulate an idea about what it is that causes you to smoke, eat too much or get migraines. Once this has been established the therapist will then proceed to the actual hypnosis. If the client is anxious, the first visit might just be taken up in explaining the process and the approach. Once the therapy starts, the therapist will make sure that the client is comfortably seated, or semi-reclining, so that they can relax fully. The client is then slowly guided into total relaxation and the Alpha mind state so that the process of creative and constructive visualization can be implemented. A visit to a hypnotherapist should take about an hour and a half. Most clients can't believe how quickly the time goes, and sometimes the hour and a half seems like twenty minutes. This is because in the relaxed Alpha state we are not as aware of time as we are in our normal Beta state. Hypnotherapists state that most problems can be 'cured' or helped within 6 sessions. The client will not only solve the problem, but also gain a sense of achievement and self-confidence in having successfully dealt with a problematic issue in his or her life.
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