MemphisCounselor

What is hypnotism?
How is hypnotherapy therapeutic?
What does it feel like to be
hypnotized?
What should I look for in a
hypnotherapist?
For what sorts of problems is hypnotherapy
effective?
What about self-hypnosis?
Myths and realities associated with
hypnotism

What is hypnotism?

Hypnosis is a state of inner absorption and focus. One
can think of it as a meditative state, without the incessant
chatter of normal thought. While in a hypnotic state, the
unconscious mind is more accessible and is
more susceptible to suggestion. The unconscious mind has
a range of resources and knowledge that remain unleveraged by
humans in a normal state. Hypnotherapy provides access to these.
The unconscious operates on associations, and utilizes
imagery. Through hypnotherapy, imagery and associations can be
modified.

How is hypnotherapy therapeutic?

Many problems, such as phobias, are actually subconscious
problems. We know that the fear does not make “sense”,
so it is not a cognitive issue. The fear is at a deeper level. In
the case of a phobia, the fear is associated with a particular
thing or situation.  Hypnotherapy can modify that
association, eliminating the phobia.

Have you ever awakened with the answer to a question or
problem, or had a solution come to you in the shower? That is your unconscious
at work. Hypnotherapy makes use of the “doctor within you”.

What does it feel like to be hypnotized?

In general, the hypnotic state is very relaxing and people
thoroughly enjoy the peaceful rest and the sense of
balance afterward.

In dealing with past
traumatic experiences, a client might feel a bit of anxiety for a short time.
Hypnotherapy, unlike many other trauma treatments, does not require that the
client experience the old trauma and the feelings that go with it. Instead, the
triggering events are associated with new, more positive feelings.

What should I look for in a hypnotherapist?

Hypnotherapy should be provided by someone trained generally
in psychotherapy, and specifically in hypnotherapy.

For what sorts of problems is hypnotherapy effective?

Hypnotherapy is useful for changing behaviors, thought
processes, and emotional states. It is also useful for changing
physiological processes directly.  At one time or another,
hypnotherapy has been found to be useful in the treatment of most
physical and psychological ailments. Here is a brief list of the
more noteworthy problems hypnotherapy can be effective for.

What about self-hypnosis?

For many situations, hypnotherapy only requires 2-3 sessions
and no further treatment is required.  For some situations,
such as chronic pain, ongoing sessions may be needed.  In
this case, the client may be taught self-hypnosis in order that
he/she can self-treat the problem as needed.

Myths and realities associated with hypnotism

I don’t think I can be
hypnotized.

Anyone can be hypnotized, however
each person is different.  Some people require individualized approaches to
achieving a trance.  If you have ever driven on “automatic pilot”,
or finished your shower and couldn’t remember anything about
actually doing it, you have been in a trance.

Only weak-minded people can be
hypnotized.

Not at all.  Actually, the
more creative someone is, the more likely they are to be highly
hypnotizable.

Can I be made to do things I
don’t want to do?

No. Actually, all hypnosis is
self-hypnosis.  The therapist is only helping you accomplish
what you want to accomplish.  You can realert yourself from
a trance at any time, just as you can become alert when driving
on “automatic pilot” when a truck suddenly stops in
front of you.

Then how does stage hypnotism
work?

The performer picks out people who
are outgoing and who have exhibitionistic tendencies.  The
subjects only do what they are willing to do, although they are
not doing it consciously.

Will I forget everything that
happened during hypnosis?

About 30% of
people do not remember what happened during hypnosis, but of course
that means that 70% of people do. You may also not recall
every detail of the session, as it is OK for your conscious
mind to wander during hypnosis, but your unconscious mind
continues to listen and work.

Can someone who does not want to
be hypnotized be put into a trance?

Yes. However, they can also choose
to come out of it at any time.

Someone told me that hypnotism is
witchcraft/voodoo/etc. 

Hypnotism and hypnotherapy have been
the subject of countless scientific studies over the last 100
years. All aspects of how it works are not understood, but then
we do not understand how many of our medications work. 
It has only been in the last few years that we have come
to understand how aspirin works.

Supernatural explanations are often applied to things that
seem miraculous.  Of course, they are not miraculous, they are just beyond
our complete understanding at the present.  It is interesting that someone
would consider hypnotism to be witchcraft, but the flight of a multi-ton
jetliner to be “technology”.

I will probably go to sleep if I
am hypnotized

Most people do not, but it is
certainly possible. No problem though . . . hypnosis works
anyway.  If there is a need to, the therapist will gently
awaken you.

The therapist fixed my
problem.

Nope.  The therapist only
helped you heal yourself. 

Does hypnotherapy always
work?

No . . . no more than anything
works 100%.  However, for the illnesses and problems that it
is used for, it has a high rate of effectiveness.  What is
more, it tends to work very quickly.

So when it works, it is a quick
fix, right?

That
depends.  For some
problems, such as phobias, it can be.  For other
issues, it is a quick fix for the symptoms ,
and further therapeutic work is needed to ensure that the
underlying problem does not return in another form.  Panic attacks
are an example of this.  However, most people are glad
to eliminate the panic attack symptom pretty quickly.

Who should NOT be treated with
hypnotherapy?

People who are out of touch with
reality because of psychosis or a dissociative disorder should
generally not be hypnotized.

What’s the deal with
“false memory”?

Memory is an incompletely
understood process. Although we are all aware that we can forget,
it is less understood that we can believe we “remember”
something that never happened.  These memories can even be
vivid and long-term, yet totally false. 

In the 1980′s, a modern version of the witch hunt occurred
relative to child sexual abusers.  Many parents and
child-care workers were accused, and some convicted, based on
“recovered memories”.  Many of these convictions
were later overturned when it was discovered that false memories
had essentially been implanted by the therapist.

Similar waves of “recovered memories” have involved
alien abduction, past lives, and satanic ritual abuse. 
These are all hotly disputed areas, but the fact that the reports
occur in trends is good evidence that “false memory” is
involved in many of the reports.

The whole area of past life regression is an especially hot area
of debate, with some true believers and many skeptics.

The problem is
that, outside of corroborating evidence, there is no way to determine if
memories are true or false.  Memory can be affected by many things,
including the wishes or expectations of the client.  A competent therapist
will be careful to not implant false memories during an age-regression session,
but it is still possible for false memories to occur.

An interesting adjunct to this is that sometimes “recovering”
a false memory is still therapeutic, because the false memory was
there and causing problems.  In other words, whether the memory is
real or not sometimes does not matter . . . processing it
is still helpful.