Hypnosis - What is Hypnotism

The image of the man dangling the watch back and forth before the patient's eyes and saying "You are getting sleepy... You are getting sleepy... You are getting sleepy" is ingrained into our brains as the primary mode of hypnotizing someone. Once a person goes under, the hypnotist can get the unconscious to say or do just about anything on command. While hypnotism is accepted in the entertainment industry, the scientific community generally snubs such practices. Nevertheless, recent therapeutic trends suggest that the power of the mind cannot be discounted.

Austrian physician Franz Mesmer is sometimes called the father of modern hypnotism, and in the late 1700s, he proposed that it was a mystical force called animal magnetism that flowed from the hypnotist to the patient.

Hypnotists James Braid and Hippolyte Bernheim argued that mesmerism is something far different from hypnosis and that their work centered on the idea of passing a direct suggestion, while simultaneously encouraging deep relaxation, occasionally under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

However, modern Ericksonian hypnosis, popularized by Milton Erickson in the sixties, purports that indirect suggestions have a greater influence over the mind.

While there is much dissension over who is right, the hypnosis techniques are practiced in centers, clinics and living rooms around America to help folks mentally and physically.

In 2000, Harvard researchers sought an answer to the question:

• Does being hypnotized change the brain?

In their study, they asked a group of men to hold a brick out in front of them as long as they could, which was five minutes for most fully conscious subjects. However, under hypnotic suggestion, they held the brick out for fifteen to twenty minutes.

Next, subjects were hypnotized and placed in an MRI scanner. A computer screen showed them patterns of yellow, red, blue and green rectangles and recorded their brain activity. Then they were shown the same rectangles in shades of gray and were asked to imagine the colors. When they were not hypnotized, both activities showed brain activity on the right side only, but when they were hypnotized both the left and the right hemispheres responded. "What we have shown for the first time," lead researcher Stephen Kosslyn concluded, "is that hypnosis changes conscious experience in a way not possible when we are not under hypnosis."

So, if being hypnotized can change the way the brain works, can it change our habitual behavior? Can we use hypnotherapy training to lose weight? While not all studies have been conclusive, there are some signs that a hypnotic suggestion for weight loss really works.

In a 1985 study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, two groups underwent a nine-week weight management program and the hypnotized group continued to lose weight two years later, while the non-hypnosis group showed no future benefits.

In another study of sixty women, the thirty hypnotized women lost an average of seventeen pounds, while the control group only lost an average of half a pound (Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1986). In 1996, it was discovered that adding weight loss hypnosis to a weight loss plan increased weight loss by 97% and increased post-treatment effectiveness by more than 146%!

Hypnosis center therapists use a number of different hypnotic techniques to help their patients. For example, age regression and revivification can help sufferers of mental disorders who need to connect with repressed past memories to regain something.

Folks suffering from insomnia, anxiety or anger disorders will benefit from guided imagery hypnosis sessions instead.

Hypnoanalysis, pioneered by Sigmund Freud, has patients recall moments from the past to confront them and release pent-up emotions. Folks may benefit from direct suggestion and repetition tactics or from confusion and indirect suggestion. Different techniques of hypnosis work for different folks, so it is good that therapists are familiar with more than one technique.

Hypnosis Techniques

Have you ever thought about using hypnosis as a way to get over an illness, break a habit, or cope with a traumatic experience? While many traditional doctors do not subscribe to the theory of hypnosis, there is something to be said about the power of the mind to change the body's actions. Here is some information about hypnosis techniques and hypnotherapy that you will need to know.

First, you will need to understand that hypnosis techniques will only be as effective as you want them to be. Folks agree to be hypnotized because they feel that it is the best way for them to break a habit or stop a behavior that they have been trying to improve on their own. Your willingness to let your mind relax is one of the biggest success factors when it comes to hypnosis, so make sure that your body is in a peaceful state and that you are not skeptical or doubtful about the process.

Hypnosis techniques work when folks understand how their minds work. Folks think in pictures, and these pictures are either snapshots of things that actually are, such as the house you live in or the way your mother looks and things that could be, including such thoughts as how you would look if you lost ten pounds or moved into a bigger house.

Thoughts are also made up of the things that we feel. For instance, if you are around certain folks that make you feel happy, you will think happy thoughts when somebody mentions their name, or when you see a picture of them.

Hypnosis techniques may also work to calm you down. If you are in a situation that is stressful, such as a job that is very demanding, whenever someone mentions the name of your company, you will feel a pang of stress.

Everybody has coping mechanisms that help him or her to reduce stress, which is why some folks eat things that they enjoy when they are stressed, or develop another unhealthy habit such as smoking.

Your hypnotherapist will be able to use these principles, after you are relaxed and ready to enter different things into your mind. You will have to create new associations for your thoughts and feelings, so that you will not associate things like eating excessively with relieving stress. A pendulum will not always be used in the treatment, but you will be asked to calm your body down into almost a state of sleep. Hypnosis techniques will include speaking to you gently and suggesting to you that you can live differently after you have been revived.

Clinical Hypnotherapy

Today, clinical hypnotherapy is used for acute pain in the cases of burn or trauma victims and women going through childbirth. Clinical hypnosis is also used for chronic pain conditions like cancer and fibromyalgia. Children with migraines and adults with bladder problems are also being treated by this method.

Hypnotic suggestion may help you lose weight, quit smoking, think more positively, open yourself to the possibility of fostering healthy relationships and deal with anger or fear more effectively. While little is understood about the mind's inner workings, many studies are illuminating the way.

The mechanisms behind clinical hypnotherapy and pain reduction are yet to be scientifically proven, although there are a number of viable theories. One school of thought is that the brain shifts its attention to increase its pain threshold. It is possible that the brain can train itself to disassociate from the pain and focus on other things to circumvent the feelings of discomfort. Another theory suggests that the deep state of trance and relaxation induced by clinical hypnosis actually triggers the brain to release neurotransmitters, acetylcholine and dopamine, which is similar to what happens as we fall asleep.

An additional form of clinical hypnotherapy is known as hypnoanesthesia, which is a practice that dates back to the 1800s, before modern day anesthesia was developed.

In 1990, researcher Eron Grant Manusov found that hypnoanesthesia, which is anesthesia without chemical induction, is only possible in around fifteen percent of the population. However, if the patient is suggestible, that number increases considerably.

Different studies discovered that patients who were given chemical anesthesia were able to receive hypnotic suggestions while in a state of trance. This resulted in those folks having reduced hospital stays, requiring less medication and needing less anesthesia in future procedures.

A 2005 clinical hypnotherapy study done at the University of Iowa found similar findings using magnetic resonance imaging, that there is reduced activity in areas of the pain network and increased activity in other areas of the brain.

The primary sensory cortex, the brain's pain center, showed limited functioning. On the other hand, the left anterior cingulate cortex and the basal ganglia lit up with overwhelming activity. The left anterior cingulate cortex is the area of the brain associated with heart rate, blood pressure, reward anticipation and decision making processes. The basal ganglia, which are a group of nuclei in the brain, comprise the motor control, cognition and learning center of the brain. No wonder clinical hypnotherapy can change a person's beliefs and behaviors!

The researchers concluded that these regions maybe an inhibition pathway to block pain signals from reaching higher cortical areas responsible for pain perception. The limitation of hypnosis techniques is that it is believed only ten percent of the population is highly hypnotizable, while eighty percent may be hypnotizable and the remaining ten percent cannot be hypnotized at all.

How are Hypnotherapists Trained

Hypnotherapists are able to treat clients with a variety of medical disorders ranging from asthma, bed wetting and depression through to cancer pain, eating disorders and gastrointestinal problems. You would therefore think that somebody with so much power over the human body would require a full university degree together with some form of medical training.

However, because hypnosis techniques are considered entirely safe, certification is not closely regulated in the United States. Although medical hypnotherapy training is possible and helps lend credibility to the profession, it is not essential, which is one of the reasons why so many folks want to learn how to hypnotize someone else.

Primarily, hypnotherapists are self-motivated entrepreneurs who are naturally positive folks with an eagerness to help others. Because the job itself is so flexible, a lot of therapists start off part-time, seeing folks on the weekends or evenings while building a client base. They may team up with healing centers, physical therapy offices, counselors, reiki yoga centers or acupuncture clinics to gain business. Marketing and networking are central to the success of a hypnotherapist. A number of professionals work from home in order to keep overhead costs down, while others gain employment at a hypnosis center. Once they become established, experienced specialists typically branch off to hold weekend workshops and retreats, teach classes or offer group sessions. Others will use their talents for entertainment purposes and take to the stage.

It can take twelve to eighteen months for new hypnotherapists to gain recognition in their communities. Numerous hours will be spent handing out business cards, hanging up flyers, advertising online and networking with local affiliates. Initially, it can be tough to make money solely off hypnosis sessions, so it is important that newcomers try to keep costs as low as possible and spend the rest of their hours marketing.

There are also weekend seminars and fifty hour certification courses offered that can assist a professional differentiate him or herself from the masses. In many cases, a person can gain hypnotherapy certification with just four hours of hypnosis training. The more experience aspiring hypnosis therapists have, the more confidant they will be in opening their doors to clients.

Over recent years, hypnosis techniques have been turning many heads, as the medical and psychological values are recognized. This is a great opening for folks who are interested in the inner workings of the mind, but may not have the money to attend medical school. There are several different approaches to the topic of hypnosis. Some focus on the medical effects such as pain management, while others approach it from a life coaching perspective. Hypnotherapists should generally be caring, empathetic, engaged, and confident as well as hardworking entrepreneurs in order to be successful.

Techno Trance Therapy

Rave goers have known for years that the powerful combination of loud music and drugs could put somebody into a state of trance, where the setting drifts into the background and a feeling of overwhelming connection and love comes to the foreground. In the sixties and seventies, new age music created this hypnosis meditation. Before that, shamans mesmerized themselves around the fire to the sound of drumbeats. Techno trance therapy has been taught in various workshops from London to California but is primarily a form of self-hypnosis that folks teach themselves.

Trance music is the primary component of the techno trance self-hypnosis. While various forms of electronic music may be used to invoke a dance trance, Goa Trance is said to be the most mesmerizing of all. The energetic music pulses at four-quarter note pulses per bar (a "4/4 beat"), while light melodies and rhythms overlay the thumping bass drum kicks.

Goa's roots are in ancient shamanic dance rituals that aimed at transcendence. These long eight to twelve minute tracks focus on gradually building energy and creating mental imagery, much the same as classical music and producing a hypnotic and intense feeling much like a state of trance.

Astral Projection, Infected Mushroom, Juno Reactor, Etnica, Dimension 5, Doof, Hallucinogen, Man With No Name and Transwave are some of the most notable artists producing techno, dance trance music.

Anybody that enters a techno trance, may feel a lightness of body, perhaps even a numbness or disassociation, where the mind and body feel detached, as though the individual is watching him or herself move. Blinking slows down, there is a distortion of movement, space and time, and the senses become more vivid.

An additional frequent occurrence is catalepsy, which is a condition where the muscles contract and remain soft, rather than rigid. The body's natural endorphins and pain relievers flow freely, allowing dancers to continue moving for hours on end.

While listening to trance music, folks often report feeling that they are less inhibited and more able to talk about their emotions. Often a deep sense of interconnectedness takes hold and the dancer begins to feel a bond with those around him or her. It is almost as if these dancers are in another time and place, where rules do not apply and the outside world has ceased to exist.

Techno trance therapy is most commonly prescribed for patients suffering from mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. With hypnotherapy training, it is believed that an individual can calm his or her thoughts, increase the body's natural dopamine and serotonin production and improve moods. It is natural to feel a sense of alienation or oppression from our current system of laws, rules and regulations that feel so far removed from the natural order. Ancient shamans and tribes of Africa knew the power of dance, which helped them get in touch with a more spiritual side that transcended time and place.

What is Neuro Linguistic Programming

One of the popular hypnosis techniques is called Neuro Linguistic Programming or NLP for short. At first, the concept seems almost like science fiction; that we can re-program the brain to think more efficiently and inevitably change our behavioral patterns by doing so, yet if you really think about it, NLP hypnosis makes perfect sense.

We have all had times where we are cognizant that our depressive or angry thoughts are detrimental to our mood and our health, but it seems like we just cannot stop ourselves. The goal of neuro linguistics is to help individuals regain that control and learn how to stop themselves from thinking and acting against their own best interests.

Developed in the late 1970’s at the University of California at Santa Cruz, NLP was the brainchild of scientists John Grinder and Richard Bandler who were hoping to answer the provocative question of “What makes folks effective and successful”. One part of the study focused on language and how happy, successful folks communicated. By analyzing how communication affected behavior, researchers were able to discover some patterns.

They found that certain words connected directly with folk’s senses, emotions and memories. Often in NLP hypnosis, a patient will be put into a state of trance and told a story in which vivid imagery such as a clear flowing stream, white puffy clouds or a beautiful blue lake, will be used. It is believed that these images will aid in their relaxation, imagination and transformation.

If you do not think this works, then try thinking of a rushing waterfall or dripping faucet the next time you want to urinate and you will find that that it works every time. In that instance, your thoughts are having a direct effect on your bodily functions and behavior. Joe Dispenza, chiropractor, researcher and author of "What the Bleep Do We Know," studied the idea of mind over matter for years before he was given the ultimate test; a debilitating injury from a serious accident. He opted to pass up medical treatment and focus on the healing power of the mind and NLP hypnosis techniques. Needless to say, he returned to his normal activities within weeks and his is certainly not an isolated case. Although medical science has not proven the underlying cause of these miracles, Dr. Dispenza believes it is only a matter of time before neuro linguistic programming becomes a serious science.

Neuro linguistic programming is most commonly found on a deep sleep hypnosis CD or in a power of positive thinking audio book. Unlike traditional hypnosis, this is a more subliminal hypnosis that relaxes the subject into a state of trance. Even though modern science disputes that language can alter someone's state of mind, the fact that folks can slip into a more suggestible state simply by listening to the therapist's vague language offers some credence to this pseudo-science. The only way to truly know is to try it.

How Does Hypnosis Therapy Work

The term hypnosis stems from the Greek word hypnos, meaning sleep. Hypnosis Therapy or Hypnotherapy employs several techniques that create a feeling of deep relaxation in patients, which then leads to an altered state of consciousness known as a trance. Therapists use hypnosis techniques to open a gateway into the mind, where they can actually influence folks on how to change their embedded behaviors.

While it has not been proven beyond reasonable doubt, a number of patients have reported the use of hypnosis sessions to quit smoking, lose weight, overcome obstacles in their marriage and find a sense of empowerment.

In a hypnotherapy session, the patient's body relaxes, blood pressure decreases, heart rate decreases, oxygenation of the blood increases and brain wave activity may be altered. By contrast, the mind becomes more attentive, more focused and more awake. While patients are in this deep concentration, they are more in touch with their emotional side, the left and right brain hemispheres are communicating better, mental gatekeepers open up and they are highly responsive to suggestion. A patient may be given a list of reasons to stop smoking or convinced to eat smaller portions. Perhaps a series of coping mechanisms can be directed into the subconscious realm to help a person calm down and overcome anxiety, anger disorders, stress or depression.

Hypnosis therapy is used to treat a wide host of ailments, both mental and physical. Most recently, researchers discovered that the mind plays an important role in pain management, particularly with cancer patients or those undergoing surgery.

Studies show that hypnosis meditation can lessen one's need for medication and shorten recovery time. Thinking negative thoughts can lead to stress, which has powerful ramifications on the body. It can disrupt a woman's menstrual cycle, create a cold sore, make a person ill with a cold, disrupt sleep patterns, generate ulcers, facilitate hair loss, exacerbate psoriasis, lead to heart disease and contribute to obesity.

Nowadays, hypnosis sessions are used in treating obesity, asthma, anxiety, pain, sleep walking, thumb sucking, nail biting, smoking, inflammatory bowel disease, insomnia, addiction, warts, bedwetting, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, eczema, psoriasis, acne, migraines, stress, tinnitus, cancer pain, obesity, anorexia, bulimia, indigestion, phobias, depression and the pain of childbirth.

The problem with hypnosis therapy is that not everybody is susceptible to hypnotic suggestion. The subject must be an open-minded, willing participant who pledges to remain attentive, suspend disbelief and go along with what the therapist is saying. A common misconception is that hypnotists can mesmerize somebody against his or her will, plant suggestions and cause the subject to act against his or her free will. The process itself is mysterious, although there must be a certain level of agreeableness before healing can occur.