|
|
 |
|
Edgewood Therapy
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Good Ideas Will Grow and Develop |
A Short History
of Hypnosis
Historically, what may be recognisable as hypnosis is a
relatively recent practice. Since the understanding, vocabulary and description of hypnotic procedures has changed over time
it is impossible to be sure that ancient documents describing what seems to have been hypnosis were not in fact describing
something else, perhaps religious rituals or rites or perhaps tribal initiation or ‘coming of age’ ceremonies.
The
history of hypnosis could be described in three phases - ancient, pre-cursor and modern. The pre-cursor phase, a short period
during which a form of hypnosis recognizable as such emerged with the famous Franz Anton Mesmer around 240 years ago
and then by degrees began the modern era around 160 years ago with the methods of the Englishman, James Braid. The ancient
phase then encompassed everything before the pre-cursor phase.
Also included in this ancient phase one could consider those practices by some far eastern religions,
e.g. Buddhism and from the Hindu religion the Indian Fakir with some of his, to the Western eye, bizarre religious devotional
acts, which continue to this day.
It is a matter of debate whether many such practices as, e.g. meditation, may legitimately be classified
in the same category as hypnosis.
Mesmer seemed to have conducted
somewhat theatrical hypnotic sessions using what he called “animal magnetism”. It appears that he convinced himself
with little suitable empirical evidence and certainly no scientific evidence that magnetic fluids in the body of the by the
patient could be manipulated by himself using his own body’s magnetism in order to effect cures of certain predominantly
neurotic conditions. This he achieved by passing his hands and therefore his own magnetism over the patient. Other methods
of a contrived and theatrical nature were also employed.
Mesmer became famous and his
services were in demand such that his business expanded and included training in animal magnetism techniques. His ideas
were propagated and further developed by a number of people until with James Braid in the 1840’s the art of hypnosis
reached the modern era.
James Braid, a doctor from
Manchester, first used the name “hypnosis” and conducted the first scientific studies on the phenomena. James
Braid did not become popular in Britain but his ideas became popular in France after the publication there of one of his papers.
It was in France that Braid’s more modern understanding was further developed.
Still, with the theatrical methods of Mesmer and his followers
and indeed with hypnosis used in theatres for the purposes of entertainment, hypnosis developed an image with very many
people, persisting to this day, which is false or at least exaggerated and embellished.
The use of hypnosis in a stage setting for the purpose of entertainment
is generally shunned by practitioners of hypnosis for therapeutic purposes and indeed within the code of ethics of the
Hypnotherapy Society and other similar professional bodies it is explicitly prohibited.
More detailed consideration of the history of hypnosis may be
found in "HIDDEN DEPTHS, The Story of Hypnosis" by Waterfield, Robin.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What is Hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a normal frame
of mind experienced daily by everyone. It consists of a clear and focused mind, a mind absorbed by internal thoughts or mental
images. Like a kind of daydream, the person in a trance is relaxed and more open to suggestion, perhaps the suggestion
of a hypnotherapist, designed to have a therapeutic effect.
The mind in a trance is a mind lost in reverie but
still functioning in the real world. Similar to when you're driving a car on a familiar road and thinking of other matters.
When you suddenly arrive at your destination having been almost completely unaware of driving yourself safely to your
destination and wonder how you got there without concentrating. The truth is that you were or rather your subconscious mind
was concentrating. The subconscious mind has been trained to drive and only needs to alert the fully conscious mind should
an unusual circumstance on the road arise. You were on "automatic pilot".
Many skills, once learned pass into the subconscious
so that your conscious mind is freed to do other things. Imagine having to control walking using the conscious mind, just
as a baby does. There would be little time for any other activity.
Once learned a skill or a habit or a phobia passes
into the subconscious and in order to unlearn any unwanted thought (phobia), behaviour or habit it is helpful if the
client is in a hypnotic trance so that access to the subconscious is more readily achieved.
How is Hypnosis Used in a Therapeutic
Setting?
During the initial consultation the therapist will record contact details and then ascertain
some detail about the problem for which the client is seeking help. Also some background information may be elicited
which may prove helpful to the therapist in producing further hypnotic sessions which are tailored to the client's personality
and particular circumstances and may generally assist in illuminating the client's problem.
In the hypnotherapeutic session the therapist will relax the client using standard
hypnotic procedures so that the client feels very at ease, very relaxed and focused upon an internal world of imagination
rather than real world sensations.
Then after the client is put into trance the therapist will use suggestion
and visualisations to affect the desired change in thought, habit or behaviour.
When
so relaxed, the client's brain activity is slowed and access to the subconscious through therapeutic suggestion and encouraging
visualisation is facilitated. In the normal alert frame of mind there is a greater degree of critical judgement and bias regarding
any input from the real world and such suggestion or visualistation is more likely to be rejected as invalid or not applicable
to the client.
Even using hypnotic methods for habit replacement or unlearning phobias etc. repetition over
perhaps several sessions may be required to successfully unlearn an old difficulty and replace that difficulty with something
more useful.
However note that there is no question of coercion or forcing the
client against their will to do something contrary to the clients belief or will. The client in a trance remains completely
free and in control.
What can Hypnosis
Achieve for You?
Clients generally describe hypnosis as very pleasant so generally the worst that can happen upon taking
advantage of the services of a hypnotherapist is that you have an agreeably relaxing hour or so. This may not always be the
case for those suffering from extremely disturbing events such as trauma from wartime experiences or abuse perhaps occurring
during childhood but may occur in adulthood also.
Such traumas often lead
to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in which normal events can be seen in the twinkling of an eye as threatening and
so result in an extreme fear, fight or flight type of response, leaving the victim sweating and trembling. Just a sudden noise
or flash of light may trigger flashbacks or result in panic attacks.
Thankfully most of us who
suffer fearful thoughts, do so on a less dramatic basis than the pTSD sufferer and our response to the fear stimulus is less
extreme. Nevertheless, such phobias can diminish our quality of life. For example someone who has a fear of bridges but whose
workplace requires a bridge crossing may regularly have to travel miles out of their way in order to get to work.
Usually people have one
of two ways of dealing with a phobia. One, is to avoid the fearful situation or other stimulus and the other is to force themselves
to confront it. Unfortunately both these approaches tend to reinforce the phobia. This occurs with avoidance because the person's
level of anxiety decreases as they back away from confrontation with the fear stimulus and thereby avoidance is rewarded by
the suferer feeling better. Alternatively, deliberately confronting their fear only increases their level of anxiety and this
confirms and reinforces their belief that there is something real to fear in their phobia.
Sometimes we develop habits
like nail biting, such activities may be comforting to the sufferer but sometimes this habit can result in painful and bleeding
finger ends as the sufferer endlessly tries to find new nail growth upon which to feed. Since not all people bite their nails
and the habitual nail biter has nothing in their physiology that drives their compulsion, then this can be seen as learned
behaviour. Like most behaviour, once learned, for example walking, control of that behaviour passes from the conscious mind
to the unconscious where that behaviour becomes automatic and to unlearn that behaviour requires considerable determination.
Hypnotherapy may help in this type of problem because during trance the hypnotherapist may offer therapeutic suggestion which,
because of the client's trance state, is less likely to be rejected by the conscious mind's bias or judgmental view. Imagination
which is predominantly subconscious behaviour is very much more powerful than willpower. Imagination will always beat conscious
will.
So, hypnotherapy is helpful
in gaining access to the subconscious mind and bypassing the conscious. This can achieve remarkable results. For example with
certain medical complaints, especially those that have a high psychosomatic component, for example, some skin disorders or
IBS, theses types of condition may be treated very effectively using hypnosis.
|
|
|
|
