Title: “What Is Hypnosis?” Describe the Psychological and Physical Aspects of Hypnosis and Discuss the Role of Relaxation in Hypnotherapy.

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Title: “What is Hypnosis?” Describe the psychological and physical aspects of hypnosis and discuss the role of relaxation in Hypnotherapy. This essay will explore the vast world of Hypnosis and its various interpretations using available literature, as well as touch on its history in an attempt to shed light on its modern day practice and theory. It will also present the intrinsic aspects of hypnosis and then focus on the role that relaxation has and continues to play in the success of this therapy. Heap (1995) states that “Hypnosis is a psychological phenomenon, not a therapy, and ......... it is a complex and contentious subject about which there is much misunderstanding and disagreement ............”. In support of this view other authors Karle and Boys (2010) note that hypnosis or hypnotherapy is not a system of therapy but a technique or procedure by means of which therapy is delivered. Hadley and Staudacher (1996) also state that “Hypnosis has long been associated with the strange and mysterious, with sideshows and faith healers”. Unfortunately from the writers experience this is often a misleading impression or first contact with the science, compounded by the excesses of the media, television, radio programmes which lean towards capturing the imagination of the public through whatever means available. Hadley and Staudacher, further elaborate the truth about hypnosis, that there is nothing the least bit mysterious or supernatural about it, and it is in fact a natural state of mind which everyone experiences daily and which has gone unnoticed due to the commonness of these occurrences. The writers describe one of such occurrences as when one is driving down a familiar road perhaps to work every morning, and suddenly become aware only when the traffic lights change or when making a turn into another street as

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