While it may be true that some psychologists and hypnotherapists make rather extravagant claims regarding the powers inherent in the hypnotic state, what actually occurs during hypnosis with certain subjects remains difficult either to define or to debunk. Despite the controversy over how best to explain hypnotic effects, “psychologists do agree that hypnosis can be a highly effective therapeutic technique”. (Hockenbury, D. & Hockenbury, S. (2013). Consciousness and its Variations. Psychology, 6, 132-181).
Our brain would be exhausted if it had to remember to breathe every time the body needs oxygen. I read that Sigmund Freud was one of the first people to raise the idea of the subconscious. He called this mind the ‘id’ - an idea that hypnosis places the unconscious mind at an otherwise unreachable level. It opens up the subconscious mind to the suggestion by the hypnotherapist. I believe that these suggestions can help people make positive changes within themselves.
Under such a condition, it is found that patient can speak normally whilst completely calm and relaxed (Hartland, 1971). To add to the point is the fact that the most important psychological change is hyper-suggestibility, which is often considered as a definition of hypnosis (Waterfield, 2006). Hyper-suggestibility is when mind accepts suggestions especially those that seem right. For example, if smoker wants to quit smoking, when under hypnosis his mind accepts suggestions, because he is willing to
It is also established that it is not as its name suggests a state of deep sleep. Whilst there is much debate about its usefulness and what its uses are ², there are certain elements that cannot be denied. The practice of hypnosis is recognised as hypnotherapy and involves a ‘subject’, that is a person who is willing to be hypnotised, and a therapist who issues the hypnotic instruction to which the subject responds. In subjects where the treatment is effective, the inducing of an hypnotic trance and the subsequent
Explaining the different stages of consciousness closely associated with the hypnotic states, these stages are identified as brain wave frequencies. Whilst exploring these frequencies, discussing the effects on the different characteristics of the body and mind. Describing the use of relaxation in hypnotherapy. It may be said that when thinking about hypnosis we believe that we are in a trance. Not all trance states are hypnotic (Waterfield.
Word count - 2061 “What is hypnosis?” Describe the psychological and physical aspects of hypnosis and discuss the role of relaxation in hypnotherapy. People have many different perceptions of hypnosis. The most common one is people being made to do silly things, such as run around clucking like a chicken in front of an audience. This is not the case and therapists like to call these illusionists not hypnotists. The British Society & Experimental Hypnosis states ‘in therapy, hypnosis usually involves the person experiencing a sense of deep relaxation with their attention narrowed down, and focused on appropriate suggestion made by therapists’.
What is Hypnosis Hypnosis has vary definitions- Oxford English Dictionary defined Hypnosis as it’s “ the induction of a state of consciousness in which a person loses the power of voluntary action and is highly responsive to suggestion or direction” Hypnosis, as defined by Michael Heap and Windy Dryden in the Hypnotherapy handbook is “ an interaction between two people, one of whom is identified as the hypnotist, the other as the subject. The hypnotist administers the hypnotic instructions and the subject responds to them. Hypnosis based on it’s nature; personally I will defined it as is “ a guided meditation” because people have been entering hypnotic – type trances for thousands and thousands of years; various forms of meditation
Interestingly I read there is a possibility that both types of theories of hypnosis are true and we may soon find out they are explaining different parts of the phenomenon of hypnosis ( Mathew Whalley, 2007- 20013). 3. Relaxation in hypnotherapy. Conforming to Hadley and Staudacher (1996) the subject can be transported into dimension, where hypnotic suggestion is possible, by applying an induction. There are a few kinds of induction differing in approach, length of time, and tone: The Fixation
I will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of such an approach in order to evaluate whether a personal induction is more effective or whether an alternative approach could prove more beneficial. When a therapist and client embark on hypnotherapy as a method of therapy, it is essential that the client is able to go into a deep state of relaxation. Relaxation of the physical body and the mind is, after all, a principal characteristic of a hypnotic state (Karle & amp; Boys, 1987, p.27). It is only through this process of relaxation that the brain waves slow down to a ‘theta’ wave, thus
To induce a hypnotic state in a therapeutic setting requires a structured approach. The induction is the first step to achieving a trance state, without it a deep state of trance is unlikely. The induction enables hypnotherapists to hold a patients visual attention and induce an oculo-motor fatigue response by using rhythmic, monotonous speech, resulting in the patient believing that they are hypnotised. It is viewed by Hellmut Karle and Jennifer Boys that “belief is the most important ingredient to the induction”. This has not always been the view and the importance of suggestibility has been researched and studied by some of the most influential figures in hypnotherapy.