Therefore, the primary focus of this essay is to describe hypnosis and both the psychological and physical components at work. The role of relaxation within hypnotherapy will thereafter be discussed. What is hypnosis? Historically, the concept of healing by an altered state of awareness hasn’t changed for millennia. However, our understanding and ability to control it has changed profoundly.
Finally I will provide a conclusion. Before I attempt to define Hypnosis it is necessary to briefly track the path of its development over time. Historically, various forms of hypnosis or trance like states have been used in different cultures and for hundreds of years. Essentially Hypnosis is not quantifiable and its use over time has not only been flexible but has altered and evolved to become what we consider it to be in the modern world today. The origins of hypnosis can be traced back to ‘witch doctors’ and ‘medicine men’ where to be a healer Shaman achieved heightened powers of concentration where they were strongly focused and able to enter a trancelike state.
DMT, as it is shortened to be, is the chemical in our brain which allows us to dream, have vivid meditations and is not depleted from living beings until the being dies. The sacrament of the Holy Ayahuasca leads to visions and meetings with past high spirits and spirit guides. The experience if often accompanied by purging in the body by way of diarrhea and vomiting. The whole experience is guided by Shipibo shamans to ensure correct visionary guidance. The ayahuasca has been documented to have been used in the pre-Columbian era, however westerners have only recently had access and knowledge of it dating back roughly 150 years (McKenna, 1993).
We might think of hypnosis as a very recent development, but its roots stretch deep into the past. The oldest references go back to the Hindu Shamans and other ancient texts all mention healing procedures that have striking similarities to hypnotic induction. In the 18th century Dr Frantz Anton Mesmer, an Austrian physician, became interested in this “ancient healing technique”. He was a charismatic and at times controversial personality. He discovered that in “applying magnets to a diseased body he could cure that disease miraculously”.
For the physical aspects I will discuss the work of Edmund Jacobson and the progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) technique. Leading into the role of relaxation; I will first discuss the difference between relaxation and hypnotic state and briefly describe how PMR works to obtain a hypnotic state. What is Hypnosis? Hypnosis and it concept may have been developing for centuries in ancient civilizations however for the modern concept of hypnosis I have looked at some influential figures through the history of hypnosis below. (Waterfield, 2004) Franz Anton Mesmer 1734-1815 | Known as “the Grandfather of Hypnosis and gave us with the word “Mesmerism”Believed a cosmic fluid flowed through the body and used magnets to heal the body.Gained credibility till 1785.
If you’re Hmong and have a sickness that won’t go away, you would go see a shaman. The literal translation for a shaman is “master of spirits” (PBS par. 2). Youa Lee (Grandma) stands by her Shaman tools and her remedies to cure others, including her granddaughter Kalia. Not everyone can become a shaman, but if you are called to it there are many duties you’re responsible for.
CBT like nursing itself is not a new phenomenon but one which has its roots based in the 1960’s where it was developed by people such as Aaron, T. Beck who was a practicing Psychiatrist at that time. Beck et al recognised how CBT (know as Cognitive Therapy at the time) could help to resolve some of the “automatic thoughts” that occurred during dialogue with patients, Westbrook et al (2007). CBT has since its implementation gained a credible basis as a positive patient intervention especially for patients suffering from depression and anxiety. This credibility comes from a history of scientific trials which have proven its efficacy as both a standalone treatment as well as a complimentary one, DoH (2008). With this proven efficacy CBT became a tool which was used in Pain Management Programmes (PMPs) back in the early and late eighties both in an outpatient and inpatient setting.
Dream Analysis Outline Valerie V.A. Conner PSY330: Theories of Personality Prof. Cassandra Jella September 7, 2013 I. Introduction Dreams have been around since the bible days, and there have been interpretations of dreams for just as long. However, when the psychology discipline began not only were Psychiatrist able to get a better understanding of our dreams, but we are able to see how our dreams work on a subconscious level. We are finally able to establish what dreams mean as well as why we have dreams.
Franz Mesmer and his ideas and practices are where the term 'mesmerised' comes from. During the late 1800's an English physician James Braid (1795 - 1860) gave mesmerism a scientific explanation believing mesmerism to be a nervous sleep, he coined the word hypnosis which derives from the Greek word Hypnos, meaning sleep. Hypnosis has developed over the years and is today a therapy offered by hypnotherapists who are affiliated to organisations such as the National Hypnotherapy Society and have to follow a code of ethics ensuring rigorous practices are adhered
It was also believed in ancient times that epilepsy was a curse that afflicted individuals with the gift of prophecy and that theory provoked Hippocrates who went on to write the first book on epilepsy opposing the idea that people with epilepsy were cursed or that it gave them prophetic powers. He also classified epilepsy as a brain disorder. As time went on and we learned more about epilepsy many new treatments were put in affect some bogus and some that actually helped. In the 1920’s the Ketogenic diet was created and it is still used today. It is one of the oldest treatments for epilepsy.