Hypnosis
What is Hypnosis?
An Austrian medical doctor, Franz Anton Mesmer (1734 – 1815), is considered the father of modern hypnosis and hypnotherapy. Before being treated in hypnosis with hypnotherapeutic techniques, it may be very helpful to have a basic understanding of what the state of hypnosis is.
Little of what is portrayed in so-called ‘stage hypnosis’, is in fact hypnosis. The purpose of the stage ‘hypnotist’ is to ENTERTAIN, and not to HEAL! They therefore create cleverly orchestrated, hilarious situations to trick the audience into believing that the ‘hypnotist’ has full control over the subjects by getting them into his ‘power’, putting them in a ‘deep sleep’, and making them behave in bizarre ways. In fact, no human being has that amount of power or control over any other human being. As the primary function of the unconscious mind is survival, to protect the integrity of the self, it never allows a person to lose control and disregards suggestions considered to be threatening to one’s physical, emotional or spiritual survival. It concludes that we know with certainty that the hypnotherapist possesses no power (magical or otherwise) over the patient. Control lies within the patient.
In the more relaxed form of hypnosis we experience the same feeling or state as when we awake after a good night’s rest. While we feel deeply relaxed we can remember our dreams, but after we have gotten up to go to the bathroom we cannot remember the dream any more. On the other hand, we experience the attentive or concentration form of a hypnotic state when we drive from point A to B. After we have driven for a few kilometres we realize that our thoughts were so focussed on something else that we don’t know if we obeyed all the traffic rules. Yet, we were in full control of the vehicle and if someone had swerved in front of us, we would have reacted instantly.
Due to its complexity, it is very difficult to exactly define the state of hypnosis. Hypnosis can be seen as an alternate state of consciousness where the patient deals in a more direct way with their emotions, instead of rationalizing it. During hypnosis the patient is deeply relaxed, in an elevated state of alertness, totally focussed, the mind is crystal clear, thinking becomes acute and all the senses are sharper. This resolves that the patient is more open to suggestions.
Hypnotherapy enables communication between the conscious and unconscious minds. Besides being responsible for survival and protection, the unconscious mind is also responsible for storing traumatic events and emotions. Therefore, if some memories are too painful it cannot be accessed by the conscious mind, only by the unconscious. In order to access these memories the hypnotherapist facilitates the communication process between the unconscious and conscious minds. The hypnotherapist guides the patient, like a trainer of an athlete guides the athlete through his/her training programme, into his/her own unconscious mind to discover both these mentioned trauma and inner resources stored there. Only the patient him/herself can delve into his/her unconscious mind. No one else can access it. Due to the fact that the patient is in control, he/she decides whether or not to disclose what he/she discovers. The patient is then guided in various ways to resolve and overcome his/her trauma or problem, mostly in a safe, calm and serene manner during hypnotherapy.
Hypnotherapy is utilized to address pathology in a holistic manner taking cognisance of all five areas of human functioning, namely cognitive, affective, physiological, spiritual and conduct-oriented functioning.
The four individual models of hypnotherapy mostly applied in South Africa and in this practice are discussed next. Sometimes only one model is used, but for the most part combinations of two or more approaches are skilfully combined in treating a patient. Other more basic approaches, like cognitive behaviour and/or rational emotive therapy, are also incorporated into hypnotherapy.
Traditional / Integrative Clinical Hypnotherapy
This is the model most people associate with hypnotherapy. It is based on psycho-analytical (Freudian) principles and incorporates all other forms of psychotherapy. It is based on the principle of the patient entering his unconscious mind to explore past experiences hidden there and then to discover, analyse and resolve the trauma. This is done by using age-regressions, dream analysis, free association, etc. in order to discover the traumatic experience(s) that created the problem. This is achieved by establishing negative emotional connections in the unconscious mind. Having discovered the traumatic experience, the power of the patient’s own unconscious is then utilized to break the negative connections and to create and establish desirable connections. In the process symptoms disappear and healing takes place.
Traditional Clinical Hypnosis is a multi-model, holistic, eclectic and integrative approach to hypnotherapy. The model provides the therapist with a holistic understanding of development, growth and pathology. Furthermore, it assists the therapist to develop a flexible and individual therapeutic philosophy, which includes a whole range of hypnotherapeutic techniques, including spiritual, analytical, direct and indirect techniques. The therapist places strong emphasis on the importance of spiritual and psychological growth and wellness as an integral part of therapy. Even though there are various approaches that can be utilized in the application of Traditional Clinical Hypnotherapy, the following four are the most prominent and are used in this practice.
• Direct suggestions to bring about cognitive restructuring. This approach involves giving the patient some direct suggestions in order to restructure or reorganize their thought processes, i.e. their cognitive behaviour.
• Indirect suggestions, e.g. using metaphors and images. This method uses indirect hypnotic suggestions and metaphors. In this way hypnosis becomes the art of obtaining a patient’s attention and then effectively communicating ideas that develop and enhance motivation and change perceptions.
• Psychodynamic and psycho-analytic approaches involve the application of free association, specific transpersonal approaches, dream analysis and the analysis of transference and resistance.
• Classical hypno-analysis involves e.g. age regression and the exploration of unconscious conflicts.
Medical Hypnoanalysis
The model is based on a combination of the PRINCIPLES used in Traditional Clinical Hypnotherapy and in medical treatment. The name might be misleading, creating the impression that it is only directed at treating physical problems (like high blood pressure, arthritis, etc.) However it refers to a model that uses the same principles that are used in medicine to treat psychological problems (which may sometimes also manifest as physical problems). When you see your medical practitioner with certain physical symptoms, the doctor wants to make a diagnosis and may therefore request special investigations, like X-rays, a CAT-scan, blood analyses, urine analyses, etc. Having received all the results, he makes a diagnosis and the diagnosis directs his medical treatment. In Medical Hypno-analysis, the same principles are used, but as applied to psychological problems. In Medical Hypno-analysis, specialized psychological techniques are used to analyse both the conscious and unconscious mind to discover the underlying cause of the patient’s problem. These specialized techniques include a detailed life history questionnaire, a word association exercise, dream analysis, age regressions, etc
Based on the information retrieved from the unconscious mind, the diagnoses made in Medical Hypno-analysis include:
Identity Problem (The feeling of not belonging; not being loved)
Ponce de Leon Syndrome (Emotional immaturity)
Jurisdictional problem (Inappropriate guilt)
Walking zombie syndrome (Feeling dead, Depression)
Death expectancy syndrome (Anxiety)
In Medical Hypnoanalysis the aim is to discover the initial sensitising event (where the weed landed in the soil) and to destroy it, roots and all.
The model is based on a combination of the PRINCIPLES used in Traditional Clinical Hypnotherapy and in medical treatment. The name might be misleading, creating the impression that it is only directed at treating physical problems (like high blood pressure, arthritis, etc.) However it refers to a model that uses the same principles that are used in medicine to treat psychological problems (which may sometimes also manifest as physical problems). When you see your medical practitioner with certain physical symptoms, the doctor wants to make a diagnosis and may therefore request special investigations, like X-rays, a CAT-scan, blood analyses, urine analyses, etc. Having received all the results, he makes a diagnosis and the diagnosis directs his medical treatment. In Medical Hypno-analysis, the same principles are used, but as applied to psychological problems. In Medical Hypno-analysis, specialized psychological techniques are used to analyse both the conscious and unconscious mind to discover the underlying cause of the patient’s problem. These specialized techniques include a detailed life history questionnaire, a word association exercise, dream analysis, age regressions, etc
Based on the information retrieved from the unconscious mind, the diagnoses made in Medical Hypno-analysis include:
Identity Problem (The feeling of not belonging; not being loved)
Ponce de Leon Syndrome (Emotional immaturity)
Jurisdictional problem (Inappropriate guilt)
Walking zombie syndrome (Feeling dead, Depression)
Death expectancy syndrome (Anxiety)
In Medical Hypnoanalysis the aim is to discover the initial sensitising event (where the weed landed in the soil) and to destroy it, roots and all.
Ego State Hypnotherapy
The basis of this model of hypnotherapy is the principle that the normal unconscious mind is not a ‘whole, undivided unit or entity’ but consists of different parts in the same way that the body consists of hands, feet, heart, lungs, etc. Each part of the unconscious mind is like a ‘part person’ with an identity of its own and a function of its own.
It is very much like a company consisting of many employees, each with an identity and function of its own, but all working towards the same goal. Under ideal circumstances the parts function as a happy, conflict-free ‘family’, very much like a family consisting of different people forming a happy system when all the members of the family are in harmony. Problems occur when parts are in conflict and this conflict causes symptoms (depression, anxiety, pain, etc.) depending on, amongst other things, the identities and functions of the parts involved in the conflict.
Note: We are not talking about a split personality, which could develop in severe cases of psychopathology. We are here referring to ‘normal’ functioning and problems.
Ego-state Hypnotherapy is directed at resolving conflict between different parts of the unconscious mind. The hypnotherapist is like a facilitator who guides a process of negotiation between the parts, in very much the same way a negotiator would resolve a conflict in a company. In this process the resources of the patient’s unconscious mind are also utilized to help the hypnotherapist in the process. Once the conflict is resolved, healing takes place.
Ericksonian Hypnotherapy
In this model of hypnotherapy, the hypnotherapist works in an INDIRECT way to help the patient reach and influence his own unconscious mind. The hypnotherapist uses a specialized system of language by utilizing metaphors, stories, fables, poems, jokes, idioms, etc., in a conversational, informal way to teach lessons to the unconscious mind. According to the Ericksonian model of hypnotherapy it is mostly not necessary to analyse the past in order to find the trauma that caused the symptoms, but rather to work in the present and to utilize the symptoms to achieve change in the here-and-now (i.e. the present). Therefore, in order to enhance the effectiveness of the hypnotherapy, the therapist also incorporates anything the patient indirectly reveals in therapy
(i.e. body language, figure of speech, etc.) or anything occurring in the environment at that point in time (a jet flying past; a door rattling in the wind; etc.). The hypnotherapist therefore utilizes the patient’s unique approach to, and experience of the world. The hypnotherapist is constantly both communicating with the patient and observing the patient ‘between the lines’, and therefore indirectly. All of this is at the core of the process of Ericksonian Hypnotherapy, in order to utilize the resources of the patient’s unconscious mind to reach new understandings of his symptoms in the here-and-now and to change it to the patient’s benefit.
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