HYPNOSIS - YOU HAVE THE CONTROL (double click for full article)
Even after 10 years of practice (and a raised awareness generally of the benefits of hypnosis in therapy), I still come across individuals who, when contemplating therapy, steer clear of hypnosis for fear they will spill their darkest secrets or 'lose control' in some way during sessions.
Perhaps this is not surprising when entertainment platforms still depict the state of trance as a magical, sometimes almost paranormal state where the subject is entirely under the power of the hypnotist during and even after the session, and can be 'brainwashed' to carry out acts that would in the normal course violate every ethic and value they hold.
Most people are relieved to discover that hypnosis cannot be used to overpower the subject (If it could, surely everyone on the planet would want to learn hypnosis to 'control' people around them?) This misconception has no doubt encouraged would-be Derren Browns everywhere to read a book on hypnosis and then dream of impressing their friends with hypnotic powers. Perhaps others, convinced by the mass media, even sign up for an online stage hypnosis training course to learn “hypnotic secrets” for mind control over others.. Disappointment will invariably follow.
The power that the stage hypnotist has over their subjects is given them by their subjects. Stage hypnotists can be extremely skilful, but their suggestions to audience members are designed to elicit a purely physical/external response (making it fun to watch). In a clinical setting, hypnotic suggestions are intended to generate a psychological/internal response in the client, enabling them to bring about desired change.
What is Hypnosis then?
Hypnosis is a changed state of awareness with increased relaxation that allows for improved focus and concentration. When paired with psychotherapy, or talking therapy, it is known as hypnotherapy. Hypnosis is usually done with the guidance of a mental health professional using verbal repetition and mental images. During hypnosis, most people simply feel calm and relaxed, whilst some notice a sense of being “zoned in” or in a trance-like state: focused enough that peripheral awareness is diminished and they're able to block out surrounding distractions. Most of us have been so engrossed in a movie or so immersed in a good book that we don't immediately hear our partner's offer of a cup of tea. It is an entirely normal, natural state, which most of us experience on a daily basis.
I'm occasionally asked if hypnotherapy can help with memory. Whilst you can't erase bad memories or 'forget' someone with hypnotherapy, clinical sessions can help you change the specific thought, emotion, and behavioural associations that are connected to that memory. In other words, hypnotherapy can change “how you remember” the memory, not the “raw” memory itself. Equally, hypnotherapy can be useful to help regain the attention and recollection skills that are missing when we misplace items, which can help in then finding them!
If you have any further questions at all about what hypnosis is, and isn't, give me a call for a chat on 07876 642230 or email me at rachel@sagehypnotherapy.co.uk or rachelcrawford80@gmail.com
Comments