Hypnotherapy

Hypnosis uses the ability to focus our minds in a concentrated effort in order to maximize our potential. Although there is a general consensus that this technique does allow one to gain complete self-control and that the effects of hypnosis do indeed exist, there are varying theories throughout both the medical and psychological arenas as to how the process of hypnosis works. Some experts follow the school of thought that suggests people who practice hypnosis effectively are predisposed to this therapy, much like having a trait related to size, hair color, eye color, etc. Other experts believe that people who can successfully master this technique do so because they have developed enhanced cognitive and interpersonal abilities that allow them to respond accordingly to hypnotic cues and conditions. Recent studies have shown that this form of communication actually alters elements of a person’s neurological and physiological mechanisms. Hypnosis & Hypnotherapy was developed by Franz Anton Mesmer, Braid, Charcot, Liebault, Bernheim, Clark Hull, Milton Erickson, J.P Sutcliffe, T.X. Barber, M.T.Orne, E.R. Hilgard, R.E. Shor, and T.R. Sarbin.

• How is Hypnotherapy Used?
• Resources Related to Hypnosis & Hypnotherapy

How is Hypnotherapy Used?

Hypnosis is used by clinicians in three distinct ways. First, a clinician will facilitate the process by encouraging a person to use their creative abilities in the art of imagination. Imagery, when being manifested in a focused state, can be extremely effective. The mind is able to enlist the use of imagery to assist a person to symbolically manifest the imagined conditions. For instance, if a person with cancer sees their cells as being diseased and ill, they may be instructed to imagine them through hypnosis as being transformed to healthy vibrant cells.

Another way that this method is used is to act as a vehicle of suggestion to a client. When someone is fully focused and exhibits a concentration of mental effort, ideas that reflect the desires of a client are more consequential to the mind. Additionally, hypnosis is often utilized in a manner that allows deep self-exploration and discovery of unconscious intentions, motivations, or events and experiences that result in symptoms undesirable to a person. Hypnosis circumvents our conscious thought processes, allowing us to gain a better insight into the problem at hand. By doing this, real change can occur. Individuals achieve different results with hypnosis, as they do with other varying forms of therapy. However, it appears that some people are more receptive to this form of treatment than others and achieve increased benefits.

Resources Related to Hypnosis & Hypnotherapy:

American Society of Clinical Hypnosis

International Association of Counseling Hypnotherapists

Society of Psychological Hypnosis, Hypnotherapy Association of UK

American Psychotherapy and Medical Hypnosis Association

Hypnosis.com

Hypnosis Headquarters

Wikipedia's Page about Hypnosis & Hypnotherapy