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| Hypnosis
What is hypnosis? Hypnosis got its name in 1841, Dr. James Braid named the process 'Hypnosis', after the Greek god of Sleep, Hypnos. He soon realised that participants were not asleep, they just appeared to be, and tried to change the name to 'Monoidism'. He wanted to do this out of deference to Franz Anton Mesmer, who had done a lot of study on the subject over a century earlier but 'Hypnosis' had stuck and that's what it is still called today. It is a natural and harmless state that everybody goes through about 1000 times a year, all by themselves - every time they go to sleep or wake up. You know how it is when you wake up but stay in that zone where you don't want to get up - you're awake but don't want to join the rest of the world, just yet? That is the state of hypnosis. It is a trance, a state of deep relaxation. When it is induced to be used as a tool, as well as deep relaxation, it is also a state of heightened concentration; hearing is enhanced and so is the memory. The Romans used it for healing and self-improvement, so did the ancient Greeks and the ancient Egyptians. It can be seen from cave drawings that hypnosis has been used by shamans for over 30,000 years. Hypnotherapy is not something new. How does hypnosis work and what does it feel like? Hypnosis works by bringing the body into a deep state of relaxation - so deep and effective that it can lower blood pressure in a few days. The breathing becomes calm and regular and the heart-beat becomes steady. There is still a conscious awareness but such a feeling of tranquillity that there seems to be no need to bother to do anything. Many people, the first time they enter hypnosis, don't feel that anything has happened but they can be easily taught to recognise the signs. There can be around thirty such signs. The most common of these are: for a few seconds after induction the eyes may flutter behind the eyelids, this is rapid eye movement - from the most valuable part of sleep; shortly after induction, the face may flush and feel warm, for a moment or two; the arms and legs may feel heavy; or, the arms and legs may feel like they are floating; the hands and feet may tingle, lightly; hearing will be enhanced; the memory will be enhanced; there will be a sense of time distortion - it will seem like much less time has passed than actually has. Does somebody take over my mind? Most emphatically, no. It is not possible to make someone do anything that goes against their morals or normal standards of behaviour. You are able to and would just get up and walk out if something like that was attempted. You are not intended to sleep, although at some times it doesn't matter if you do. During hypnoanalysis, you will have to answer questions and, indeed, do nearly all of the talking. You will be well aware of what is going on and will remember all that has been said. At no time does somebody take over your mind and at no time does it feel like somebody has. Does it work for everybody? With the exclusion of people who are mentally retarded and those under the influence of drink or drugs, everybody can be hypnotised to varying degrees. This means that hypnosis will work better for some people than it will for others. This is why it is productive to have a brief, free of charge, initial consultation as a first meeting; here it can be seen how well it is thought that you would respond to any help offered - whether it will be time well spent or not - and an understanding of the area in which you seek help can be gained. After this, one type of therapy, or another, would be explained and suggested. Then it would be up to you to decide if you want to continue in the direction you are already travelling or if you would like help to change the direction of your life. Analytical Therapy : Suggestion Therapy : Stress Management |