INTRODUCTION

TO

HYPNOSIS

Michael Raugh, C.Ht.

What is Hypnosis?
The American Heritage Dictionary An artificially induced altered state of consciousness, characterized by heightened suggestibility and receptivity to direction. American Society of Clinical Hypnosis Hypnosis is a state of inner absorption, concentration and focused attention. American Psychotherapy and Medical Hypnosis Association Hypnosis is a process during which an individual, usually with the aid of another, allows himself herself to become more suggestible. American Psychological Association, Division ! !Hypnosis typically involves an introduction to the procedure during which the sub"ect is told that suggestions for imaginative e#periences will be presented. $he hypnotic induction is an e#tended initial suggestion for using one%s imagination, and may contain further elaborations of the introduction. A hypnotic procedure is used to encourage and evaluate responses to suggestions. &hen using hypnosis, one person 'the sub"ect( is guided by another 'the hypnotist( to respond to suggestions for changes in sub"ective e#perience, alterations in perception, sensation, emotion, thought or behavior. )ersons can also learn self*hypnosis, which is the act of administering hypnotic procedures on one%s own. +f the sub"ect responds to hypnotic suggestions, it is generally inferred that hypnosis has been induced. Many believe that hypnotic responses and e#periences are characteristic of a hypnotic state. &hile some thin, that it is not necessary to use the word %hypnosis% as part of the hypnotic induction, others view it as essential. !-etails of hypnotic procedures and suggestions will differ depending on the goals of the practitioner and the purposes of the clinical or research endeavor. )rocedures traditionally involve suggestions to rela#, though rela#ation is not necessary for hypnosis and a wide variety of suggestions can be used including those to become more alert. .uggestions that permit the e#tent of hypnosis to be assessed by comparing responses to standardized scales can be used in both clinical and research settings. &hile the ma"ority of individuals are responsive to at least some suggestions, scores on standardized scales range from high to negligible. $raditionally, scores are grouped into low, medium, and high categories. As is the case with other positively*scaled measures of psychological constructs such as attention and awareness, the salience of evidence for having achieved hypnosis increases with the individual%s score.

"n other #ords, there is no one generally accepted definition of what hypnosis is. $here are, however, consistent identifiable characteristics.

Hypnotic "nd$ctions
&ith a very few e#ceptions, anyone who wants to be hypnotized can be. /oing into hypnosis is a s,ill0 with practice people learn to go into hypnosis more easily and more deeply. $here are hundreds of different hypnotic inductions, but they all fall into a few basic categories1 %ye &i'ation $he person concentrates on a fi#ed ob"ect or point in space while the hypnotist gives them suggestions to guide them into a trance state. (ela'ation $he person consciously rela#es the body to bring about a gradual transition into hypnosis. Mental Conf$sion $he hypnotist deliberately overloads the conscious mind to gain access to the subconscious. S$rprise $he hypnotist induces a sudden shoc, or loss of e2uilibrium and inserts a short suggestion while the conscious mind is preoccupied. Post)Hypnotic S$ggestion $he hypnotist triggers a posthypnotic suggestion left with the person during a previous trance e#perience.

Signs of the Hypnotic State

A person in hypnosis generally shows most of these characteristics1

)rofound physical rela#ation Reduced heart rate and blood pressure 3rainwaves in the alpha '4*56Hz( and theta '7*8Hz( ranges +ncreased neural activity in the anterior cingulate gyrus 'part of the brain associated with learning, memory, and interpreting sensory input( +ncreased receptivity to suggestion

-epending on the person%s depth and e#perience with hypnosis, they may e#perience any or all of these1

A feeling of tran2uility $ime distortion 9nhanced imagination visualization Catalepsy Amnesia Anesthesia

Hypnosis is a perfectly natural state that we enter and leave multiple times each day. 9#amples of everyday trance states include1

-aydreaming 3eing absorbed in a movie, $: show, or boo, 3eing !in the zone while playing a sport or game -riving

Ho# Does Hypnosis Wor*?

Hypnosis ta,es advantage of the differences between the conscious and subconscious parts of the mind. The Conscio$s Mind+++ 9valuates inputs $hin,s critically .ingle tas,ing 'usually( Manages short term memory Reasons -eals with facts Controls less than 7; of body functions The S$,conscio$s Mind+++ $a,es things literally Accepts things easily Multi tas,ing Manages long term memory +magines -eals with emotions Controls all involuntary body functions

&hen determining behavior, the subconscious always wins< Hypnosis wor,s by bypassing the conscious mind 'the !critical factor( and wor,ing directly with the subconscious to effect change through s$ggestion.

Direct S$ggestion

!&hen + count to three, you will cluc, li,e a chic,en. !$he idea of lighting a cigarette ma,es you feel nauseous and sic,.

"ndirect S$ggestion

!+t pleases you to realize that you are now a nonsmo,er for life. !+ wonder when you will notice that your eyes have become heavy and tired.

Posthypnotic S$ggestion

!=rom now on whenever you feel yourself craving chocolate you will eat a lima bean instead. !&henever + snap my fingers you will go bac, into hypnosis "ust as deeply as you are now.

All Hypnosis is Self Hypnosis

Hundreds of years of research consistently shows that1

>obody can be hypnotized if they choose not to be >obody will accept a hypnotic suggestion that violates their morals or places them in danger Hypnotized people participate in hallucinations and fantasy but remain aware of reality

Milton 9ric,son '54?5*548?( performed numerous e#periments in which hypnotized volunteers showed awareness of stimuli they had been directed to ignore. 9rnest Hilgard '54?6*@??5( built on 9ric,son%s wor, and published the theory of the hidden observer. $he hidden observer e#ists separately from the conscious and cannot be bypassed. 9#amples of the hidden observer as demonstrated by 9ric,son and Hilgard1

:olunteers hypnotized and told that the space before them was empty would still wal, around a large obstacle without consciously seeing it or realizing they had done so. )eople undergoing hypnotic anesthesia reported no pain or discomfort, but unconscious physical signals indicated that part of the mind did register pain. :olunteers given the hypnotic suggestion that they were temporarily deaf could remember, under later hypnosis, conversations that too, place during their !deaf time.

Common -ses of Hypnosis

Hypnosis is routinely used for many purposes, including1 .ehavior Modification .top smo,ing &eight control =ears and phobias Academic Achievement 9nhancing memory A recall .tress Relief +mproving study habits Mental Health .tress Management .elf Confidence Resisting )eer )ressure Sports

Motivation to practice =ocus and concentration :isualization A rehearsal

Medical/Pain Control -entistry Childbirth .urgical anesthesia 9mergency response .ymptom control 'with physician approval( 0a# %nforcement 1&orensic Hypnosis2 %ntertainment 1Stage Hypnosis2 3ut hypnosis cannot fi# everything. +n particular, hypnosis is >B$ effective or appropriate in cases of mental illness and is not a substitute for medical care in cases of disease and in"ury.

The 3,ligatory 0ist of Dead 4$ys

&ran5 Anton Mesmer '5CD6*5857( +nduced trance states using what he called !animal magnetism. He got the concept from an a Eesuit priest named =ather Hell '5C@?*5C4@( and made the techni2ue popular with the =rench aristocracy until he was discredited by a panel of e#perts including 3en"amin =ran,lin, who concluded that mesmerism wor,ed largely by imagination ** what we would call the placebo effect. Mar6$is de P$yseg$r '5C75*58@7( A student of Mesmer%s who discovered and named the state ,nown as somnambulism. Dr+ 7ames .raid '5C47*58F?( Coined the term !hypnosis in 586@. &hen he later realized hypnosis was not a form of sleep he tried to change it to !monoideaism but his original name stuc,. 3raid wrote what is considered the first boo, on hypnosis, Neurypnology, in 586D. Dr+ 7ames %sdaile '58?7*5874( )erformed over D?? painless surgical operations using hypnosis 'still called !mesmerism( as the only form of anesthesia in 3ritish*ruled +ndia around 58D6. -iscovered and documented the hypnotic condition now called the 9sdaile state, or !hypnotic coma. 7ean)Martin Charcot '58@7*584D( A =rench neurologist who promoted hypnosis for the treatment of hysteria and prompted some of the first formal, systematic studies hypnosis, including the first documented uses of post*hypnotic suggestion. %rnest Hilgard '54?6*@??5( Co*authored the .tanford .cales for measuring hypnotic susceptibility. &ent on to study sensory deception, analgesia, and to study and promote the !hidden observer theory. Dave %lman '54??*54FC( A lay hypnotist who trained physicians and psychotherapists in the medical uses of hypnosis. $he -ave 9lman induction is popular with therapists to this day because it is fast and produces good results with almost everyone. Dr+ Milton %ric*son '54?5*548?( )ioneered the use of indirect suggestion, especially by embedding an induction and hypnotic suggestions into the form of a story told to the patient. 3rmond Mc4ill '545D*@??7( =amous stage hypnotist, also called !the -ean of American Hypnotists. He performed stage shows, taught classes and treated clients from 54@C until his death in @??7.

4ood "nformation So$rces

+f you%d li,e to ,now more about hypnosis and hypnotherapy, + can recommend a few resources1 http1 www.hypnosis.com Has a good collection of hypnotic induction and therapy scripts that illustrate what is possible. http1 www.ngh.net >ational /uild of Hypnotists website. >ot a lot of information on the main site, but the user forums are e#tensive and a good place to get 2uestions answered. http1 www.secondtrances.com $he amazingly well*designed website of a local hypnotist. 0G( &ith parental permission you can download a 5F*minute stress relief M)D 'http1 www.secondtrances.com stressrelief.mpD( for your i)od or computer. Me, +%m a big fan of boo,s. Here are some of my favorite hypnosis boo,s1 The Art of Hypnosis by Roy Hunter '+.3> ?*C8C@*F8@8*D( An e#cellent introduction to the basic techni2ues and theories behind them. Hypnotherapy by -ave 9lman A bit dated 'originally published in 54F6(, but still a definitive wor, from one of the ma"or contributors to modern hypnotherapy. The New Encyclopedia of Stage Hypnotism by Brmond Mc/ill '+.3> 58448DF?@*?( )retty much $H9 boo, on stage hypnosis by a man who performed it for over C? years. >ot cheap, but e#tremely informative. +f you%re luc,y you%ll find a copy at a used boo, store. My Voice Will o With !ou" The Teaching Tales of Milton H# Eric$son by .idney Rosen '+.3> ?D4DD?5D76( Milton 9ric,son is largely considered the father of modern hypnotherapy and was famous for weaving his hypnotic suggestions into stories that he%d ma,e up on the spot. Rosen%s boo, is a collection of those stories and the cases in which they were used and is a fascinating read.

+%ll also answer 2uestions by email if you%re curious about anything1 michaelHraugh.net IMRJ