Modalities of Hypnotherapy

The Gestalt approach to therapy emerged during the 1950’s and was developed by Frederick Perls (1893-1970). The aim of Gestalt therapy is to increase awareness, so that the client comes to resolution of unfinished business and the integration of the thinking, feeling and sensing processes. In Gestalt therapy the emphasis is placed on the present experience, the perception of the individual as a whole and the direct awareness of emotions and action. Gestalt therapists believe that the emotional problems and frustrations that are experienced by individuals are attributed to the lack of recognition and understanding of their own feelings. In addition to this Gestaltist believe that many individuals lose

This paper will carry out a comparative analysis of the two most important psychological therapies, the Adlerian Therapy and the Gestalt Therapy.

Gestalt therapy is a therapeutic approach in psychology that helped foster the humanistic theories of the 1950s and 1960s and that was, in turn, influenced by them. In Gestalt philosophy, the patient is seen as having better insight into himself or herself than the therapist does. Thus, the therapist guides the person on a self-directed path to awareness and refrains from interpreting the patient’s behaviors. Awareness comprises recognition of one’s responsibility for choices, self-knowledge, and ability to solve problems.

Hypnosis, as a term and as a practice, is shrouded in centuries of mystery and surrounded by misconception. Even the word itself, derived from the Greek ‘hypnos’, meaning sleep, is misleading; most people today, even if they hadn’t experienced it themselves, would recognise that being in a hypnotic state is not the same as being asleep. In order to reach a satisfactory definition of hypnosis, it is necessary therefore to explore its origins,

identifying the causes of the client feeling. Gestalts therapy focus on the here and now of the

Gestalt is a fascinating approach to therapy with many unique techniques, interventions and goals that set it apart from other approaches. "Self-acceptance, knowledge of the environment, responsibility for choices, and the ability to make contact...are important awareness processes and goals, all of which are based on a here-and-now experiencing that is always changing" (Corey, 2009, p. 200).

Gestalt therapy, which was founded by Fritz and Laura Perls in the 1940s, teaches the therapists and their clients the phenomenological awareness method, where feeling, perceiving and acting are differentiated from interpreting and rearranging the pre-existing attitudes. Gestalt therapists and clients’ dialogue, thus communicating their phenomenological perspectives, and their differences in perceptions form the basis and focus of experimentation and continued dialogue. The desired outcome of the therapy process is for the client to become aware of their actions, how they are acting, and the ways they can change their actions and learn to accept and appreciate themselves. Here, the emphasis is mainly on the process rather

Corsini, R. J., Wedding, D. (2014). Gestalt Therapy. Current Psychotherapies. Roubal, J. (2012).

Hypnosis is nothing new, in fact it has been widely practiced since the early 1700”s

Hypnosis explained by the psychology community as an altered state of consciousness that leaves people in a more subjective state, or more likely to listen to verbal suggestions. The term of hypnosis came from the Greek root word for sleep. There have been records of Hypnosis going back 2,500 years in ancient China and Egypt, (Gurgevich, 2011-2015, para.1). Hypnosis or also known as hypnotherapy is said to be used to help you gain control over undesired behaviors or to help you cope better with anxiety or pain, (“Test and Procedures Hypnosis,”2015, Para. 2). An example of how a hypnotherapy session might go like this; a therapist comes in while a patient was in an relaxed state and proceeds to tell the patient that they will be cured from their illness when they came out of the relaxed state and then the patient may or may not be cured.

If the client feels “safe” in the session, this can be very powerful for them. As sessions occur, the client will feel more comfortable in trusting the clinician with their feelings, attitudes and emotions. The client is able to present their needs and problems in ways that only they can express. Another factor that may resonate in the sessions may include transference and counter-transference. Transference is when the client’s attitudes, feelings and emotional conflicts from past events begin to be directed to the therapist, while Countertransference is exactly the opposite, when the therapist’s attitudes, feelings, and emotional conflicts from the past are directed towards the client (Transference and Countertransference, 2011). There are not too many positive factors with Countertransference, except being able to recognize it, when it exists, and be able to work out any conflict. A client’s experiences can affect their feelings, emotions, and behaviors towards their therapist. If the therapist remains their professionalism, and sets the proper limits and boundaries, a client can work through past experiences that are affecting their functioning. In a lecture, it is the role of the counselor to recognize the client’s experience; reflect and process the client’s emotional state, as well as process their own emotional reactions to clients and their issues. When clients can work through their problems from past

In the twenty-first century our society has become sceptic on the controversial issue of hypnosis. Our society recognizes hypnosis as a foolish man holding a swinging stopwatch in front of people saying, "When I snap my fingers, you will feel sleepy". Our society does not recognize hypnosis as a way of therapy or treatment. Hypnosis by definition is a trancelike state that resembles sleep but is induced by a person whose suggestions are readily accepted by the subject.

Gestalt therapy can help shed light on suppressed feelings by helping us to focus our awareness on our feelings in the “here and now.” Once recognized, resolution of uncomfortable feelings, correction of habitual negative behavior patterns, and recognizing and changing negative thought processes can become a part of the therapeutic work. Through this form of therapeutic process, individuals

In order for the Gestalt therapist to be well grounded and remain ethical, they must run the therapy by using self-awareness, acceptance, authenticity, and the here and now and being present (Spillman & Rosen, 2014, p. 204-205). Gestalt therapy focuses on all aspects of an individual and is able to do so through dialogue. Dialogue is an essential part of Gestalt theory, therefore Gestalt therapists emphasizes the importance of the relationship between the therapist and the client (Yontef, 1993, p. 127). As previously mentioned, one characteristic that sets Gestalt therapy from other therapies is Gestalt Dialogue.

Gestalt therapy is a type of therapy used to deepen our awareness of ourselves. According to O’Connor and Braverman, (2009) “Gestalt" implies wholeness. Gestalt can also be considered as the essence, or shape of a complete form. A theoretical opposite of structuralism, the entity constitutes more than the sum of its parts. Gestalt therapy is comprised of a complex psychological system that stresses the development of client self-awareness and personal responsibility through a process-oriented, experiential and phenomenological modality that addresses the totality of an individual in terms of senses, body, emotions and intellect.” In an active process, suppressed feelings can be explored in depth and through understanding of the how