UF217: Hypnosis
Everyone knows that if you really want to mesmerize someone, you’d better have a audacious showbiz tuxedo and a pretty dark black Van Dyke goatee. And a cape, and a top hat, probably. Also a “mesmerizing” spiral coin, or a pendulous pocket watch. “YOU ARE GETTING VERY SLEEPY.”
Actually it turns out there’s something to hypnosis, but there’s two avenues: there is the “stage hypnotism” that showmen and side-show acts perform, which is horseshit, then there’s the “might be something to it” variety of hypnotherapeutic “hyper-awareness.” Thing about “real” hypnotism is we do it every day.
But let’s start with stage hypnotism—the “you are now under my spell” variety. The main thing about this kind of “act” is that the participant is 100% just onboard for the spiel. The “magician” literally just tells the participant to cluck like a chicken, and the participant will because he was told to, and now he’s part of a show, and who is he to let everyone down? In stage hypnotism, there’s no difference between pretending you magically influenced someone’s actions vs just saying “do this thing” and they comply. Compliance is based on the simple mechanism that no one want’s to be the spoil-sport. You get called up to be on stage, and now everyone is watching, and the entire audience (and you) have shared expectation that you’ll do what you’re told. And so, you do.
It’s a weird form of like…group-think, or public compliance. Sounds a little rapey, but it’s all fun and
The hypnotist induces a trance by slowly persuading the participant to relax and lose all interest in external distractions. The participant is not under the hypnotists control but can be convinced to do things that he or she would not normally do. However, anyone can resist hypnosis by refusing to open his or her mind to the hypnotist.
‘No-one really knows what hypnosis is; this is part of the attraction of the view that
Hypnosis is one to the most controversial and misunderstood way of psychological healing. It gives you the
What is hypnosis? Hypnosis has amazing benefits and can enhance people lives in many ways. In modern times, it is unfortunate that Hypnosis is seen as a method of entertaining people instead of it being respected for its true aspects. In reality, hypnosis bears little resemblance to these stereotyped images, as it can improve focus and general well-being mentally and physically. It is a cooperative interaction in which the participant responds to the suggestions of the hypnotist. It can also be described as a sleep like trance state or better expressed as a relaxed creative mind, focused by the individual. Despite stories about people being hypnotised out of their consent hypnosis requires voluntary participation on the part of the
My understanding of hypnosis is that it is a natural state and that all humans regularly enter a light trancelike state which they describe as “daydreaming”. It is not gaining control of a person so they act out of
Moreover, hypnosis is a trancelike state of heightened suggestibility deep, relaxation, and intense focus. They experience imaginary happenings as if they were real. Some researchers use state theory to point out that hypnosis meets some parts of the definition for an altered state of consciousness. Today, in psychotherapy, hypnosis can help patients relax, remember painful memories, and reduce anxiety. In addition, it does successful job in the treatment of phobias, stop smoking, and improve study habits. On the other side, role theory states that gypnosis is not an alternate state of consciousness at all. This theory mentions that some people are more easily hypnotized than others, due to possessing a characteristic called, ¡°hypnotic suggestibility.¡± These people usually have a richer fantasy life, follow directions well, and can focus on a single task for a long time. In addition, during hypnosis, some other people are acting out the role of a hypnotized person. Then follow the hypnotist, because that is what is expected of the role.
Hypnosis is a natural state of mind that can be used for many purposes, in different settings. Nowadays research in the field of hypnosis and associated areas has blossomed and there are valuable evidence that hypnosis has real and measurable affects on both body and mind. During this essay I will be describing what is hypnosis including what the psychological and physical aspects of hypnosis are, further I will be discussing the role of relaxation in hypnotherapy.
Hypnosis can be traced as far back as the ancient Egyptians where it was used as a means of curing illnesses through suggestion, it was known as the curing sleep. Hypnosis can be described as a sleep like trance and a state of heightened relaxation, that hypnotists today call a trance state this is where you are more susceptible to suggestion and influence. Hypnosis can be used in many ways such as stage entertainment, therapy and as a means of investigation. For example Milton Erickson who is known as the father of modern hypnosis said “You use hypnosis not as a cure but as a means of establishing a
Looking back, it is clear now that hypnosis has been around for many centuries and the use of hypnotic states can be traced back to Shamans or Witch Doctors. In the 1700’s Franz Anton Mesmer produced his theory of “animal magnetism” in which he believed healing forces could be transferred through “cosmic fluid” there is no evidence to support the transfer of the healing energies devised by Mesmer but his success rate was high which lead to his patients being described as “mesmerized” and mesmerism is an early forerunner for modern day hypnosis. Many theories
The American Psychological Association (2014) defines hypnosis as “… a therapeutic technique in which clinicians make suggestions to individuals who have undergone a procedure designed to relax them and focus their minds.”
Hypnotherapy refers to an “interaction between two people, one of whom is identified as the hypnotist, the other as the subject” (Heap and Naish) The
The history of hypnosis is a bit like a history of breathing. Like breathing, hypnosis is an inherent and universal trait, shared and experienced by all human beings since the dawn of time. It’s only in the last few decades that we’ve come to realise that hypnosis itself hasn’t changed for millennia, but our understanding of it and our ability to control it has changed quite profoundly. The history of hypnosis, then, is really the history of this change in perception (History of Hypnosis, 2012). Although through the ages many rituals and practises from all over the world resemble modern day hypnosis, hypnosis from a western medical point of view started in 18th Century
This essay will explore the difference between permissive and authoritarian approaches in hypnotherapy. Included will be history of the two approaches, background of the way they work and practical examples to show the influence they have on clients. Gathering information through various means (which will be discussed in this essay) will help the hypnotherapist create a personalized induction. The essay will explore this personalized induction and see if it will always be most effective to use a script that is modified of tailor made for the particular client.
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.
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.