Psychological and Physical Aspects of Hypnosis and the Role of Relaxation in Hypnotherapy

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.”

As mentioned above hypnosis can provide a feeling of deep relaxation and revitalisation but to be successful it must begin with relaxation. Life is busy! Whilst in our busy lives we may drift in and out of a natural trance state, to support effective therapeutic change it is essential to enter the trance calm and relaxed and free from the burdens of tension and stress that people often carry with them. This is most often achieved through the use of a Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). The PMR can be delivered in the form of a screed or script guiding the subject through their body releasing the tension in the muscles.

The content of this essay will explore how hypnosis has been defined in both the past and the present. I will explain my understanding of hypnosis as well as exploring the history of hypnosis, its origins and how it was first practiced. I shall also detail some of the techniques used and the psychological and physical changes which occur during hypnosis. Finally I will discuss the role of relaxation in hypnotherapy and look at some of the reasons that individuals wish to undergo hypnosis and the benefits they may experience.

Hypnosis was used as a treatment method to try to help Donnie Darko. It helps increase the understanding of the human mind and body. It gives the hypnotist an evaluation of that persons state of mind and can be used to recall events that may have otherwise been forgotten, go into past life, future life, ect.

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

Hypnosis is widely used in therapy for a number of reasons. The promotion of hypnosis as a cure for weight loss, smoking, exam nerves and other such

“What is Hypnosis?” Describe the psychological and physical aspects of hypnosis and discuss the role of relaxation in Hypnotherapy.

Hypnosis is a natural psychological state of consciousness similar to a sleep state where the subject is vaguely aware of their surroundings. In this condition, subjects enter a tranquil state that allows them to easily reach into their subconscious and readily react to suggestion. While hypnosis has been widely used for entertainment purposes, it can also be used in a clinical setting to help relax the body and promote health through decreased heart rate and slowed breathing.

Its first important to understand how important words are for the hypnotherapist. Its claimed by studies from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) that 90 percent

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

For most of the part hypnosis occurs naturally especially when a person thinks deep about something that he desires. As per the source of Joseph Nicholson there are many ways of hypnotizing a person of which the two most important ways of hypnosis were,

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.

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.

The deep relaxation techniques and focusing exercises of hypnosis work to calm and subdue the conscious mind in taking a back seat to the subconscious mind where the hypnosis process opens up a control panel inside the brain changing negatives to positives.

During normal life, the mental chatter and thoughts in your mind block your ability to interact with your subconscious mind. If you want to connect to your subconscious, the thoughts that normally fill your mind must die down. Hypnosis can help this process by inducing a state of total relaxation. It is essentially similar to the way you feel when you watch a movie or get lost in a good book. The mental chatter in your mind dies down during this hypnotic state, and you are able to to work directly with your subconscious.