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HYPNOSIS…Busting the Myths!!! Hypnosis is a form or therapy that is surrounded by myth yet can one of the most effective healing treatments. A survey of psychotherapy literature by noted psychologist Alfred A. Barrios, Ph.D. revealed the following recovery rates: Psychoanalysis: 38% recovery after 600 sessions. Behaviour Therapy: 72% recovery after 22 sessions. Hypnotherapy: 93% recovery after 6 sessions. Source: American Health Magazine Lets talk about where and when Hypnosis is an effective treatment and "bust some myths" HYPNOSIS ..THE HABIT BUSTER Harmful Actions Harmful actions are desires and behaviours people continue to repeat even though they take them further from what they want in life. These can be divided into two categories: (1) Self-gratification which include any strongholds involving the five senses such as eating, drugs, unhealthy sex, addiction to TV etc.; harmful desires for “stuff” i.e. money or possessions focussed and harmful prideful desires for example a need to be seen in a certain way in order be perceived to be OK (which is often an act). (2) Self-protection, which involves doing something to distract yourself from emotional pain or to control your circumstances to keep pain from happening again. Unhealthy Beliefs Also classed as wrong beliefs, unhealthy beliefs cause stress and the basis of illness and “dis-ease” is stress. Once identified, hypnosis can heal the wrong belief, stress goes away and the immune system in the body can heal everything even genetic illnesses, and you at the same time heal the thing that is blocking the success and prosperity peoples lives. Unforgiveness Unforgiveness often hides behind anger, fear, sadness and other issues. Learning to forgive may be one of the most critical issues in a person’s life and once achieved can also help heal to heal many major illnesses that have their root in unforgiveness. Trust The negative emotions of this category are distrust and being judgemental (often of self). This category is critical for so many reasons. It is the category of belief which consists of faith, trust and hope. Faith is based on what has happened to people in the past and affects whether they have faith in themselves, other people or in their circumstances. Trust is what people believe about what is happening in their life right now and hope is focussed on the future. All of these work together. We can’t have hope if we don’t have faith and expect our future to turn out like the past. Hypnosis heals all three as it defuses destructive memories, deprogrammes beliefs and reprogrammes them so that people can change their perception of the past and therefore have trust in the present and hope for the future. Self-control issues This one is an issue for almost everyone. Self-control means balance. It doesn’t really mean willpower as we so often associate with this word. Unhealthy beliefs would be saying “I can’t do it” or “I’m not capable” and “It’s not fair”. The transforming beliefs from hypnosis are the opposite. Life will no longer be striving or “pulling oneself up by the bootstraps” but there is a freedom which will flow, not an onerous burden so that we are no longer coming from a place of fear, believing lies about ourselves and ourworld but instead creating a positive emotion of confidence one’s true self and abilities. Gain more Love, Peace and Joy in life All of these life qualities that we aspire to are attainable through hypnosis. Joy comes when we overcome feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, sadness and depression. We gain peace by dispelling anxiety, worry and fear. We can love ourselves and others more through ridding ourselves of all of the above negative categories. When all is taken into account HYPNOSIS can bring amazing results and healings on all levels, physical, emotional and spiritual. Myths About Hypnosis People often fear that being hypnotized will make them lose control, surrender their will, and result in their being dominated, but a hypnotic state is not the same thing as gullibility or weakness. Many people base their assumptions about hypnotism on stage acts but fail to take into account that stage hypnotists screen their volunteers to select those who are cooperative, with possible exhibitionist tendencies, as well as responsive to hypnosis. Stage acts help create a myth about hypnosis which discourages people from seeking legitimate hypnotherapy. Another myth about hypnosis is that people lose consciousness and have amnesia. A small percentage of subjects, who go into very deep levels of trance will fit this stereotype and have spontaneous amnesia. The majority of people remember everything that occurs in hypnosis. This is beneficial, because most of what we want to accomplish in hypnosis may be done in a medium-depth trance, where people tend to remember everything. In hypnosis, the patient is not under the control of the hypnotist. Hypnosis is not something imposed on people, but something they do for themselves. A hypnotist simply serves as a facilitator to guide them. LEGITIMATE USES OF HYPNOSIS Below is a list of legitimate uses of hypnosis as defined by the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH): Allergies Anxiety & stress management Asthma Bed-wetting Bowel syndrome Burns Colitis Concentration difficulties Crohn's disease Dentistry (relaxation, fear elimination, prevention of gagging and nausea, control of saliva and bleeding, behaviour modification) Depression Dermatologic disorders (eczema, herpes, neurodermatitis, pruritus [itching], psoriasis, warts) Haemophilia High blood pressure (hypertension) Learning disorders Nausea & vomiting Obesity & weight control Pain (back pain, cancer pain, dental anaesthesia, headaches and migraines, arthritis or rheumatism) Raynaud's disease Sexual dysfunctions Sleep disorders Smoking cessation Sports & athletic performance Surgery/anaesthesiology Test anxiety Ulcers Are the Results of Hypnosis Permanent? Suggestions stay with some individuals indefinitely, while others need reinforcement. The effects of hypnosis are cumulative: The more the techniques are practiced and post-hypnotic suggestions are brought into play, the more permanent the results become. Self-hypnosis training and reinforcement tapes for home use also provide additional help. Can Any Person Be Hypnotized? People of average intelligence (unless there is some form of organic brain damage) can be hypnotized in most cases if they are willing and do not resist. The depth of hypnosis varies with a person's ability to respond. If you are not a naturally responsive subject, you can improve your receptivity to hypnosis with practice. Can I Be Controlled? No. You are in control the entire time while experiencing hypnosis. The power lies in your mind, because while under hypnosis you have greater awareness than when you are fully awake and you retain all the power to select what you want to say or do. You won't do anything in a hypnotic state that you would not find acceptable in your normal awake state. How Does Hypnosis Help People? The ability to reprogram emotional attitudes and reactions is a latent talent within every human being. Hypnosis is the most functional and reasonable way to train life-long attitudes, rather than suffer a lifetime of emotional accidents the conscious mind is unable to change. How Effective Is Hypnosis Counselling? A survey of psychotherapy literature by noted psychologist Alfred A. Barrios, Ph.D. revealed the following recovery rates: Psychoanalysis: 38% recovery after 600 sessions. Behaviour Therapy: 72% recovery after 22 sessions. Hypnotherapy: 93% recovery after 6 sessions. Source: American Health Magazine Is Hypnosis Dangerous? No. The induction of hypnosis is never dangerous to the subject. What Does Being Hypnotized Feel Like? Most clients report pleasant feelings of mental and physical relaxation, similar to those moments before we fall asleep at night. You will be relaxed, yet still aware and able to respond if you need to. A good description of how hypnosis feels, from a hypnosis client: "At the end of my first hypnosis session, my hypnotherapist said, 'When we're through here you'll be . . . you'll be yourself!' This was prophetic. I would describe all of my subsequent experiences with hypnosis as remembering or discovering parts of me that were characteristic, and following their lead. Therapeutic hypnosis has not involved suppressing or discarding any part of me. It has not meant using will power to force behaviour changes. Rather, it is a way to allow change to arise inevitably, even joyfully, out of the unique person who has always been present. It is a tool for utilizing what is already there." What if I Don't Wake Up? No one has ever gotten stuck in a terminal state of hypnosis. It simply cannot happen. If the hypnotist left the room, or if you were listening to a tape and the power went out, you would either fall asleep and wake up naturally, or your subconscious mind would detect that there is no voice guiding you and bring you to conscious awareness. What Is the Difference Between Meditation and Hypnosis? Both techniques will take you into the meditative state. However, in meditation the goal is to remain there, while in hypnosis you use this state to change thought, ideas, and behaviours. What Is the Difference Between Hypnosis and Psychotherapy? Hypnosis uses trance, suggestion and instruction in self-hypnosis to adjust and correct unwanted habits of thought, feeling and behaviour. Psychotherapy is the diagnosis and conversational treatment of mental disease. In other words, a psychotherapist treats people who have been diagnosed with some type of mental illness while hypnosis addresses the habits of normal people wishing to improve their lives. The term "hypnotherapy", in most cases, is reserved for psychotherapists who integrate hypnotic techniques into the work they do with people who have emotional and mental disorders. Quite often this can decrease the time a person needs to spend in therapy. Will I Forget Everything During the Session? It occasionally happens that there is amnesia for the session. Sometimes the hypnotist will suggest that you forget what transpired, and occasionally this may have that effect. Most hypnotists want you to be aware of the session. You will be aware of everything around you, and remember most, if not all, that happened in the session. Usually, you will remember it better than a conversation we had, because your mind is in such a focused state. Christianity and Hypnosis: Answers from an Academic and a Minister Naturally everyone has his or her own perspectives. You may find that neither of these commentators reflects your views. The interviews are provided strictly as information for those who are curious about possible Christian perspectives on hypnosis. Our interviewees are:
Below are their answers to some of the questions we frequently receive. Some Christians are concerned that by undergoing hypnosis they might be going against their faith. Why is this?John Court Because they have been told, or have read in Christian books, that hypnosis is condemned in the Bible. Those who love to find a proof text for their beliefs use one word in Deuteronomy 18 (vv 10-11). In English the Hebrew word is usually translated 'charmer,' or 'one who casts spells,' and from other contexts it is clear that the word refers to snake charming. To relate it to hypnosis is quite misleading. Good exegesis, of course, calls for more than a simple proof text, and this is lacking. On the other hand, there are two examples in the Acts where it refers to Peter going into a trance (the Greek word is ekstasis from which we get 'ecstasy') and both events are reported as both positive and significant. Paul Durbin As you well know, there are many misconceptions concerning hypnosis which make some people (religious or non-religious) have some fears of hypnosis. A few years ago, I read an article in Family Weekly titled "Boom Days For Devil Hypnosis." Hearing that title, what ideas, images, or thoughts come to you? Though the article had what I considered a very negative title, it was a very positive article on hypnosis in the health care field. The only reference to the devil was in the last paragraph, "Some conservative religious groups consider hypnosis to be the work of the devil." Hypnosis is mistakenly viewed as mind control or demonic by many misinformed people. Let me describe one situation I've experienced: Recently I received a physician consult to work with a Catholic woman for pain management. As I explained the process of relaxation, imagery, and hypnosis, I could see that she was very responsive. As I concluded my pre-talk, she said, "I am really looking forward to this experience, but I need to tell you that my daughter is a self-proclaimed born-again Christian and she may say something negative to you about this. If so, do not pay any attention to her, for I am the one who is hurting and I want this." As I completed the induction, the phone rang. I told the patient, "Just allow the ringing of the phone and my answering it to add to your relaxation." I answered the phone, "This is Mrs. Doe's room. As she is in therapy, please call back in 30 minutes," and hung up the phone. When the procedure was completed, I walked out of the room and there was her daughter standing in front of the door with arms folded over her chest. She said, "What have you been doing to my mother?" I explained that I had taught her mother relaxation, self-hypnosis, and pain reduction. She responded, "I am a born-again Christian." Before she could continue, I raised my hands and said, "Praise the Lord, so am I." She was speechless, so I continued, "I will bring you some information on hypnosis, but regardless of how you feel about hypnosis, your mother has found it very helpful in the reduction of pain." Some would say that there is no place in religion for hypnosis. I believe that hypnosis and religious faith can work hand in hand to bring about a better life. Jesus said in John 10:10, "I am come that you may have life and have it more abundantly." We have heard that people are concerned that hypnosis can override a person’s "will". What are your thoughts on this?Paul Durbin The vast majority of research disagrees with the above statement. A person in hypnosis will not do anything against his/her will. They may do things that they would not normally do, but would do if the situation were such as to entice them to do it. For a physician, it is not unethical to prescribe drugs to stop pain, but it is unethical for a physician to intentionally set up a situation where the patient becomes dependent on that drug so the physician can make more money. I am a theologically conservative United Methodist Christian and ordained clergyperson of the United Methodist Church. Hypnosis happens all the time: watching television, driving your car, being involved in a worships service, just before going to sleep, and just after waking up. Anything can be used unethically, but that is a problem of the person involved, be he clergy, physician, fireman, policeman, business person, wife, husband, teacher, or hypnotherapist. But don't condemn the profession or the role for the unethical ones among us, or we would have no professions. People who have been smoking for years, no longer smoke due to hypnotherapy and at a much higher rate than patches, gum or drugs. People are released from fears in a few sessions that have been going to therapy for years. People in pain have had pain reduced or eliminated. Babies have been born to moms who did not have to take any drugs, a positive for both baby and Mum. Cancer patients have been able to take chemo with some of the side effects and have been helped to reduce the pains of cancer and even be healed of cancer. Burn patients have been able to have 3rd degree burns reduced to 2nd and 2nd to 1st when cared for by a hypnotherapist within the first few hours following burns, and to undergo painful procedures following burns with a great reduction of pain. These are blessings from God to be used to help relieve suffering emotionally and spiritually.
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 Robyn Meywes
Robyn is a qualified Herbalist and has practised natural medicine for over 25 years in Australia. Archives
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