Introduction to Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy Module 1 Page 1 1. INTRODUCTION TO HYPNOSIS AND HYPNOTHERAPY “The mind is powerful, and you have more control than you think.” – Scott D. Lewis OVERVIEW In this module, we will cover the following topics: History of hypnosis and hypnotherapy The human mind, how it works and the mind-body connection Subconscious mind’s re-programming Fight or flight responses
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Introduction to Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy Module 1 Page 1
1. INTRODUCTION TO HYPNOSIS AND
HYPNOTHERAPY
“The mind is powerful, and you have more control than you think.” – Scott D.
Lewis
OVERVIEW
In this module, we will cover the following topics:
History of hypnosis and hypnotherapy
The human mind, how it works and the mind-body connection
Subconscious mind’s re-programming
Fight or flight responses
Introduction to Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy Module 1 Page 2
HISTORY OF HYPNOSIS AND HYPNOTHERAPY
Throughout recorded history, from ancient times, there has been
accounts of men from various professions practicing hypnosis in
various forms, including medicine men, witch doctors, and religious
healers. However, it was only in the 18th
century that scientists and
researchers started to conduct empirical studies of the practice and its
validity.
In the earlier days, primitive societies used tribal dances, rituals, and
drama, often with inhaling or consuming hallucinogenic substances to
induce a trance-like state. The spiritual leader, or shaman, is
connected to the spiritual world, from where he receives guidance and
messages. By producing a trance among followers, practitioners
believed that they too could commune with the spirit world through
the experience of a different reality. As such, the shaman acted as a
facilitator to guide tribe members to a trance state, much like today’s
hypnotists.
Throughout many cultures across the world from the earliest days of
history to the Middle Ages accounts were noted of spiritual healing,
which, with today’s knowledge, can be understood to utilize the
strength of suggestibility and the mind-body connection. The age of
enlightenment and reason between 1685 and 1815 ushered in the use
of hypnosis at a more popular and formal levels. Austrian physician
Franz Mesmer probably remains the most popular hypnotist of all
times as he demonstrated healing using magnets to influence a sick
person’s magnetic field, thereby balancing the four types of fluid to
restore good health—blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile.
Mesmer moved to Paris in 1778 where he held large-scale events to
cure many people. His popularity grew and scientists were sent from
around the world to study his methods.
The scientists concluded that, rather through magnetism, Mesmer’s
patients were healing themselves by their own beliefs and mind
powers, which was stimulated by Mesmer’s approach. Eventually, in
1784, the French government declared him a fraud and he died in
1815 at the age of 83. However, what Mesmer’s work shows us is that
a large percentage of ailments can be influenced by our attitude and
approach to them, strengthened by the guidance of an experienced
facilitator.
One of Mesmer’s students, the Marquis de Puysegir, discovered how
to lead clients into a deep relaxing trance state that is now known as
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somnambulism. In this state the subject appears to be sound asleep,
yet can hear and respond to questions and suggestions. With his
techniques, the Marquis demonstrated three features of
somnambulism, namely (1) the power of the concentration of the
senses by the operator, (2) acceptance of a suggestion made be the
facilitator, and (3) amnesia for events that happened while in a trance.
Over two centuries later, these principles still apply.
Early 19th
-century Scottish physician and surgeon James Braid was
another influential pioneer of hypnotism and hypnotherapy. He
suggested that hypnosis is a powerful tool that should only be used
with experience in medical professions. He further maintained that
hypnosis could affect a cure, but is not perfect and best applied in
conjunction with drug and psychological treatment to ensure the best
and most responsible results. He believed that hypnosis does not
present any danger when in skilled hands. Braid is attributed with the
phrase “hypnotherapy,” which remains in use today.
A leading French neurologist, Jean Charcot, convinced the French
Academy of Sciences of the validity of hypnotism as a neurological
event, which helped make hypnotism a respected field of study and
practice. His findings inspired many later influencers such as Sigmund
Freud, Pierre Janet, Hippolyte Bernheim, and A. A. Liebeault to
advance hypnotism as a “suggestive” therapy.
Other prominent scientists who influenced the development of modern
hypnosis and hypnotherapy methods and techniques in the 19th
and
20th
centuries include Esdaile and Freud. UK physician James Esdaile
was known for deep mesmerism referred to as the Esdaile state used
as an alternative to anesthetics. Austrian neurologist and father of
psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud routinely used hypnosis before
abandoning it to focus on developing psychoanalysis.
DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN HYPNOSIS AND HYPNOTHERAPY
During the 1880s, two leading schools of thought on hypnosis
developed. According to the Bernheim/Liebeault theory, hypnosis is a
psychological state brought about by suggestion and requires no
specific personality type. In contrast, Charcot’s theory held that
hypnosis is a medical condition connected to hysteria, and, therefore,
requires a neurotic personality to be effective.
Their disagreement on the main underlying principles of hypnosis
sparked a heated controversy that ultimately led to further scientific
Introduction to Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy Module 1 Page 4
investigation and greater clarity in the field. The impetus for rapid
advances in the use of hypnosis came from the many World War II
veterans that required treatment for war-related psychological
problems. In 1949, the Society for Clinical and Experimental
Hypnosis was established in the United States to ensure that high
ethical and training standards are put in place and maintained in the
field. In the 1950s, the British Medical Association and American
Medical Association admitted that hypnosis has valid, valuable
medical benefits such as the potential to relieve pain. Hypnosis was
also later approved for the treatment of some psychological disorders
and as an alternative form of pain management during childbirth and
surgery.
The International Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis
(ISC EH) was organized in 1958 with national division organizations
in 24 different countries. Its aim was to ensure consistently high
standards of training, research, and practice in hypnosis worldwide
while also facilitating information exchange. The American Board of
Examiners in Psychological Hypnosis was officially recognized by the
American Psychological Association shortly after that, in 1960, which
meant that psychologists could be accredited in hypnosis and the uses
and techniques of effective experimental and clinical hypnosis further
advanced.
The modern hypnotherapist who are probably the most widely
regarded for his achievement in progressing the science of
hypnotherapy is American psychiatrist Milton Erickson. He played an
important role in shaping hypnotherapy into what it is today,
especially by emphasizing the importance of observing clients and
rapidly building a rapport with them. He included metaphors,
confusing statements, surprise, imagery, and humor as part of his
therapeutic toolkit. Together with his predecessors and successors in
the specialist field of hypnosis and hypnotherapy, he laid the
foundation for the successful modern day application of hypnosis to
solve a vast number of medical and psychological problems, which
includes, among others:
Stopping Smoking
Weight loss
Improving self-esteem and motivation
Enhanced learning and memory performance
Introduction to Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy Module 1 Page 5
Dealing with anxiety and panic
Increasing athletic performance
Curing procrastination (especially out of habitual laziness)
Curing phobias, e.g. of spiders, snakes, and other animals,
Curing fears, e.g. of flying, thunder, heights, water, public
speaking, and enclosed spaces.
These examples are just a few of an endless list, but gives and idea of
the vast possibilities that hypnosis and hypnotherapy hold to improve
the everyday lives of people.
THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION
Experts in many disciplines, including psychology, psychiatry,
medicine, and philosophy, have pondered the intricate connection that
there seems to be between aspects of the mind (e.g. feelings,
emotions, thoughts, and beliefs) and the body (e.g. health, pain, and
illness). Although many conditions have a biological or organic basis,
a complex interplay between emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and
behavioral factors can exacerbate or relieve most issues. For example,
stress is proven to have a profound and compounding effect on
physical health, especially when we grow older.
The human brain is an incredibly powerful organ. Not only does it
have the ability to rearrange and restructure neural networks to
compensate for any impairments and develop new functionality, but it
is in constant interaction with the body and environment. Behavior is
the outward expression of the mind. In the form of thoughts, feelings,
and emotions, the human mind creates the motivation or impetus, for
action. In turn, our behavior, including the life choices that we make,
interacts with and influences our surroundings, which includes our
relationships and habits. These again can have a profound effect on
our brain and biological functions, such as the endocrine system that
produces hormones, and the limbic system that controls basic
emotions and drives.
Such processes determine the presence of stress and anxiety,
aggression, urges and compulsions, and mood inclinations, which,
over time, imprints on our personality. Then again, our personality is
made up of themes and patterns of thoughts and beliefs that govern
our views of and reactions to ourselves, others, and the world in
general. It guides our thoughts, feelings, and behavior, and influences
Introduction to Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy Module 1 Page 6
the feedback we receive from our environment, which the brain
processes to reinforce or adjust existing systems.
Colloquially this encompasses the mind-body connection, which is an
age-old controversy among philosophers and scientists. The question
“How can something immaterial like a thought, affect the physical
body, and vice versa?” continues to challenge psychologists and
neuroscientists. It has important ramifications on how we engage our
mind and body to connect with our environment.
To develop a comprehensive understanding of the world and our
interaction with it, we need to define the effect of mental states and
events on the physical operation of any organism. At present, we do
not have an adequately detailed picture of the human brain to bring
mental phenomena into a unified conception of objective reality.
The problem was addressed from the 17th century when Descartes
introduced the concept of dualism or a rigid difference between mind
and matter. The opposite view, monism, maintains that there is only
one unifying reality, substance, or essence that can explain everything.
Several perspectives, such as Karl Marx’s materialism, have rejected
the mind-body dichotomy completely, believing that consciousness is
caused by the material contingencies of one’s environment and
physical structure. The fact that no definitive meeting point between
the non-physical mind and the physical brain and body can be
established remains problematic to dualism and those who maintain
that the mind exists and functions separately from the body.
An increased study of the issue from multi-disciplinary fields has
brought new information and generated a fresh perspective that the
mind and body function closely together, thereby removing the debate
from dualism versus monism. For example, studies in cognitive theory
indicated that merely changing the content of a person’s thinking
could indeed generate significant effects on the body and behavior
(Langer, 2014). Although it is now widely accepted that the mind
affects the body, and vice versa, the pathways remain unknown.
Developed based on these ideas and principles, mind-body therapies
use various approaches, including relaxation techniques, meditation,
guided imagery, biofeedback, and hypnosis to induce a relaxed and
positive state. A relaxed person is less inclined to have stress, anxiety,
negative moods, urges, and compulsions and a better ability to adjust
to adverse conditions and manage negativity.
Introduction to Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy Module 1 Page 7
Now watch this video
What is Hypnosis and How Does it Work? [32:24]
Ontario Hypnosis Center
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exgwf03144E
MIND REPROGRAMMING AND STRESS RESPONSES
Stress processes, commonly known as the fight-or-flight response,
wreak havoc on the functioning of the body and mind and can easily
reinforce negative attitudes and beliefs, especially under repeated
conditions. These prompt a person to constantly engage in the same
negative decisions and behavior. The subconscious mind can be
reprogrammed to adapt these networks to a more positive framework
aligned with desired outcomes.
THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND’S REPROGRAMMING
Many people follow the same pattern of life or make the same
mistakes as they go through lives without being aware of it or
understanding the underlying reasons. As a result, they are unable to
improve their situations, whether the basis is cognitive (i.e. thoughts,
feelings, beliefs, and emotions) or contextual (i.e. environment,
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behavior, and relationships). They always seem to be drawn to the
same patterns of behavior.
The subconscious mind has a lot of power in initiating and sustaining
these repetitive patterns. Like an enormous filing cabinet, it stores all
experiences through life—pleasant, unpleasant, and indifferent—in
the form of memories, visual images, and sensations. While only a
small portion of these data segments is available to our conscious
mind, the majority is not. Together with hard-coded features such as
our habits, personality traits, learned behaviors and beliefs that have
developed through life-long repetition and practice, some experiences
are buried deep in the subconscious mind. For example, a traumatic
childhood experience may be hidden there, inaccessible to the
conscious mind, to protect a person from its destructive power. Where
the conscious mind helps us to generate thoughts and make decisions,
the subconscious mind imprints itself more directly onto the body,
without the rational reasoning of the conscious mind.
However, the conscious mind is also able to communicate with the
subconscious mind to input and reinforce new positive thoughts,
ideas, and actions. The technique used to achieve this result is
commonly referred to as subconscious mind reprogramming. Life
coach Genevieve Flight (2014) describes seven steps that can be taken
to achieve or support subconscious reprogramming, of which hypnosis