The big “H” word… yes, Hypnosis. Hypnosis has almost a magical connotation and has been portrayed in movies and in stage hypnosis to be what it is not.
First, realize that in stage hypnosis, the volunteers have compliance, peer pressure, and other factors working in favor of volunteers acting “silly”.
In reality, we have all been hypnotized! Yes, have ever driven from point A to point B, suddenly arrived and not even remembering how you got there because of a song or due to your mind being occupied into some intense topic? Has someone ever yelled at you angrily: “didn’t you hear there was someone at the door?” or “I’ve been calling you and why didn’t you answer?” maybe because you were entranced with a movie, a song or a book? Then, by all means, you’ve been in a trance.
Hypnosis is just an altered state of consciousness that, in clinical settings, is used in very specific ways and with very specific purposes. For clinical purposes, most times all that is needed is a trance lighter than the one you’ve experienced on your own driving, etc. You’re always aware of what is going on and you will never do anything that is against your will or values.
Hypnosis can be used to help someone relax and better cope with anxiety. Part of the experience is to help the individual learn self-hypnosis to be able to use it when needed. Hypnosis can also be very helpful when dealing with traumas. Traumas are emotionally charged events that need to be processed in psychotherapy to attain resolution. But, sometimes, processing past, traumatic memories can be very challenging. This is where hypnosis comes in. Hypnosis also serves as a dissociative tool and facilitates the processing of these difficult experiences by making the experience feel more distant.
Hypnosis can also be used for providing desired suggestions to help an individual attain goals (e.g. stop smoking, visualizing a victory, etc.). As part of this process, different techniques are used to help you internalize some of these suggestions. Yet, there is no magic. Achieving any goals requires dedication, persistence and, with this, yes, suggestions do help!
Like any other clinical tool, ask your trained psychologist about Hypnosis and if it is something that can benefit you in treating an issue or in achieving a goal!
