A good deal in modern hypnotherapy is owed to Milton H. Erickson, who believed that subjects could be put into a state of trance through conversational story telling, instead of using the old Freudian - you are feeling sleepy method. Ericksonian hypnosis thought that particular phrases could spark the mind and have an affect on a person’s behavior, whether they were in a trance or not. This notion is at the heart of NLP hypnosis also known as Neuro Linguistic Programming, which is one of the techniques of hypnosis used in hypnosis sessions to assist folk overcome a number of mental and physical ailments.
Patients undergoing hypnotherapy, stage hypnosis or those that use self hypnosis tapes move from their natural awake state to a stage of deep relaxation, where they breathe deeper, their body feels heavier and their mind begins to become more engrossed. Next in the state of trance, the subject will feel deeply engaged in the words or images the therapist presents and there is dissociation from critical thoughts. The patient is then open to suggestion and will react and comply with the hypnotherapists suggestions. Following the experience, patients oftentimes report feeling euphoric and as though they had just had the best night of sleep ever, even though the session only lasted several minutes.
Hypnosis therapy is used to treat a wide range of physical and mental complaints. Most recently, researchers found that the mind plays a vital function in pain management, especially with cancer patients or those undergoing surgery. Studies indicate that hypnosis meditation can lessen a person’s need for medication and reduce recovery time. Thinking negative thoughts can lead to stress, which has important ramifications on the body. It can interrupt a woman’s menstrual cycle, create a cold sore, make an individual ill with a cold, disrupt sleep patterns, generate ulcers, facilitate hair loss, aggravate psoriasis, lead to heart disease and contribute to obesity. Today, hypnosis sessions are used in treating asthma, anxiety, sleepwalking, nail biting, smoking, colitis, insomnia, addiction, bed wetting, fibromyalgia, IBS, eczema, psoriasis, acne, migraines, stress, tinnitus, cancer pain, eating disorders, phobic disorders, depression and the pain of childbirth.
The trouble with hypnotherapy is that not everybody is receptive to hypnotic suggestion. The subject must be an broad-minded, willing player who pledges to stay attentive, set aside disbelief and go along with what the therapist is saying. A common misconception is that hypnotists can hypnotize someone, implant suggestions and cause the person to act against their free will. The process itself is mysterious, although there must be a particular level of agreeability before healing can occur.
