As a hypnotist and hypnotherapist I am regularly asked the question does hypnosis work? I have a series of simple hypnotic demonstrations I always use when people ask: making someone fall backwards just with the sound of my voice, preventing them from being able to lift up a light object, preventing someone from being able to move and making someone's face go numb. They are neat tricks that can be done in almost any environment and are a far cry from large scale demonstration of making people comply to more outrageous instructions.
There are two viewpoints based on the works of Dave Elman and Milton Erickson. Followers of Milton Erickson believe that hypnosis is a process of communication with the "unconscious" mind. The suggestions which the client hears or sees get internalized within the unconscious mind which finds meanings from the past or present experiences and are acted upon unconsciously. Dave Elman taught about the "subconscious" mind as a part of the mind where suggestions work along with beliefs based on past experiences. Both describe what you could call models of learning that bypasses the conscious mind. Both models are useful for creating the change you want.
My analysis of the people who it did not work for is that they were either stubborn or unimaginative. Some people refused to comply simply because they did not like me, others because they hated the idea of someone having 'power' over them and others who are very pragmatic and don't like "having their heads in the clouds" couldn't imagine the things I was telling them. Part of the power of being a good hypnotist is getting people to like you, getting people to want to play along and finally getting them to imagine something voluntarily. That is 'hypnosis'.
How does the body and mind work together to achieve the remarkable effects we hear stories about? Just what magic occurs in our bodies and minds when we heal or accomplish seemingly miraculous feats? Scientists are still puzzling over these questions, yet they have shown that hypnosis, guided imagery, meditation/prayer and what we eat affects our immune systems, our resistance to cancer and our recovery from surgery. Other research shows how hypnosis activates the same brain centers that block our perception of pain. It is well known that hypnosis helps people change unwanted behaviors and establish new habits. How should we explain the placebo effect when inert ingredients and the power of suggestion cause recovery and cures? What about its opposite, the nocebo effect, when pessimistic expectations and pronouncements by professionals can result in ill health?
Well first of all I have to tell you that for most people the effects of hypnosis are about as permanent as eating. Sure it does fill you up at the time, but it does not last and you do have to repeat it. That does not necessarily mean having regular hypnosis sessions. Let us take the example of a smoker trying to use hypnosis to quit. They might feel incredibly positive about no longer being a smoker immediately after a hypnosis or self-hypnosis session but they have to carry on this positive energy beyond the session.
If 10 minutes later they think to themselves "well that did nothing, I'm going to go have a smoke" then they are as stubborn as the person who refuses to let a hypnotist have 'power' over them. If they go to the bus stop and have to wait 15 minutes for a bus where they start thinking "oh I use to smoke here... what am I supposed to do now?" then they really want to use smoking as a crutch in their lives - they smoke when they're bored, stressed, upset, etc., and that's not likely to stop now.
Someone has to go into the hypnosis session actually wanting to quit and they have to carry that positive energy with them beyond the hypnosis session. One of the phrases I use when hypnotizing someone to stop smoking is "feel how you have now become a non-smoker". It's a phrase I repeat throughout the session and I want them to leave the session realising that it has become true. So if they are at the bus stop and bored they can say "no I won't smoke, I am a non-smoker now". It's this willingness to change in combination with regular reinforcement from the hypnotherapist that can lead to powerful effects.
A second type of person where hypnosis won't work is on people with concentration difficulties. These are the A.D.D. type of personalities. Those with attention deficit disorders or hyperactivity disorders will find it difficult or even impossible to be hypnotized. The ability to concentrate is crucial for hypnosis so if the candidate has difficulty concentrating then say goodbye already. You are hitting a brick wall if you try to hypnotize someone with concentration disorders.A third type of person where hypnosis will be ineffective is with the skeptics. This can be anyone in the world. A skeptic is one who refuses to believe in the power of hypnosis. This means that this person will continue to shun the fact that hypnosis works while he or she is being hypnotized. Hypnosis involves concentration and it also involves immersing oneself into a trance state. Without the full participation of an individual, hypnosis will be impossible. Since skeptics do not believe in the power of hypnosis from the very beginning then trying to hypnotize them will simply be a waste of time.
If you are planning to hypnotize the rest of the world then your bubble has just popped. You can not hypnotize everyone in the world. The only people that can be hypnotized are those that are willing to be hypnotized. This means that you can not go out there and try hypnotizing everyone in your path.Does hypnosis work one hundred percent? Even when a subject wants to be hypnotized, there will be a lot of occurrences where people will not enter the trance state. Entering the trance state demands experience and practice. If you are going to be hypnotized then you better start practicing. Entering the trance state or that state of altered reality demands patience and practice. You may not reach it at the first attempt but sooner or later, you will eventually do so. Hypnosis does not work one hundred percent and it does not work on everyone on this planet. You'll need to know that before you end up making a fool out of yourself.
There are two viewpoints based on the works of Dave Elman and Milton Erickson. Followers of Milton Erickson believe that hypnosis is a process of communication with the "unconscious" mind. The suggestions which the client hears or sees get internalized within the unconscious mind which finds meanings from the past or present experiences and are acted upon unconsciously. Dave Elman taught about the "subconscious" mind as a part of the mind where suggestions work along with beliefs based on past experiences. Both describe what you could call models of learning that bypasses the conscious mind. Both models are useful for creating the change you want.
My analysis of the people who it did not work for is that they were either stubborn or unimaginative. Some people refused to comply simply because they did not like me, others because they hated the idea of someone having 'power' over them and others who are very pragmatic and don't like "having their heads in the clouds" couldn't imagine the things I was telling them. Part of the power of being a good hypnotist is getting people to like you, getting people to want to play along and finally getting them to imagine something voluntarily. That is 'hypnosis'.
How does the body and mind work together to achieve the remarkable effects we hear stories about? Just what magic occurs in our bodies and minds when we heal or accomplish seemingly miraculous feats? Scientists are still puzzling over these questions, yet they have shown that hypnosis, guided imagery, meditation/prayer and what we eat affects our immune systems, our resistance to cancer and our recovery from surgery. Other research shows how hypnosis activates the same brain centers that block our perception of pain. It is well known that hypnosis helps people change unwanted behaviors and establish new habits. How should we explain the placebo effect when inert ingredients and the power of suggestion cause recovery and cures? What about its opposite, the nocebo effect, when pessimistic expectations and pronouncements by professionals can result in ill health?
Well first of all I have to tell you that for most people the effects of hypnosis are about as permanent as eating. Sure it does fill you up at the time, but it does not last and you do have to repeat it. That does not necessarily mean having regular hypnosis sessions. Let us take the example of a smoker trying to use hypnosis to quit. They might feel incredibly positive about no longer being a smoker immediately after a hypnosis or self-hypnosis session but they have to carry on this positive energy beyond the session.
If 10 minutes later they think to themselves "well that did nothing, I'm going to go have a smoke" then they are as stubborn as the person who refuses to let a hypnotist have 'power' over them. If they go to the bus stop and have to wait 15 minutes for a bus where they start thinking "oh I use to smoke here... what am I supposed to do now?" then they really want to use smoking as a crutch in their lives - they smoke when they're bored, stressed, upset, etc., and that's not likely to stop now.
Someone has to go into the hypnosis session actually wanting to quit and they have to carry that positive energy with them beyond the hypnosis session. One of the phrases I use when hypnotizing someone to stop smoking is "feel how you have now become a non-smoker". It's a phrase I repeat throughout the session and I want them to leave the session realising that it has become true. So if they are at the bus stop and bored they can say "no I won't smoke, I am a non-smoker now". It's this willingness to change in combination with regular reinforcement from the hypnotherapist that can lead to powerful effects.
A second type of person where hypnosis won't work is on people with concentration difficulties. These are the A.D.D. type of personalities. Those with attention deficit disorders or hyperactivity disorders will find it difficult or even impossible to be hypnotized. The ability to concentrate is crucial for hypnosis so if the candidate has difficulty concentrating then say goodbye already. You are hitting a brick wall if you try to hypnotize someone with concentration disorders.A third type of person where hypnosis will be ineffective is with the skeptics. This can be anyone in the world. A skeptic is one who refuses to believe in the power of hypnosis. This means that this person will continue to shun the fact that hypnosis works while he or she is being hypnotized. Hypnosis involves concentration and it also involves immersing oneself into a trance state. Without the full participation of an individual, hypnosis will be impossible. Since skeptics do not believe in the power of hypnosis from the very beginning then trying to hypnotize them will simply be a waste of time.
If you are planning to hypnotize the rest of the world then your bubble has just popped. You can not hypnotize everyone in the world. The only people that can be hypnotized are those that are willing to be hypnotized. This means that you can not go out there and try hypnotizing everyone in your path.Does hypnosis work one hundred percent? Even when a subject wants to be hypnotized, there will be a lot of occurrences where people will not enter the trance state. Entering the trance state demands experience and practice. If you are going to be hypnotized then you better start practicing. Entering the trance state or that state of altered reality demands patience and practice. You may not reach it at the first attempt but sooner or later, you will eventually do so. Hypnosis does not work one hundred percent and it does not work on everyone on this planet. You'll need to know that before you end up making a fool out of yourself.
About the Author:
Get complete details about How To Hypnotize Someone and How Does Hypnosis Work ,now.
No comments:
Post a Comment