Hypnosis

Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness in which a very highly concentrated state of attention is focused on a specific idea or memory. The patient (or subject) is fully awake but responds only to the therapist's suggestions. There is abundant empirical evidence that hypnotherapy produces desired results for many people. Some, however, are incapable of achieving a deep trance state. Others can reach only a light hypnotic state because they are unable or unconsciously unwilling to achieve this form of total concentration.

Origins

From ancient healers to Dr. Franz Mesmer, an 18th-century Viennese physician who cast his subjects into a trance as a theatrical entertainment (hence mesmerizing), hypnosis has had a colorful history. Not until the late 1950s did it begin to overcome its association with charlatans and movie villains. In 1958, the American Medical Association acknowledged for the first time that hypnosis was a useful therapeutic tool.

Practitioners

Hypnotherapy, as the medical use of hypnosis is called, is practiced by physicians (especially psychiatrists), dentists, psychologists, naturopaths, physical therapists, psychiatric social workers, and holistic healers. Legitimate hypnotherapy should not be confused with staged hypnosis, which is some-tunes presented as entertainment.

When Is Hypnosis Used

A psychotherapist or other health-care professional may use hypnosis in several ways. One is behavior modification; for example, helping a patient to overcome a weight problem or nicotine addiction. Another is the calling up of traumatic events, such as childhood abuse, that may have been denied or buried as a means of self-protection. Two other uses are the diagnosing of multiple personalities and the treating of phobias, such as fear or flying.
Pain management is another major application of hypnosis. A deep trance state may be induced to serve as anesthesia during surgery; a lighter trance is often employed to ease the pain of childbirth. And for controlling chronic pain, many people are now taught the techniques of self-hypnosis.

How Hypnosis Works

To control pain through hypnosis, patients are taught to become intensely aware of their body sensations, to track their breathing, and to eliminate distracting thoughts and images. Then they are instructed to focus on the pain -- its location, intensity, and shape. Through this technique, they become active participants in pain control, learning to modify its features, shift its level, and raise and lower its intensity. Eventually they can learn to transfer the skills developed during hypnosis to control other troublesome problems.

To help a patient remember a blocked out traumatic event or a critical childhood experience, the hypnotist will put him in a hypnotic trance and suggest mentally going back to the time and place in question. This regression is often done in steps; for example, he may be instructed to visit a childhood classroom or former home. Typically, the subject begins to speak in a childlike voice and assume a different posture. If the flashback scene is especially painful, he may cry, but the . crying is likely to be that of a child, rather than an adult. After the subject is instructed to end the trance, voice and posture return to normal, and often there is no memory of what happened during hypnosis.

In diagnosing and treating multiple personality disorders, the hypnotist tries to get the other personalities to come forth. Again, there is often a dramatic change in voice and bearing as different personalities emerge.

What To Expect

A hypnotic trance is most successfully induced in a subject who is cooperative and who can relax, maintain a state of mental alertness, and concentrate on repeated instructions, which sometimes involve visualization. They may be repeated in a low, confident voice as the hypnotherapist leads the subject into a deep trance. As the suggestibility level increases, breathing and pulse rate slow down. At this point, the therapist can instill desired images; for example, having a smoker concentrate on a scenario in which all ashtrays are discarded and all tobacco smoke becomes noxious.

Most patients can learn the techniques of self-hypnosis and visualization, thereby reinforcing and extending the efforts of the therapist. Audio and video tapes that offer instructions in , hypnosis and visualization are available for home use.