What is : Hypnotherapy

CONTINUING our series of beginners' guides to complementary therapies, Thomas Connelly, left, of the British Society of Clinical Hypnosis, explains how hypnotherapy works - and how it could work for you

What is hypnosis?
According to the British Medical Association, "Hypnosis is a temporary condition of altered perception in the subject which may be induced by another person and in which a variety of phenomena may appear spontaneously or in response to verbal or other stimuli. These phenomena include alterations in consciousness and memory, increased susceptibility to suggestion, and the production in the subject of responses and ideas unfamiliar to him in his normal state of mind. Further phenomena such as anaesthesia, paralysis and the rigidity of muscles, and vasomotor changes can be produced and removed in the hypnotic state."
However, the public's idea of hypnosis is often drawn from popular sources of entertainment, including films, radio plays, and novels.

The majority of these fictional devices usually present hypnosis as a powerful form of 'mind control', wielded by dark characters who use this strange force for wicked personal ends. Combine this with the effect of stage performers and other self-publicists and you can see how hypnotism's past reputation has seemed less than scientific!

In reality, hypnosis employs a naturally occurring state of mind and in fact we experience trance states many times during our lives. Even drifting into ordinary sleep involves a kind of trance state, typically one where our mind is becoming free of verbal thinking (left brain) and entering a more visual state (right brain), similar to that of dream sleep.

The experience of hypnosis is in many ways similar to this hypnogogic state: being neither asleep nor awake and prone to imagery and association, with a pleasant feeling of calmness and relaxation behind it all.

Hypnosis is a different state of consciousness to the normal 'alert' state and you can naturally enter it so that, for therapeutic purposes, beneficial instructions may be given directly to your receptive unconscious mind.

In hypnosis, the tendency is for these suggestions to be accepted far less critically than in the normal state and a skilled hypnotist may 'plant' constructive ideas which change behaviour and attitudes at their source.

Thus, hypnosis is an effective way of making contact with our inner (unconscious) self, which is both a reservoir of unrecognised potential and knowledge and the unwitting source of many of our habits and problems.

Misconceptions about hypnosis
Some people worry that once hypnotised they may be taken advantage of by a person who is less than scrupulous.

However, it's a fact that no-one can be hypnotised against their will and even when hypnotised, a person can still reject any suggestion offered to them or return to normal alert consciousness at will.

Hypnotherapy is actually a state of purposeful co-operation between the therapist and subject, to obtain a specific result, agreed upon beforehand.

Similarly, a common fear is that under hypnosis a person could be made to reveal personal details that they would rather keep secret - but again this is not possible.

I suspect the image of trance created by the media is at fault here because people expect that 'under' hypnosis they will become quite unconscious and robotic, not aware of or realising what they are doing or saying. The truth is that you may remain quite conscious and aware, perhaps even more so than usual. However, a skilful hypnotist will keep you at the balancing point where your critical faculty is suspended and beneficial directions can be given to your unconscious mind.

Many people have had the experience of driving along a familiar road and suddenly realising that several miles have gone by that they have been completely unaware of. This is very similar to the hypnotic state; you are awake and aware - but somehow not quite there!

Clinical hypnotherapy
Clinical hypnotherapy means using hypnosis to treat a variety of medical and psychological problems. It does not usually deal with problems that have an organic origin, but those that are due to emotional and psychological sources. It's estimated that 85% of people will readily respond to clinical hypnotherapy and it may even succeed where other, more conventional methods of treatment have been slow to produce the desired results.

When carried out by a professionally trained and skilled hypnotherapist, benefits can be long lasting and often permanent. It is natural and safe, with no harmful side effects.

Clinical applications
Hypnotherapy is medically accepted to benefit the following: Stopping smoking, nail biting, bed wetting, weight control, healthy eating, sporting performance, learning, memory, self-confidence, phobias, compulsions, emotional problems, sleep problems, inhibitions, worries, stress reduction, blood pressure, stomach problems, IBS, psychogenic infertility, childbirth, skin problems, pain control, sexual problems and more.

The main criterion is that the roots of the presenting problem lay within the unconscious mind, often due to a traumatic 'seeding' event, or to unintentional behavioural conditioning in early years. Interestingly, the unconscious mind always acts in such a way that it attempts to protect and preserve the individual and many fears and phobias have at their root self-preservation. Unfortunately, these can become exaggerated over time, even to the point where they begin to restrict a normal successful life.

In one case, my patient was a businessman who had turned down successive promotions because they would have required him to travel by aeroplane. Eventually, he decided to try hypnosis after seeing it work successfully for a phobia sufferer on a BBC television programme. The causal event turned out to be an accident from his childhood, when he had been playing on a garden shed roof with his older brother. They had begun some horseplay and together rolled off the roof and onto the ground. Apparently, neither was seriously hurt, though both would naturally have been shocked. However, the first words out of his brothers mouth were "you'll go to prison for that now!" Though this event was quickly forgiven and forgotten, years later the gentleman in question was in a real sense 'in prison', held under lock and key by an irrational fear of flying (or more accurately, a fear of falling). A skilled hypnotherapist can be likened to a locksmith in these situations and the man was soon freed.

Originally, all habits are intended to be useful. Many of the routine activities of our daily lives would become a nuisance if we had to consciously think them through each time we wanted to do them. Alas, this habit-making force can turn against us, particularly when it comes to things like smoking or over-eating, but with hypnosis we can intervene and reprogram the unconscious with our healthier requirements. The power of hypnosis is quite literally the power of habit and we all know how strong that can be.

A word of caution
Lamentably there is scant government legislation at this time to fully regulate the training or practice of hypnotherapy. This has led to a wide proliferation of 'schools' which offer hypnosis training and also to therapists who set up in practice with hardly any training at all. I would strongly recommend that anyone considering using the services of a hypnotherapist or of undertaking a professional qualification should contact one of the respected regulatory organisations beforehand.

The British Society of Clinical Hypnosis exists to ensure that all recommended therapists have proper training and abide by an ethical code of conduct. The contact number is 01262 403 103 and the web site with a searchable database of skilled hypnotherapists is at: www.bsch.org.uk



Editor's note.
Other professional organisations include:
National Council for Hypnotherapy - 0800 952 0545
National Register of Hypnotherapists and Psychotherapists - 01282 716839