Hypnosis Essay, Research Paper

Albert Einstein reckoned that humans use only about 10% of their brains.

According to some reports, while hypnotised, we could gain access to the other

90%. Every human being who is mentally sound can be hypnotised to some degree.

You can use hypnosis for a lot of things, for instance to control weight, pain,

sleep, and to raise confidence. You can also use it to quit smoking, develop

concentration and memory. In fact, you can use it for anything that depends on

your own efforts. I) ORIGINS OF HYPNOSIS: The art and science of hypnosis is

both old and new. *Old because it was used in ancient time and has a pedigree

that stretches back to the beginning of mankind?s conscious development *New

because only over the past 100 years has it been subject to the full force of

scientific scrutiny, after discovery that the unconscious mind, emotions and

personal history directly affect a person’s state of mental, emotional and

physical health. A) Old origins _ Hypnosis has existed very early in religious

rituals. However, the earliest known description of hypnosis date back 6000

years to rites performed in Egyptian sleep temples. _The Indus Vedas ,a

knowledge sacred book written around 1500 BC, mentions the use of hypnotic

techniques and procedures. _According to some specialists, accounts of what we

would now call hypnosis can be found in the Bible and in the Talmud. _In the

past, hypnosis is always associated with the occult: witchdoctors and shamans

(medicine man)practised hypnosis ritual hypnosis and dance were integral

elements of shaman?s communication with spirits?. B) New origins- modern use

of hypnosis There are two leading men in the scientific study of hypnosis: _

1734-1815: Franz Anton Mesmer, born in Vienna. Mesmer is considered the father

of hypnosis. He is remembered for the term ?Mesmerism? which means a person

who is raptly attentive, or who is temporally deprived of his normal conscious

qualities. He described a process of inducing trance through a series of passes

he made with his hands . He succeed in treating a considerable variety of

ailments. _ 1932-1974: Milton Erickson, a psychologist and psychiatrist

pioneered the art of indirect suggestions in hypnosis. He is considered the

father of modern hypnosis. His methods bypassed the conscious mind through the

use of both verbal and non-verbal pacing techniques including metaphor ,

confusion, and many others. He has immensely influenced the practice of

contemporary hypnotherapy. II) HYPNOSIS: A) Curent examples As long as there as

been human beings, there has been hypnosis, we use this commonly occurring state

of mind, unknowingly, all the time. It is just natural for us. _ For examples if

you have ever watched a television program or movie and become really absorbed

into the program, you were probably in trance. This trance is what caused you

not to hear your mother calling you to dinner. _ Advertisers understand this,

they use television programs to induce a hypnotic trance and then provide you

hypnotic suggestions, called commercials! _ Another common instance of this

naturally occurring state of mind is when you are driving down the road, with

your mind focused on some other task, and last thing you know: you have

forgotten to turn. That is called ?Highway hypnosis?. B) Definition _

Definition: Hypnosis is a mental state of heightened suggestibility,

characterised by trance like sleep. The basis of hypnosis is the fixation of the

subject attention upon a gradually narrowing source of stimulation, until he is

attendant upon only the direction of the hypnotist. _Techniques: This is

variously achieved by repetition of instructions in a low, level voice, or

having the subject fix his gaze upon a light in an otherwise dark room. The

subject remembers nothing of what he did during the hypnotic period. But certain

effects may be suggested to continue after the subject returns to consciousness,

these are called post hypnotic suggestions. _major purpose: During hypnosis, the

conscious mind is distracted, so that new, positive suggestions are more readily

accepted. According to the specialists of hypnosis ,these new constructive ideas

substitute negative old ones, therefore creating permanent beneficial changes in

your life. C) Hypnotherapy: _ What is hypnotherapy? Hypnotherapy is basically

the use of hypnosis as a medium for psychotherapy. People will either be

hypnotised by a therapist (hetero-hypnosis) or taught to hypnotise yourself

(self hypnosis) as a way of achieving personal insight. _ How does hypnotherapy

work? Essentially, there are two main aspects of hypnotic trance which are used

in psychotherapy: 1) The subconscious mind is more open to positive suggestions,

made by yourself or the hypnotherapist. 2) The mind may express itself more

directly and more spontaneously Through thoughts or images. _ What benefits can

be achieved through hypnotherapy? Some of main benefits of hypnotherapy can be

classed as follows: Personal development, cessation of habits, management of

anxiety and stress, and psychological and emotional well-being. _ You could

conquer your phobia: Phobia is an anxiety about a person, place or thing which

con not be voluntary controlled. A simple phobia, one which is focused on a

single feared object such as spiders is rarely called for treatment, but it can

have little impact on the patient?s quality of life. You could quit this

phobia with 3 sessions of hypnotherapy: -first session: uncover the cause of

patient?s phobia. -second session: the hypnotherapist uses behavioural

techniques to enable patient to approach spiders in his imagination. -third

session devotes to supportive therapy with positive imaging and post hypnotic

suggestions. The hypnotherapist encourage people to touch spiders in real life.

_ Hypnosis to stop smoking: It is the subconscious motivation to smoke that must

be changed in order to quit smoking. Hypnosis made it easy and you have no

withdrawal symptoms. It does not work the same for everyone: many people have

found quitting smoking with self hypnosis to be easy and painless, but for

others, it is difficult no matter which method is used. _ Hypnosis for pain

control: The experience of pain is a combination of the type of pain, tension,

fear and anxiety. Often tension and anxiety can intensify the pain. By

relaxation of the body, there is a natural reduction of pain. By proper

suggestion in the hypnotic state, the experience of pain can be reduced or

eliminated for periods of time. It is good to teach clients self hypnosis and

imagery so that the client can use it when needed. _ Hypnoanesthesia Reuben

Percarve achieved the first major surgical operation of this kind to be done

anywhere without conventional anaesthetic. He is responsible for the

Hypnoanesthesia in the surgical operation performed in Quebec. The patient was

operated successfully for the appendix. His recover was excellent without any

side effects normally associated with this type of surgery. III) WRONG DANGERS

OF HYPNOSIS: _ What if I can not wake up? It never happens. Getting out of

hypnosis is never a problem. You will put all of your efforts into getting into

a hypnotic state, not getting out of it.. The worst that can happen is that you

drift off into normal sleep, in which case you will wake up just as you would

any other time. _ Will I lose consciousness? No, you will no more lose

consciousness in the hypnotic state than you did when you were paying complete

attention to your reading. To someone else you will appear to be asleep because

your eyes are closed and you are relaxed, but you will know that you are not

asleep like at night. _ Can I be hypnotised against my will? No, no matter, how

will you have learned to go into the hypnotic state, you can always refuse to do

so if you desire. _ If I am in the hypnotic state and someone suggests me to do

an immoral act, will I comply? No, it is unlikely that a person could violate a

concept of morality to which he is strongly attached. CONCLUSION: Today, there

are many legitimate university based on studies of the various phenomena of

hypnosis and it is not uncommon for dentists and physicians to use it in their

practices. There is no magic by any of us, hypnosis will not make you stronger,

good looking, irresistible to girls or boys, a world class athlete and a genius.

The fact is that hypnosis eventually becomes everything anyone could reasonably

expect. It is a great way to do anything that depends on your own efforts.