Hypnotherapy: Mind-Body Interactions

Forget medicines and medical procedures. Forget physical and chemical interventions, totkas, or even the latest technologies that are employed in the business of healing. Imagine thinking yourself to better health.

Dating back from 2600 BC this concept of inducing oneself to an alternative state of mind (and consciousness), has evolved through many stages, during which detractors aimed to discredit this technique, while proponents presented increasing evidence to support it. The most influential scientist to explore this method was Frank Anton Mesmer, whose work coined the term ‘mesmerism’, and for long his school of thought remained popular with fellow scientists. The theory of hypnotism and the practice of hypnotherapy, however, originated as an alternative to mesmerism by scientists who looked for a sound scientific rationale. James Braid, another influential and apparent founder of the term ‘hypnotism’ said that hypnotherapy and cures were not due to occult forces, but suggestion. He initially thought that being hypnotized was like being in a kind of sleep (Hypnos being the Greek god of sleep), but then realized his error and tried to change the term. However by that time, the name had stuck

It revolves around inducing relaxation of the mind. With this accomplished, relaxation of the body follows. Our body works differently, uses nutrients differently, and responds to stimuli differently when relaxed as opposed to when it’s stressed. Indeed, stress in itself is the root cause of a variety of other conditions that people consult doctors for. So, when the mind is emptied of all troubling and irritating thoughts, and made to focus on pleasant ones, we can gain more control over the sensations that our body is experiencing.

The trick is concentration. By selectively concentrating on positive images, memories and ideas, we close our minds to negativity. What is curious, though, is that at this time, our minds are also more accepting of outside suggestions (when a doctor tell a patients something directly or indirectly while hypnotized, this is called suggestion). And what is more intriguing, this state of ‘hyper-suggestibility’ is only for those suggestions that are positive and will benefit the person/body. By freeing our minds from other demands, postponing making decisions and judgments, we allow our mental and emotional powers to focus on achieving certain goals.

These goals can range from pain relief and stress reduction to preventing disease remission. Pain is one of the top five complaints that people go to doctors with, and it’s the most common cause for medication. Most people must have experienced pain reduction to an extent when they distracted themselves from the thought of suffering from the pain. Experimentally, it has been proven that compared to a control group, a group of patients with chronic headaches reported a reduction in the number and length of headaches down to thirty percent when they practiced mind-body relaxation. In another case study, Dr. Katherine Fox, a certified clinical hypnotherapist in California, who showed a patient of Lupus (LE) ways of mentally dealing with her illness (by making her imagine during hypnotherapy, that she had the power to make her symptoms go away), reported that the patient is in remission from the disease to date. She used a modern branch of the technique, called Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), which is finding application in sales and advertising. Central to the case is that Lupus is a state aggravated by stress, so when the body is freed from it, disease symptoms vanish.

The hypnotherapist can also teach the patient how to self-hypnotize him/herself. For mild pains, relief from anxiety, increasing confidence, overcoming panic attacks, nervous breakdowns, depression, mood swings, addictions, allergies and irrational fears, these self induced periods of relaxation can work wonders. Experiments carried out with groups of patients with arachnophobia, or fear of spiders, showed a remarkable change in attitude. People who previously screamed at the mere sight of a spider let these creatures walk over their hands at the end of a session of hypnotherapy.

There are three main levels of hypnosis. Lethargic or light hypnotic sleep; slight slumber and total relaxation, person can recall past events, Hallucinatory or medium state; the person is more receptive to suggestions, and can be counseled about dealing with problem areas, Somnambulistic or deep state; complete anesthesia, amnesia, control of body function, positive and negative hallucination of the five senses, time distortion and ability to open ones eyes without being awake is possible in this state. A deeper state, called a plenary trance, takes long to achieve and cannot be self induced.

Some of the techniques employed during hypnotizing and producing the desired therapeutic effect are; Age regression, or imagining oneself to be at a younger, healthier age, Guided imagery and visualization, to produce the required state of mind, Confusion, during which it the patient is found to be more receptive to suggestion, Hypnoanalysis, similar to psychoanalysis where the patient recalls past events and learns to deal with them during the trance, and Post hypnotic suggestion, to continue the feeling of well-being after the person comes out of the hypnotized state.

There are a number of myths associated with hypnotism, and the media has played a major role in distorting the true concept.

Firstly, everyone, not just ‘weak’ people, can be hypnotized. The greater the power of imagination and ability to concentrate and focus, the easier the person can be hypnotized. It is not true that the hypnotist has complete power over a person once the person is hypnotized, or that the person ceases to act on his own free will. The person always retains the decision to accept or reject the hypnotist’s suggestions. Another misconception is that being hypnotized is like falling asleep, all connections with the surrounding are lost. If that were so, the person would be unresponsive to the hypnotist’s suggestions. Lastly, a person cannot remain indefinitely in a state of trance. The blissful feeling (courtesy endorphins) that is experienced may make a person not want to come out of trance, but there is no staying ‘stuck’ in that condition.