Hypnowebs - Hypnosis Terms

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Terms Used In Hypnosis

A precise scientific definition of hypnosis is difficult to produce at this point, largely because there is still much controversy and scepticism on the subject among psychologists.

While many of the attributes of hypnosis may be well grounded in science, many other claims are commonly thought to be pseudoscience. Furthermore, as with most forms of therapy, there is always the risk of the Hawthorne Effect: the desire for a client to please the therapist or justify the expense of therapy, or hopeful thinking.

Among psychologists that accept hypnosis, some view hypnosis as an altered state of consciousness, others as a type of focused attention. The states invoked by clinical practitioners of these methods are very similar, implying that they are, in fact, describing the same phenomenon. The methods employed and the underlying methodologies have still not converged to the point where there is consensus on a single definition of hypnosis.

Altered state of consciousness

Hypnosis is commonly viewed as a natural, altered state of consciousness, where the conscious (analytical) mind is bypassed, and the subconscious (creative) mind is accessed. This allows the client to use the power of visualization and suggestion, given by oneself or another, to change and improve behaviour patterns.

Hypnosis, in itself, is just a state of mental and physical relaxation, along with a more focused sense of concentration. Hypnosis is not sleep (as is often popularly assumed), and most people find that they are more aware of smells, sounds, and feelings than usual. This concentrated awareness is what allows the hypnotherapist to plant positive suggestions and images in the mind of the client to bring about lasting changes.

Focused attention

This school of thought holds that hypnosis as a state is very similar to other states of extreme concentration, where a person becomes oblivious to his or her surroundings while lost in thought. Often suggested as an example is when a driver suddenly finds oneself much further down the road without any memory of driving the intervening distance, or when a person is watching television and focuses so intently on the program that he or she ceases to be aware of the sides of the screen.

The act of hypnotizing is, in effect, the act of manually inducing a similar state.

Suggestibility

Psychologists have produced controversial studies that seem to show a strong correlation between the ease of putting someone in a state of hypnosis and their level of suggestibility (see Stanford scales).

Hypnosis has further been described as "The suspension of the critical factor" which expands on the idea of "increased suggestibility". A person who claims to be hypnotized may accept statements as true that he or she would normally reject.

For example, when told "you have forgotten your name," the subject in a normal state would react with disbelief, but under hypnosis people have claimed that they have, indeed, forgotten their own names.

It often appears as if the hypnotized participant accepts the authority of the hypnotist over his or her own experience. When asked after the conclusion of such a session, some participants appear to be genuinely unable to recall the incident, while others say that they had known the hypnotist was wrong but at the time it had seemed easier just to go along with his instructions. Some hypnotists would claim that this showed the difference between a deep and a shallow hypnotic trance while sceptics would question the validity of the demonstration.

Applications

There are many individuals and organizations which have integrated hypnotism into systems of treatment.

Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy is a term to describe the use of hypnosis in a therapeutic context. Many hypnotherapists refer to their practice as "clinical work." Hypnotherapy can either be used as an addition to the work of licensed physicians or psychologists, or it can be used in a stand-alone environment where the hypnotherapist in question usually owns his or her own business. The majority of certified hypnotherapists (C.Hts) today earn a large portion of their money thru the cessation of smoking (often in a single session) and the aid of weight loss. Some of the treatments practiced by hypnotherapists, such as repressed memory, have been viewed with scepticism. It has been claimed that when participants undergo regression, they may invent false memories due to the social expectation placed on them. Thus some feel that these memories cannot be held to be reliable.

Psychological hypnosis

The American Psychological Association's Divison 30, the American Psychological Association Division of Psychological Hypnosis of Psychological Hypnosis http://www.apa.org/divisions/div30/, "brings together psychologists and other professionals interested in scientific and applied hypnosis".

In 1993, they defined hypnosis as "a procedure during which a health professional or researcher suggests that a client, patient, or experimental participant experience changes in sensations, perceptions, thoughts, or behaviour." (Executive Committee of the American Psychological Association Division of Psychological Hypnosis 1993, Fall. ''Psychological Hypnosis: A Bulletin of Division 30'', 2, p. 7.), citation culled from http://www.hypnosis-research.org/hypnosis/serious.html.

This definition has been revised, and as of March, 2005, it reads "Hypnosis typically involves an introduction to the procedure during which the subject is told that suggestions for imaginative experiences will be presented" http://www.apa.org/divisions/div30/hypnosis.html.

Clinical hypnosis

The American Society of Clinical Hypnotism http://www.asch.net/ is an organization that "promotes greater acceptance of hypnosis as a clinical tool with broad applications". Hypnosis is applied to a great range of both physical and psychological ailments, rather than being restricted to purely psychological phenomena. The society was founded by Milton Erickson, a doctor who attempted to put hypnosis on a firm therapeutic backing in the 1950s.

Self-hypnosis

Self-hypnosis; hypnosis in which a person hypnotizes himself without the assistance of another person to serve as the hypnotist; is a staple of hypnotherapy-related self-help programs. It is most often used to help the self-hypnotist stay on a diet, overcome smoking or some other addiction, or to generally boost the hypnotized person's self-esteem. It is rarely used for the more complex or controversial uses of hypnotism, which require the hypnotist to monitor the hypnotized person's reactions and responses and respond accordingly. Most people who practice self-hypnosis require a focus for their attention in order to become fully hypnotized; there are many computer programs on the market that can ostensibly help in this area.

Indirect application

In addition to direct application of hypnosis (that is, treatment of conditions by means of hypnosis), there is also indirect application, wherein hypnosis is used to facilitate another procedure. Some people seem more able to display 'enhanced functioning', such as the suppression of pain, under hypnosis.

One of the major initial applications of hypnotism was the suppression of pain during medical procedures; this was supplanted (in the late 19th century) by the development of more reliable chemical anaesthetics.

Some studies suggest that while hypnosis may possess these qualities, they are not exclusive to hypnosis that it is often the drama and fantasizing that produces the behaviour.

Extracts are taken from Wikipedia