Hypnotherapy and how it helps
What is hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention, reduced peripheral awareness and suggestibility. This is one of the popular definitions of hypnosis according to Wikipedia, and there are many more theories about what it is and how it actually happens.
Some observe that patients under hypnosis are in a sleep-like or trance-like state. A lot of movies and literature compound this perception, and a Harvard hypnotherapist Deidre Barrett pointed out that a majority of these depictions are actually negative stereotypes.*
Helpful hypnosis
Today, there is mainstream acceptance of hypnosis as effective for therapy. This may have started in 1970 when Alfred A. Barrios studied hypnosis research.**
The research was groundbreaking because when he compared 1018 studies and articles on hypnosis, 899 articles on psychoanalytic therapy and 355 on behavioural therapy, he noted that hypnotherapy had a massive 93-percent success rate after 6 sessions compared to behaviour therapy which only had 72-percent after an average 22 sessions. Psychotherapy had a success rate of 38 percent after an average of 600 sessions.
Based on this, some literature have recorded that Barrios believed hypnosis was the most effective method for changing habits, thought patterns, and actual behaviour.
Hypnotherapy
Because of the huge potential hypnosis has for therapy and helping people, hypnotherapy has emerged as a formal profession which one can train for and be certified in. Hypnotherapy today, is the practice of hypnosis for therapeutic purposes.
According to VeryWellMind, “Hypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis in psychotherapy and is practiced by licensed physicians and psychologists to treat conditions including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and eating disorders.”.***
The statistics that Mr. Barrios shared were very impressive. But, there are valid reasons as to why hypnotherapy actually works.
The key is in harnessing the power of suggestion when the mind is in a hyper focused state. Here it is helpful to note that sensory stimuli around us - advertising, music, movies, books, language, communication - are also saturated with suggestion.
Professionally guided Power of Suggestion
If you are looking to resolve conditions like depression, anxiety, addiction and more, it is recommended for a certified hypnotherapist to undergo the whole process with you.
A certified professional should guide you into a hypnosis state. Above all, this professional must understand you, understand your needs, as well as have your best interests at heart.
When they understand the goals that you want to achieve, the hypnotherapist will know the desired behaviours to suggest to you. They will also know what to look for when they do deep dives into the subconscious mind.
According to the Wellness Institute, the most powerful feature of being in a hypnosis state, is how it connects our conscious minds to our subconscious minds.****
During a relaxed state of hypnosis and under the observant guidance of a hypnotherapist, repressed memories may surface, and provide clues to a person’s ‘operating manual’, what makes them tick, and how unhealthy behaviours like addiction or excessive rage, start.
Hypnosis provides instant access to the subconscious mind, so that hypnotherapy and the journey to healing and mental wellness, can begin sooner.
However, when used in combination with other forms of therapy, hypnotherapy can deliver more effective and longer-lasting results.
References:
* Hypnosis In Works Of Fiction
** Hypnotherapy Reappraisal
*** What Is Hypnosis
**** What Is The Difference Between Hypnosis And Hypnotherapy
