Hypnosis: Magic or Medicine?
By Olivia Marquette
Follow the watch with your eyes. Your eyelids are getting heavy, your arms are going limp, and you are slowly starting to fall into a trance. This trance leads you to feel more relaxed and focused on your thoughts, but not unconscious. Hypnosis is something most people are familiar with, whether we have been hypnotized ourselves or watched somebody else be hypnotized in person or on TV. Hypnosis is most often associated with a form of entertainment and loss of control. But with advancements in medicine, hypnosis was found to be a functional tool.
Hypnosis is the state of consciousness that is characterized by focusing attention with a combination of dissociation. This means, for example, that when you focus on the TV as a default you will pay less attention to your surroundings. Most of the time the type of hypnosis we see, or experience, is called stage hypnosis. Stage hypnosis is usually performed in front of an audience for the sole purpose of entertainment. Stage hypnosis is typically to display a comedic show rather than present the powers of persuasion.
Although we most commonly hear of stage hypnosis, it can also be used as a replacement or an aid with anesthetics in surgery, help treat anxiety, phobias, substance abuse, and aid in pain management (Kihlstrom, 1985). Most clinical hypnotists use imagery exposure, operant or classical conditioning, and verbal repetition to develop positive internal resources to promote healing from related attachment trauma (ADAA, 2018). In clinical settings patients most likely undergo a type of hypnotherapy if they were to use a hypnosis treatment. Hypnotherapy is a guided hypnosis, or a trance achieved with the help of a clinical hypnotherapist. The trance-like state is similar to being indulged in a great Netflix show. During hypnotherapy a patient is able to turn their full attention inward to utilize inner resources within themselves to change & regain control in certain areas of their life (Psychology Today, 2020).
There are multiple types of hypnotherapy, but there are four kinds that are used more than others. The four types are Cognitive Hypnotherapy, Ericksonian Hypnotherapy, Hypnoanalysis, and Hypno-Psychotherapy. Cognitive Hypnotherapy is a good treatment for phobias and anxiety. It incorporates hypnosis to help “update” the subconscious to be in line with the conscious state to understand their reality. This gives the patient the knowledge and skills needed to take control of their own feelings, thoughts and behaviors (Hypnotherapy Directory).
Ericksonian hypnotherapy uses storytelling and indirect suggestion instead of direct suggestions to change behavior. This hypnotherapy was named after Milton Erickson who was a hypnotherapist that created the indirect suggestions due to the realization that people rarely say what they mean. He used storytelling and indirect suggestions to have patients feel like they are in control of their experiences to relay how they are actually feeling and thinking. This therapy is favored by most clinical hypnotists due to the fact that patients have excellent outcomes.
Hypnoanalysis looks at identifying a cause or a “trigger” that has led to the current problem a patient is facing. Hypnosis in this type of hypnotherapy allows the conscious to fall back and allow the subconscious to come forward to reveal the event that is the cause of the issue. Hypnoanalysis is most commonly used for substance abuse or trauma.
The last type that is most commonly used is Hypno-psychotherapy which is used alongside with other types of psychotherapy to reveal deep-seated issues. Hypno-psychotherapy is typically used for managing pain, anxiety, and stress-related health concerns (Hypnotherapy Directory).
Even with the many types of therapies available for patients sometimes hypnotherapy is their only option. Particular people are allergic to anxiety or pain medications and this is a way for them to get the help they need. Some people do struggle getting the full effect of hypnosis because not everyone is susceptible to hypnosis. But, with a recent study from Stanford University School of Medicine, they found distinct sections of the brain had altered connectivity and activity in the Cerebral Cortex during hypnosis. Professor David Spiegel, MD at Stanford University School of Medicine believes that they might be able to alter someone’s capacity to be hypnotized by stimulating parts of their brain. By stimulating the distinct sections of the cerebral cortex this will increase the likelihood of a patient having an effective hypnotherapy treatment.
Hypnosis could provide people who are unable to take anxiety or pain medications an effective recovery from the problems that they are facing. If you are someone who can’t take medications or know someone who is allergic or medically unable to, hypnotherapy could be an option that they could consider to get back to a healthy and happy life.
References
Kihlstrom, J. F. (1985). Hypnosis. Annual review of psychology, 36(1), 385-418.
Mayo Clinic. (2018, November 1). Hypnosis. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/hypnosis/about/pac-20394405
Memiah Limited. (2020). Types of hypnotherapy. Retrieved from https://www.hypnotherapy-directory.org.uk/content/hypnotherapy-types.html
Spiegel, E., & Mark. (2019). Clinical Hypnosis & Your Anxiety Treatment: Everything You Wanted to Know. Retrieved from https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/clinical-hypnosis-your-anxiety-treatment
Sussex Publishers, LLC. (2020). Hypnotherapy. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/hypnotherapy