As I sat upright in the darkness, the clock ticking in the background, I could hear the nurses chatting away in the corridor, the clanking of trollies probably transporting medical equipment or maybe even teas and coffees for the cancer patients in the room next door. All the while I was aware of the man sitting in the chair adjacent to me asking me to imagine a feather floating down from the sky. My thoughts wondered what I was doing here, of what benefit is this to me? I certainly did not feel hypnotised. Mind you, I did not know what I was supposed to feel like, so I just went along with it.
These sessions were made available to me by the NHS as part of my cancer treatment. Not sure what to expect, I gratefully accepted and found that over several weeks, I began to feel calmer. I started to process what was happening to me and let go of the fear and old beliefs. It was as though I had found an ally in a part of my brain that I had not had access to before.
Misconceptions
Like a lot of individuals, I had watched the weekly Saturday night TV entertainment shows in the eighties. Variety shows were all the rage in those days (cringe) and often they would feature stage hypnotists. Often the skills of the hypnotist were entangled with the tricks of the magician and looking back it is easy to see why people associate hypnosis with ‘cloak and dagger’, as a myth or a con. There are in fact still some such shows available where the use of suggestion and illusion is masked as hypnosis or magic.
The Science Bit
The truth is that there is nothing magic, illusionary or trickery about hypnosis. Hypnosis is simply a state of mind, and it is something we all do everyday without thinking about it. When we are awake and alert, we are operating in a beta state of mind. This is the part of our mind that we use for thinking, rationalising, making conscious decisions. When we are asleep, our brain produces delta waves. In this state our conscious mind is resting, but our subconscious continues to tick away in the background processing and compartmentalising information.
There is though, a state of mind between these two stages – alpha – where the brain is relaxed. When the brain is in this state, it is neither fully alert nor deeply asleep. This is a hypnotic state. It is almost like a daydream. All humans go in and out of this state frequently throughout the day, it is perfectly natural and normal. I’m sure you can think of times in the day when your mind wanders off somewhere, maybe during a conversation or when you’re driving?
What is Hypnotherapy Then?
When the brain is in this hypnotic state, your subconscious mind is more open to suggestions. The process of inducing hypnosis and offering positive suggestions is what we know as hypnotherapy.
Hypnotherapy is nothing new, there are references as early as 2600 BC in ancient Greece and Egypt. In fact, the name hypnosis is derived from the Greek God Hypnos who is the God of sleep (although you are not actually asleep in hypnosis). The ancients used hypnosis to analyse dreams and get rid of problems.
More recent history provides details of hypnosis being used to relieve pain, cure illness and improve performance.
Dr James Esdaile (1805-1859) was a British surgeon working in India. He famously performed surgical operations using only hypnosis as ‘anaesthetic’, though he was mocked by the medical profession.
Milton Erickson (1901-1980) cured himself of paralysis after contracting polio in his teenage years. He went on to successfully use the same techniques with the people he worked with.
And the placebo effect was coined following the pioneering work of Emile Coue (1857-1926) who developed the use of auto suggestion and affirmations.
Misconceptions
Sadly, due to the use of hypnosis in the entertainment industry, many people fear that their innermost secrets will be exposed, or they could be made to do something they do not want to do. They worry that the therapist can get into their mind and control them. Others just think the whole process is trickery or a con.
Thankfully, none of the above is true. No-one can be made to do anything or say anything they don’t want to. The subconscious mind will only reveal what it is ready to reveal. Further, the subconscious mind will only ever accept positive and beneficial suggestions as your welfare is it’s primary concern.
Those people on stage, running about like crazy, clucking like a chicken, or singing a silly song, are all aware that they are taking part in a show. They are all willing participants therefore open to suggestions from the hypnotist.
How Can Hypnotherapy Help Me?
Today, Clinical Hypnotherapy is used to treat a wide array of issues, anything from physical illnesses, to fears and phobias, mental and emotional well-being, addictions, habits and unwanted behaviours.
After my own initial hypnotherapy treatment, I was so impressed I retrained as a Clinical Hypnotherapist myself. I then went on to use it to stop smoking, stop drinking, quit sugar, manage anxiety and cure a fear of flying.
I continue to self-hypnotise every day, mainly to improve my confidence in certain situations and to manifest the life I want.
How Can I Find Out More?
Despite parts of the NHS recognising the benefits of hypnotherapy for example for stress relief or hypnobirthing, the practise is regarded as alternative to western medicine. There is no legal qualification requirement to practise hypnotherapy in the UK, however, there are recommended schools and training establishments.
Here in the UK we have the General Hypnotherapy Standards Council (GHSC) www.general-hypnotherapy-register.com which promotes a Code of Ethics providing a model for protection of the public and promotion of credibility of the practitioner and the service. The General Hypnotherapy Register (GHR) requires the practitioner to be qualified with a recognised school of hypnosis and demonstrate a commitment to continued professional development. As such they also provide post qualification courses and training.
I would strongly recommend checking the GHR for evidence of qualification and experience. Any suitably qualified hypnotherapist will provide their registration number for you to check.
If you would like to read more about me and my work or find out more about the types of issues hypnotherapy can help with take a look at my website here: www.hypnotherapy-darlington.co.uk
Finally, I would love to know if you found this article useful and if you have any questions about hypnosis or hypnotherapy, please feel free to put it in the comments below.
Jacqueline Carson
Clinical Hypnotherapist and Meditation Teacher
info@hypnotherapy-darlington.co.uk