What Is Hypnosis?

Introduction:

In this Essay I will be tackling the question; what is Hypnosis? Describe the psychological and physical aspects of hypnosis and discuss the role of relaxation in hypnotherapy. Firstly, to understand what hypnosis is, I feel it's important to explore its origins to which I have chosen to begin my essay with a brief history. Second. I will then be discussing what hypnosis actually is and explore different levels of consciousness where I suggest that they are also different states of relaxation. This supports my view that relaxation is an integral part of hypnosis. I also write about the power of suggestion and the benefits that can be seen to both mind and body through positive suggestions under hypnosis. Finally I will conclude this assignment/essay with a summary of points made throughout this report based on the guidelines set out in the Chrysalis; module one, home work assignment booklet.

There are many misconceptions and myths surrounding Hypnotherapy. People tend to view it with what they have seen on the television or well known stage shows.

However, hypnosis is completely natural and many people have experienced a hypnotic state without even realising it - the easiest way to explain this is to imagine driving - how many times have people got in the car and driven somewhere on 'auto pilot?' This is the state you are in when you are in hypnosis although some people find this hard to believe. A high majority of people believe that hypnosis means that they are out of control of themselves and can be made to do things that they have no control over. Therefore, people can actually be quite disappointed with the experience as they expect it to be very 'mysterious' and may not believe they have actually been hypnotised.

Hypnotherapy dates back thousands of years but the most common start point of Hypnotherapy starts with Franz Anton Mesmer who was born in 1734. (Mesmer which lead to the term 'mesmerising')

He studied Theology then law for a year before transferring to medicine. Whilst he was a student, Mesmer began to develop a concept of an invisible fluid that was present in the body and affected your health. Initially he used magnets to manipulate this fluid but gradually came to believe that these were not necessary. He believed that a health giving fluid flowed from his own body and that anything he touched could become magnetised. He called this 'animal magnetism'.

Mesmer carried out some dramatic demonstrations of his ability. When he was accused of fraud, he moved from Vienna to Paris where his work also came under fire.

His theories were eventually discredited but his ability to induce a trance state in his patients led on to the development of hypnosis today.

Mesmer's practices did not die out completely and was well practiced in Germany. In 1812 Karl Christian Wolfart visited Mesmer as he was interested in his work and wanted to learn more of his ideas and methods. In 1814, Abbe Faria put forward the concept that Mesmer's 'animal magnetism' was in fact due to the suggestions that Mesmer employed as the practitioner.

From here, one of Mesmer's disciples (Puysegur) introduced a new twist to Mesmer's theories. He believed that the 'fluid' was not magnetic but electric. He believed this was generated in all living things - he held clinics under an elm tree which he believed had a healing power and that the force would travel from the trunk and branches into cords that he hung from the tree. Some of his clients fell into a deep sleep whilst engaging in this activity, he had discovered the hypnotic trance but had not identified it.

This hypnotic trance was used to relieve pain in the mid 1800's and a number of reported operations were carried out painlessly.

In the late 1800's an English physician named James Braid, believed that mesmerism was a 'nervous sleep' and came up with the word 'hypnosis' from the Greek god of sleep Hypnos. He tried to rename this as it gave people false thought that they would be asleep, which is not the case but the name had already taken hold.

Other theories began to emerge and hypnosis began to receive serious study and started to gain acceptance.

In the 1950's, Hypnosis gained more credibility as researchers found new uses for it in therapy, and the trance state is now recognised as a highly effective tool for healing and modifying a person's behaviour.

Looking back at the journey of Hypnosis, it is easy to see that it has been very misunderstood and misinterpreted and it could easily have died out, associated often with the strange and mysterious.

Nowadays, we can measure Hypnosis although this is no easy task. Hypnosis is a very individual experience - some people may feel like they have had a life changing experience whereas others just feel very relaxed. As stated earlier, this is when some people feel like they have not been 'hypnotised' as they expect much more from it. Scientifically though, we can now use an EEG to record the electrical activity of the brain - brain waves.

There are 4 main types of brain waves -Beta, Alpha, Theta and Delta. Hypnosis normally occurs within Alpha and Theta. It is here that we are able to access the subconscious mind, which is the basis for successful hypnosis.

The subconscious mind houses our emotions, instincts, drives, intuitions, imagination, habits and memories. It is a common belief that people use only 10% of their mind potential, so in turn the subconscious mind has been referred to as the other 90%. Hypnosis allows the subconscious mind and its potential to be tapped into and thus allowing it to be re programmed.

Hypnosis uses techniques that place you in a state of deep physical and mental relaxation. When you are hypnotised you are awake and fully in control. It is a natural, altered state of consciousness and is completely safe and gentle. In hypnosis you are not being put to sleep as commonly thought, you are guided into a deep state of relaxation which allows communication with the subconscious mind for the purpose of doing work that can change your life for the better.

During Hypnosis, most will experience a pleasant feeling of extreme relaxation. Common experiences include feelings of heaviness or lightness in your body, in particular the limbs. Often people will feel a change in temperature such as feeling warmer and common descriptions describe a feeling of floating, sinking, a feeling of softening and a feeling of release. Time distortion is common during hypnosis when an hour can pass as though it were 10 minutes. Breathing will regulate and deepen and you will have a