Does Hypnosis Work? Personal Experience

By Brendon G. Burwell


As a hypnotist and hypnotherapist I am regularly asked the question does hypnosis work? I have a series of simple hypnotic demonstrations I always use when people ask: making someone fall backwards just with the sound of my voice, preventing them from being able to lift up a light object, preventing someone from being able to move and making someone's face go numb. They are neat tricks that can be done in almost any environment and are a far cry from large scale demonstration of making people comply to more outrageous instructions.
[How To Hypnotize Someone]


There are two viewpoints based on the works of Dave Elman and Milton Erickson. Followers of Milton Erickson believe that hypnosis is a process of communication with the "unconscious" mind. The suggestions which the client hears or sees get internalized within the unconscious mind which finds meanings from the past or present experiences and are acted upon unconsciously. Dave Elman taught about the "subconscious" mind as a part of the mind where suggestions work along with beliefs based on past experiences. Both describe what you could call models of learning that bypasses the conscious mind. Both models are useful for creating the change you want.

You may know the saying, "As a man thinketh, so shall he be." or in modern language, "As one believes and thinks, so one will experience life." What you believe about the world and yourself determines the results you get.Mind-Body Connection.You can begin to understand how hypnosis works when you think of the mind-body connection. The subconscious mind interacts with the autonomic nervous system. Exactly how they do so is beyond the scope of this article. You can tell they do by the research and amazing results people like you and doctors talk about. The truth is there is no split. You are actually a body-mind, one thing.

How does the body and mind work together to achieve the remarkable effects we hear stories about? Just what magic occurs in our bodies and minds when we heal or accomplish seemingly miraculous feats? Scientists are still puzzling over these questions, yet they have shown that hypnosis, guided imagery, meditation/prayer and what we eat affects our immune systems, our resistance to cancer and our recovery from surgery. Other research shows how hypnosis activates the same brain centers that block our perception of pain. It is well known that hypnosis helps people change unwanted behaviors and establish new habits. How should we explain the placebo effect when inert ingredients and the power of suggestion cause recovery and cures? What about its opposite, the nocebo effect, when pessimistic expectations and pronouncements by professionals can result in ill health?

How Can Hypnosis Benefit Cancer Patients? Hypnotherapy helps with pain management and with reducing chemotherapy side effects.There have been many studies designed to address the use of hypnosis with cancer patients. Most of these studies have addressed pain management and reducing the adverse side effects of chemotherapy. The evidence is overwhelmingly positive.Does Hypnosis Work for Pain Management? Yes, hypnotherapy can significantly reduce pain.A review of 18 studies that investigated hypnotherapy for pain management found that it is effective in reducing pain. The review was published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis in 2000 and concluded by recommending broader application of hypnosis for pain management.

Can Hypnosis Treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome? Yes, hypnotherapy is highly effective for treating irritable bowel syndrome.The International Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, GUT, has reported that in patients under 50 hypnosis can have a 100% success rate in treating irritable bowel syndrome.If you already know how to do hypnosis then you are certainly excited to use it. You have this feeling that you can hypnotize absolutely anyone on the planet. You have this feeling that you are always in control. You feel that you can convince anyone to do what you please. Unfortunately, hypnosis does not work on everyone. Even if you know how to do hypnosis, you won't be able to use it on everyone.

Suppose that the mind and body are one system, and that what happens in the mind has a corresponding result in the body and vice versa. We can easily notice that what happens with the body affects the mind when we consider that our experience of the world is conducted through the five senses of the body. Our emotions and thoughts can change when we experience pleasurable or painful sensations.

A second type of person where hypnosis won't work is on people with concentration difficulties. These are the A.D.D. type of personalities. Those with attention deficit disorders or hyperactivity disorders will find it difficult or even impossible to be hypnotized. The ability to concentrate is crucial for hypnosis so if the candidate has difficulty concentrating then say goodbye already. You are hitting a brick wall if you try to hypnotize someone with concentration disorders.A third type of person where hypnosis will be ineffective is with the skeptics. This can be anyone in the world. A skeptic is one who refuses to believe in the power of hypnosis. This means that this person will continue to shun the fact that hypnosis works while he or she is being hypnotized. Hypnosis involves concentration and it also involves immersing oneself into a trance state. Without the full participation of an individual, hypnosis will be impossible. Since skeptics do not believe in the power of hypnosis from the very beginning then trying to hypnotize them will simply be a waste of time.

What's Inner Mind? If you want to get more specific, the inner mind uses the parts of your brain beneath the cerebral cortex where neuroscientists have identified structures that are responsible for feeling emotion, normal body movement you know so well they become automatic like walking and processes necessary for survival such as breathing. Because the subconscious mind both influences what you perceive and changes as a result of your perceptions, it involves the rest of the nervous system beyond the brain. This subconscious or inner mind is the seat of your emotions, habits and beliefs, and it involves your memories and experiences in creating your wellness.That principle of the body and mind affecting each other in one system is one of the presuppositions of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), a method of reproducing excellence based on observing others. It includes strategies of changing oneself, helping others, selling and communicating.The earliest work on NLP was based on studying the work of the hypnotherapist Dr. Milton Erickson and other excellent therapists in order to teach their colleagues how to achieve remarkable results more quickly and easily. Because NLP and hypnotism are intimately related and have various applications, many people study and use both in their clinics.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment