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Hypnotism
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History, techniques, & usefulness of hypnotism.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
History, techniques, & usefulness of hypnotism.
Paper Introduction:
Hypnotism is a form of mental control that is misunderstood and that has acquired an aura of magic, in part due to the way it has been used by charlatans and for entertainment purposes since the technique was first developed. Hypnotism remains a controversial issue, but it has also been found to have a positive therapeutic value in a variety of psychological and medical situations. Shreeve and Shreeve (1984) note that considerable research has been conducted into this issue over the last four decades so that hypnosis has become more firmly established as a valuable adjunct to traditional methods of therapy. Hypnotic techniques are not used extensively to relieve or overcome a number of physical illnesses: "Over the past twenty-five years, in fact, hypnotherapy has gained familiarity and at the same time respectability with many members of the medical profession, who
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The Healing Power of Hypnotism. This involvestraining the patient to relax and thus to reduce the blood pressure. Salter (1973) discusses hypnosis as a form of conditioning andwrites: "Hypnosis is the production of reactions in the human organismthrough the use of verbal or other associative reflexes" (p. North Hollywood: Wilshire Book Company, 1961.Salter, Andrew. 15). However, this occurs only if the subject goes along withit and chooses to go into the trance state (pp. One of the earliest uses of hypnosis was for the alleviation of pain. The 3, -year-old Eberspapyrus describes the hypnotic procedures used by Egyptian soothsayers, andthe method was used under different names by the Hindu fakirs, the Persianmagi, the Indian yogi, and the Greek oracles. What Is Hypnosis. In both hetero-hypnosis and self-hypnosis, the subject him or herself achieves the stateof heightened suggestibility, and the subject only enters this state whenhe or she is ready to do so. He was the first person to demonstrate thehealing power of hypnotism on a large scale and treated thousands of peoplesuccessfully by his methods. Hypnotism is a form of mental control that is misunderstood and thathas acquired an aura of magic, in part due to the way it has been used bycharlatans and for entertainment purposes since the technique was firstdeveloped. When hypnosis is combined with the expertise of a trained personwho has specialized in the area of concern, the right treatment approachesand methods used with hypnosis can be very powerful. Franz Anton Mesmer in theeighteenth century borrowed from earlier theorists, notably the Britishresearcher Richard Mead. Inspecial states of abstraction, the consciousness becomes more preciselyfocused. Scientists began studying hypnotism in earnest in the 193 s, and in1955 a report to the British Medical Association caused that organizationto give official approval to the use of hypnosis in the treatment of bothphysical and psychological disorders. The combined work of Bernheim and Liébault along withthat of James Braid laid the foundations on which modern hypnotherapy hasbeen developed (Shreeve and Shreeve: pp. 35-37). 11). Karle further writes that some conditions, such as asthma, eczema,psoriasis, migraine, and others are closely related to psychological stressand distress, and in these cases the relief of stress and anxiety can leadto a reduction in symptoms. Professor Bernheim was much influenced byLiébault's work. He used magnets to treat painful and diseasedareas, and he effected surprising and dramatic cures. He thought of it as a transparent and odorless gas in whichall bodies are submerged. Hypnotic techniques in these cases can assistsuch treatment and can lead to very effective ways in which the sufferer isable to help him or herself to reduce the severity of the condition or evenin some instances to eliminate it. Relaxation and the discharge of tensionand fear can be especially well achieved using hypnosis and hypnotictechniques. Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, 1988.Powers, Melvin. It was practiced by primitive man, whoattributed the trance state to a divine origin. Thesame approach is used for hypertension. The subconscious is an immense storehouse of our past experiences,thoughts, feelings, and impressions, whether these are consciouslyremembered or long forgotten. 38-4 ). Other uses are developed all thetime, and different forms of hypnosis for treatment purposes, such as theaforementioned biofeedback training, are developed all the time. Belief in miraculous curespersisted into the Middle Ages. He seeshypnosis as involving conditioned reflexes and reflexes, and he also findsthat hypnosis takes advantage of something already in the subject toimplant something new. This special way should add to the treatment, however, making it easier ormore acceptable to the patient or speeding its effectiveness in somemanner. The hypnotist distractsthe conscious mind to deal more directly with the suggestible subconscious. 16-17). 22-23). Hypnotic techniques are not usedextensively to relieve or overcome a number of physical illnesses: "Overthe past twenty-five years, in fact, hypnotherapy has gained familiarityand at the same time respectability with many members of the medicalprofession, who either learn to practice the art themselves or willinglyrefer appropriate patients to a qualified hypnotist" (p. Powers (1961) defines hypnosis as a state of heightenedsuggestibility in which the subject is able to accept uncritically ideasfor self-improvement and act on them appropriately. The father of modern hypnotism is Ambroise Auguste Liébault, whowrote a book called Induced Sleep in 1889. Everyone can behypnotized, though the time required will vary from subject to subject.Most subjects need to be conditioned for hypnosis (pp. Until at least 153 , the only explanationgiven for these approaches was divine intervention. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1973.Shreeve, Caroline and David Shreeve. ReferencesKarle, Helmut W.A. Achieving the hypnotic state involvesdirecting the suggestibility that is always part of our nature into thechannels that will finally produce the hypnotic state. Suggestion is seen as the most simple form of atypical conditioned reflex in man. Karle states that hypnosis in itself is not a treatment for anything:"It is little more than a method of administering treatment, a special wayof carrying out a treatment which could be given without hypnosis" (p. However, in spite of such approval andextensive use of hypnosis, we are still only at an early stage in ourunderstanding of the nature of hypnosis, and there is no general agreementon how it works, how it enables physical and mental processes to bemodified and even controlled, or precisely what hypnosis is (Karle, 1988:p. From this evolved the idea that not only could the stars andplanets influence one another but so could men and women influence oneanother through the medium of magnetic power. Descriptions of hismethod show how he used the power of suggestion, though his treatment wasclearly based on false premises (pp. Shreeve and Shreeve also note that the origins of hypnotism areshrouded in the mists of antiquity, since healing in a trance state is oneof the oldest of the medical arts. Mesmer developed his "universal fluid" idea, andhe saw this fluid as the medium through which the planets could influencehuman health. 17-18). 11-13). Karle notes that hypnosis on its own is very pleasant andrelaxing, and because of this it is of great help in treating anxiety anddepression. When an individual is in a trance state, his or her conscious mind,the seat of the critical faculties, is at rest. The technique has been usedeffectively to help patients with high blood pressure to learn to controltheir own blood pressure through Bio-Feedback Training. Karle notes thatthere is a psychological element in all physical illnesses and conditions.Fear, anxiety, physical and mental tension, and so on all militate againstrecovery in many cases, and these elements can also make the perception ofpain and discomfort more intense. He founded the practice of thetherapeutics of suggestion. Shreeve and Shreeve (1984) note that considerableresearch has been conducted into this issue over the last four decades sothat hypnosis has become more firmly established as a valuable adjunct totraditional methods of therapy. 14-15). Hypnosis has been likened to sleep andis even called sleep, but in truth hypnosis is not a form of sleep at all.It is rather a form of concentration in the waking state (pp. It has been believed that health could bebrought to crippled people through contact with the water of healingsprings and wells, religious statues, or holy relics, and the power ofsuggestion can be seen as being at work in these efforts. Wellingborough, Northamptonshire: Thorsons, 1984. Once a state of hypnotic trance has beeninduced, the subject has free access to the undefended subconscious(Shreeve and Shreeve: p. Hypnotism remains a controversial issue, but it has also beenfound to have a positive therapeutic value in a variety of psychologicaland medical situations. Hypnosis is sometimes used under a different name--the relaxationexercises that expectant mothers are taught produce a state of lighthypnosis which enables the women to cope more easily with labor and whichlessens the pain they experience. The American Medical Associationfollowed suit three years later. Hypnosis has been used widely withchildren who have been injured in accidents, particularly for those whohave suffered burns, both to make the necessary treatments less painful andto reduce the effect of the injury. Karle also states that all hypnosis is self-induced, although atherapist can help the individual go into the hypnotic state more quicklyor more easily. Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy: A Patient's Guide. Karle defines hypnosis as an induced state of abstraction. It does not affect the underlying problems in and of itself,but it can make them easier to bear for a time (pp. 18). Similar methodsare seen throughout history. Psychological distress of any kind maybe more readily and more powerfully relieved using hypnosis than withoutusing it. 35). The next historical figure to hold these views was important in thedevelopment of hypnosis as we know it today. 25). A Practical Guide to Self-Hypnosis. Stomach disorders, intestinalproblems, and any malfunction of the digestive tract can also be helpedthrough hypnosis (Karle: pp. In that year, however,Paracelsus evolved his theory about the interrelationship between the starsand man, particularly concerning the effect of the stars on human diseaseprocesses.
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