Does Hypnosis Work? Personal Experience

By Roxanna Dolfing


When you know that hypnosis works, you may start wondering how it works. As several hypnotists and hypnotherapists out there say about hypnosis, "There is no 'it.'" What does that mean? That simply means hypnosis is a natural state of mind people experience everyday several times a day. This state of mind is common. You experience it when you daydream or watch a movie. Then you're left to wonder how does hypnosis work.In Your Mind: What's Going On Here?

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.

Is Relaxation Hypnosis Effective? Yes, hypnotherapy does help with increasing relaxation.Several scientific studies have investigated relaxation hypnosis, and have found it to be effective.In summary, the British Medical Journal's article "Does Hypnosis Work for Relaxation?" states that there is good evidence that hypnosis can help promote relaxation and reduce anxiety.Can Hypnotherapy be Used to Treat Depression? Maybe, but more research is needed.In a 1998 study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry to research the effectiveness of complementary therapies for depression, researchers found no conclusive evidence that hypnotherapy helps with depression. Those researchers did note that there was limited evidence that relaxation therapies (which include hypnosis) can help with depression, but more research is needed for conclusive results.

Does Hypnosis Work for Anxiety? Yes, hypnotherapy significantly reduces anxiety and can reduce the need for anxiety-related medications.Several studies have addressed the treatment of anxiety with hypnosis.A 1978 study "Self-hypnosis training in anxiety reduction" by Davidson, Farnbach and Richardson found that patients given self-hypnosis tapes were able to reduce their anxiety levels significantly. So, yes, this study concluded that self-hypnosis using a hypnosis tape is an effective method for anxiety reduction.

Well first of all I have to tell you that for most people the effects of hypnosis are about as permanent as eating. Sure it does fill you up at the time, but it does not last and you do have to repeat it. That does not necessarily mean having regular hypnosis sessions. Let us take the example of a smoker trying to use hypnosis to quit. They might feel incredibly positive about no longer being a smoker immediately after a hypnosis or self-hypnosis session but they have to carry on this positive energy beyond the session.

If 10 minutes later they think to themselves "well that did nothing, I'm going to go have a smoke" then they are as stubborn as the person who refuses to let a hypnotist have 'power' over them. If they go to the bus stop and have to wait 15 minutes for a bus where they start thinking "oh I use to smoke here... what am I supposed to do now?" then they really want to use smoking as a crutch in their lives - they smoke when they're bored, stressed, upset, etc., and that's not likely to stop now.

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.

If you are planning to hypnotize the rest of the world then your bubble has just popped. You can not hypnotize everyone in the world. The only people that can be hypnotized are those that are willing to be hypnotized. This means that you can not go out there and try hypnotizing everyone in your path.Does hypnosis work one hundred percent? Even when a subject wants to be hypnotized, there will be a lot of occurrences where people will not enter the trance state. Entering the trance state demands experience and practice. If you are going to be hypnotized then you better start practicing. Entering the trance state or that state of altered reality demands patience and practice. You may not reach it at the first attempt but sooner or later, you will eventually do so. Hypnosis does not work one hundred percent and it does not work on everyone on this planet. You'll need to know that before you end up making a fool out of yourself.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment