The impact of hypnosis on a person - methodology, consequences for the psyche

What it is

Hypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis in psychology, psychotherapy and medicine to treat diseases and mental disorders, restore mental balance and get rid of addictions and bad habits. It is an effective complement to other methods. It has a number of advantages over pharmaceuticals.

A hypnotherapist is a specialist who has the skills of a hypnotist, that is, he knows how to put people into a state of trance and work with them at such moments. Officially, they can only be licensed doctors and psychologists with appropriate specialized education. However, in the laws of the Russian Federation, there is no information about who can do this. Therefore, recently, all sorts of centers have been appearing every now and then, staffed by people who only have certificates of completion of hypnotherapy courses. It is impossible to say for sure whether they have abilities.

In Moscow, for example, there is a large and fairly well-known “Center for Training in Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy,” where Dr. Efremov works. This is a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, certified hypnotist in the USA, and has his own developments in this area. Despite all his professionalism, even his methods are criticized and not all reviews of his sessions are positive.

Phases of induction into a hypnotic state

To introduce a patient into hypnosis, methods are used: direct influence (psychological) and internal (physical). Direct action - techniques of auto-training and written influence. Internal action implies concentration on the subject.

Stages of induction into trance:

• cataleptic stage - concentrating on one point, using a pose given by the hypnotist;
• lethargic phase - entering a state of deep trance;
• somnambulistic stage - humility, submission.

Essence of the method

During the session, the hypnotherapist, using various techniques, puts the person into what is called sleep. True, other concepts are now being actively introduced into use - a state of altered consciousness or trance. After this, the specialist gives verbal instructions depending on the purpose of the session.

For example, if it is necessary to understand the origins of a phobia or panic attacks, the patient is sent back to childhood to get to the traumatic situation that served as the starting point for the development of these pathologies. After this it is much easier to eliminate them.

If the goal is to get rid of addiction and bad habits, the hypnotherapist instills in the patient an aversion to gambling, nicotine, and alcohol. This is so strongly imprinted in the subconscious that after several sessions, when a person once again reaches for a cigarette or a glass of vodka, he begins to experience nausea and vomiting.

Sessions can last from 15 minutes to 3 hours. This depends on the professionalism of the hypnotherapist and the depth of the problem being eliminated. Upon completion, using again a certain technique, the patient comes out of the trance state, completely without remembering what happened to him during this time. However, starting from this moment, attitudes gradually change his subconscious.

The course of treatment is purely individual and can include from 1 to 20 sessions (the interval between them is also determined depending on the situation).

Indications for use

In medicine:

• pain syndromes;
• skin diseases (psoriasis, allergies, eczema, urticaria);
• preoperative premedication;
• CVD: hypertension, cardiac neurosis, heart rhythm disturbances, angina pectoris;
• pathologies of the respiratory system;
• digestive disorders: ulcers, gastritis, colitis, pancreatitis, irritable bowel syndrome;
• infertility;
• fibroids;
• stuttering;
• neurological problems: migraine, facial paralysis, tic.

In psychotherapy:

• phobias;
• addictions: gambling addiction, drug addiction, alcoholism, kleptomania;
• depression, increased anxiety, stressful and obsessive states, panic attacks;
• eating disorders;
• post-traumatic and obsessive-compulsive disorders;
• spasmophilia;
• hysteria, neuroses, psychoses;
• schizophrenia;
• elimination of muscle tension (bodily armor);
• sexual disorders: impotence, frigidity.

In psychology:

• adaptation;
• aggressiveness;
• sleep disorders;
• low self-esteem;
• excess weight;
• preparation for important events in life;
• smoking, nail biting and other bad habits;
• all types of stress: intrafamily, professional, personal;
• accumulated negative emotions, mental discomfort;
• pathological jealousy, unrequited love, experiencing the state of divorce.

If hypnotherapy is used in medicine or psychotherapy, it should only be performed by a person with medical training. Its use for weight loss or to quit smoking is allowed by certified specialists.

Hypnotherapy reviews

Typically, patients turn to hypnotherapy when other methods of solving problems have failed. The best results are achieved by people who have complete trust in the doctor and are ready to find and work through underlying problems.

Patients say that hypnotherapy helped them get rid of psychological disorders forever: love addiction, panic attacks, deep depression, childhood trauma, eating disorders, aggression, and self-doubt. Individuals who completed a course of hypnotherapy noted not only positive dynamics in solving problems, but also an improvement in their general emotional state, increased energy, and a return of interest in life.

However, there are a number of people for whom hypnotherapy sessions were useless. Typically, these patients note that they mistrusted the doctor and doubted the effectiveness of the therapy.

Contraindications

• Recently suffered a stroke, heart attack, heart failure;
• epilepsy;
• affective insanity;
• delayed mental and mental development, dementia;
• paranoia;
• organic brain lesions.

Temporary contraindications for hypnotherapy are:

• infectious or chronic diseases in the acute stage;
• taking powerful medications on a regular basis: tranquilizers, antipsychotics, antidepressants;
• alcohol or drug intoxication;
• malaise, physical weakness;
• increased body temperature;
• digestive disorders (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea);
• cough;
• injuries that temporarily limit movement;
• I trimester of pregnancy;
• children up to 9 years old.

In each of the doubtful cases, it is necessary to consult a specialist.

Kinds

Depending on the many approaches to hypnotherapy, it is divided into several types.

Ericksonian hypnotherapy

Founder: Milton Erickson (1901-1980) - famous American psychiatrist and psychotherapist.

Work: M. Erickson “Man from February. Hypnotherapy and the development of personal self-awareness.”

The bottom line: “Ericksonian hypnosis” is a special state of trance into which a person is introduced without any instructions or instructions (as in classical sessions). He is awake and actively communicating with the specialist. The focus of attention shifts from the surrounding reality “inward”. Thanks to this, the patient is able to concentrate on personal experiences. Breathing slows down, the body is as relaxed as possible, but memory and will are completely preserved.

His legacy was picked up by Dave Elman. As a radio host, comedian and singer, he developed a method of hypnotic induction based on Erickson's discoveries. He learned to work with patients in just 3 minutes, and also described in detail the benefits of hypnosis for the treatment of many diseases. It was he who was invited as a hypnotist for the first operation (carried out on the heart), when it was decided to use hypnosis instead of anesthesia.

Cognitive hypnotherapy

Books: E. Thomas Dowd “Cognitive Hypnotherapy.”

The bottom line: active work with cognitive processes within the framework of cognitive therapy is enhanced by the return to memory during a hypnotic session. The patient turns his inner gaze to childhood, remembers the traumatic situation that happened then, and understands his current state. Once you understand the essence of the problem, it is always easier to eliminate it.

Clinical hypnotherapy

Books: V. A. Ruzhenkov “Fundamentals of clinical hypnotherapy”; S. Lynn, I. Kirsch “Fundamentals of clinical hypnosis. An evidence-based approach."

The essence: treatment of diseases and severe mental disorders using hypnotherapy. Its application in medicine and psychotherapy.

Regressive hypnotherapy

Books: A. Kachorowski “Therapeutic hypnosis in regression and reincarnation”, V. Polyakova “Regressive hypnosis. A journey into the past. Dive into skill."

The essence: returning the patient to the past with the help of verbal attitudes. Activation of deep layers of memory. Extracting certain truths from accumulated experience that can be applied in the present in order to prevent further mistakes.

Hypnoanalysis

Founders: L. R. Volberg, R. M. Lindner.

The essence: a combination of psychoanalysis and hypnotherapy. Taking a history and identifying emotional experiences occurs during hypnosis. Allows you to bring to the surface events that have been repressed from the patient’s consciousness under the influence of some factors. It is distinguished by the use of a variety of techniques: free associations, visualization of scenes, automatic writing, etc.

Theories of hypnosis

The term hypnosis has different interpretations. Therefore, several directions in the theory of this method have appeared.

Mainstream scientific theories view hypnosis as:

1. A condition in which the functions of attention change. Proponents of the approach believe that hypnosis is a specific state of consciousness in which a person’s reactions are caused by verbal stimuli. This is a medical approach that takes into account only the physiological processes occurring during the session.
2. Hypnotist-directed imagination. The approach reflects the importance of conveying images during the session. They are the basis of our thoughts, our imagination. Images shape the unconscious.
3. Altered state of consciousness. The main point of a psychotherapist’s work during a session is to work with the unconscious. In this approach, a particularly important role is given to the ability to use special means that transfer the focus of the subject’s attention from consciousness to the unconscious.
4. Updating additional human capabilities. By working with the unconscious, you can take advantage of the reserves of the human body. Remember what is forgotten, foresee what did not happen.
5. Direct communication with the unconscious and its correction. Proponents of this approach focus on increased mental activity with simultaneously reduced physical activity of the body. In this state, a person is easily subject to hypnotic influence and shows high learning abilities.

Methods and techniques

In hypnotherapy, there are several methods that allow you to introduce a person into a state of altered consciousness. Some of them are demonstrated in the table, which also shows the words that the psychotherapist should say when plunging the patient into hypnotic sleep.

Some more popular methods:

• method of D. Kogan and V. Faibushevich: reading a poem (a separate one is selected for each patient);
• Charcot's method: rhythmic rocking of the patient's body + unexpected physical impact (loud bang, bright flash of light, blow);
• fractional method of Fogg and Kretschmer: immersion in hypnotic sleep in two stages;
• method “5–4–3–2–1”: a specific attitude is not given, it is disguised with the help of statements with which the hypnotized person consistently agrees;
• Erickson’s “Triple Helix”: the hypnotist tells the patient 3 stories, interrupting them in the middle and immediately moving on to the next story - the third text contains the suggested attitude.

When working with a patient while he is in a state of sleep, hypnotherapists use the following techniques.

Bodily insights and metaphors

Deeper knowledge of oneself, getting rid of old stereotypes of thinking and behavior, creating new strategies for solving difficulties.

State transfer

A patient in a state of hypnosis “conveys” his feelings and experiences to the psychotherapist in detail in a way that he would not talk about them simply in a conversation when he is disconnected from his unconscious.

NLP technologies

Influencing the unconscious using non-directive methods. The hypnotherapist taps into the patient's hidden capabilities without imposing stereotyped attitudes on him. For this, speech techniques, nonverbal influence techniques, and indirect suggestion strategies are used.

Read more in the article: Neurolinguistic programming

Catharsis therapy

A.F. Mesmer (German physician and healer of the 19th century) believed that a person gets sick if his fluids (charges of energy from the Universe) are damaged. The task of any doctor and psychotherapist is to restore them through emotional outbursts (crises, which are called catharsis). The best way to do this is to evoke pleasant memories during hypnotic sleep.

Types of hypnotherapy

The method of therapy is determined by the doctor based on the individual characteristics of the patient, the conditions of the session, the degree of the person’s susceptibility to hypnosis and the purpose of therapy.

Directive

Important!
Directive hypnosis is a classic type of hypnosis, based on direct suggestion to the patient by the doctor. When the patient is under hypnosis, and the level of perception of his consciousness is as high as possible, the doctor pronounces short, precisely worded phrases aimed at destroying existing negative attitudes and creating new positive ones. In therapy, the doctor plays the role of an authoritative mentor. The statements of the hypnotherapist are authoritative and cannot be objected to. The doctor literally forces the patient to let go of negative thoughts and give up addictions.

Elmanovsky

With hypnosis according to Elman, the patient very quickly puts himself into a trance on his own, and the hypnotherapist only helps him to do this.

During the session, the patient himself determines the causes of problems and diseases, looks for solutions, the doctor at this moment provides so-called support and does not interfere with the process.

Elman's type of hypnosis is used when working with very restless and anxious patients.

Ericksonian

Ericksonian hypnosis is a gentle influence on the patient’s consciousness without “coercion” on the part of the hypnotherapist. During the session, the doctor invites the patient to independently understand the deepest mental problems, gently guiding the course of his reasoning.

The hypnosis method is considered the most effective and universal, its effectiveness reaches 100%.

You may be interested in: All about apitherapy: what kind of technique it is, who it is suitable for, who performs it and whether it has contraindications for use. Apitherapy and treatment with bees has gained wide popularity all over the world due to its natural healing methods...

Stages

A hypnotherapy session can be divided into 3 stages.

Stage I

Names: drowsiness, drowsiness, shallow sleep, minor hypnosis.

Signs:

• closed eyes;
• relaxed muscles;
• state of rest;
• normal breathing;
• the ability to control one’s own body is partially preserved;
• control over your thoughts is maintained;
• inhibition of the kinesthetic system;
• free will;
• increasing heaviness in the body;
• memory saved.

The person understands everything that is happening around him, hears the words of the hypnotherapist perfectly, and can interrupt the session at any moment.

Stage II

Titles: hypnotaxy, mid-sleep.

Signs:

• catalepsy - freezing of the body in one position, the ability to control thoughts and movements is lost;
• smooth and calm breathing;
• decreased perception acuity;
• decreased interest in the environment;
• muscle weakness;
• realization of inspired illusions;
• decrease in heart rate, pressure, pain sensitivity;
• suppression of will;
• partial memory loss.

A person hears and understands everything that the hypnotherapist tells him, but is no longer able to open his eyes and do anything.

Stage III

Names: somnambulism, deep sleep.

Signs:

• complete loss of consciousness;
• openness of the subconscious to any attitudes and suggestions;
• loss of sensation;
• inducing positive and negative hallucinations with open eyes;
• lack of reactions to external stimuli;
• inspired transformation of age (return to childhood);
• complete loss of memory.

Experts consider staying in stage 3 as a transition between normal sleep and an altered state of consciousness.

E. S. Katkov, a doctor and researcher of hypnosis, also described three more degrees for each of the three stages. His classification is widely popular all over the world.