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THE "H-WORD" DE-MYSTIFIED
If you have ever seen stage hypnosis, I want
to tell you that's not how it works in counseling. So don't worry
about quacking like a duck or surrendering control to someone. In
the counseling office the goal is therapeutic, not entertainment.
Hypnosis is not magic and not a mystery.
And hypnosis by itself is not therapy. It is a way of
communicating with the "back of the mind" or the subconscious, or
whatever term you prefer. That's where our unused power resides.
The message we communicate is the therapy, and that we work out in our
conversation ahead of time.
Milton Erickson MD, is credited with
developing the form of hypnosis now universally used in
counseling around the world. He referred to it as "naturalistic"
hypnosis because it's an extension of the little ordinary mental
absorptions that we all do many times a day. This means that
when our minds are occupied, or even not, we all spontaneously jump "off
topic" for a few seconds as we are reminded of something we did,
something we heard or saw or said, or an event we anticipate. This
is how an active mind works as it follows those memory "links."
Office hypnosis just ritualizes this normal
tendency we have so we can hook up those mental links to some new ideas,
words, phrases or memories. The truth is that everyone has many
more "inner resources," or whatever term fits, than we presently use.
The idea is to tap into a little bit more of those resources, and that
makes change easier.
"Words create our reality." We
conceptualize our world and minute-to-minute life with the words we
think to ourselves and say to other people. When we change the
words and phrases we habitually think and speak, it changes our
perception of reality. We are helped to remember the goals we have
decided upon for ourselves, and remember what we need to do to meet
them.
The simplest form of clinical hypnosis
follows the pattern of physical and mental relaxation to
clear away distractions and allow concentration on the message,
suggestions to guide the mind to make links to new thoughts and
ideas, some questions for the deeper part of the mind, and re-alerting
when it's done. It feels like a comfortable rest
while you listen to some words you know you need to hear. You hear
and understand it all and you will remember it afterwards.
In some respects, this simple form of
hypnosis is similar to guided imagery or positive thinking, but what
sets it far above these are the questions to the deep mind, the
gathering of information about what to do next. The process
creates a communication loop to guide our resources in the direction we
want to go, to invite the deep mind to let us know what it "needs,"
(that it may be trying to achieve with problem thoughts, feelings, or
behavior), and then, on the basis of this information, modifying our
suggestions so we can make a "friend" of our subconscious. We
can't subdue or overpower our subconscious, it's much too strong.
Better to get all parts of our mind working together.
Beyond this simple and direct hypnosis,
there is a world of advanced applications that can deal with the
deepest, most difficult issues, bypass resistance ("I want to, but I
can't..."), help eliminate fears, phobias, change habits, and--a big
one--help people find peace of mind.
Check the Links for further info on
hypnosis.
--Jay
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