By: Tess Lampe
You clear your mind once filled with static as someone slowly repeats something above you. You start to feel as if you are lifting off of the couch you are laying on. The bright light that was once shining down upon you has lifted and you see a beach. You walk towards it, but you see a blue lawn chair in the distance just before the waves. As you begin to sit down, you turn around with the feeling that someone is watching you. You see someone where you entered this mysterious beach. They say something to you quietly, and then louder, “Wake up, wake up!” Your eyes flutter open as you wiggle your arms and legs to feeling. This is what it may feel like to be hypnotized.
Hypnosis, also known as hypnotherapy or hypnotic suggestion, is a widespread practice that many therapists use with their patients to break bad habits or to gain a positive change out of something. Many people are led to believe that hypnosis comes from some type of magic or it is a gift within the hypnotizer. In reality, hypnotherapy is a skill in which one puts another into a deep concentration where they are more vulnerable or easy to be swayed in one direction or another. Contrary to another popular belief, when the patient is well-rested, they do not fall asleep during the session. As mentioned before, hypnotic suggestion puts a person into deep concentration and uses a great amount of imagery, which allows the patient to visualize or create an image in their head. This further allows the person in question to relax fully.
Because not everything, especially not every coping mechanism, works with each person, hypnosis is not always the right thing for everyone. It is said that the more likely you are to be hypnotized and the more vulnerable you can be, then it is more likely that you will benefit from it.
Techniques used in hypnotherapy include soothing verbals, slow repetition, and mental imagery. These techniques put patients into a “trance-like” state where their mind is relaxed. Hypnosis is also known for being used for those suffering with negative emotions, mood disorders, insomnia, anxiety, stress, etc. Other reasons why it is done include pain control (childbirth, cancer, headaches, dental aches, burns, etc.), hot flashes & menopause (when the ovaries stop producing hormones), change in behavior, side effects of cancer, and previously stated mental health conditions.
With most things, when there are benefits, there are risks that may come with them. They may include headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, anxiety, and the creation of false memories. These things only happen when hypnosis is used in an incorrect or excessive manner.
Self-hypnotization, the practice of hypnosis on one’s self, is not something to be taken lightly, especially when you may not be a professional in that specific field. All of the risks that accompany normal hypnotic suggestion applies to self-hypnosis as well. To actually hypnotize yourself, you need to assure yourself that you want to be hypnotized, you believe in its abilities and have little doubts, you are not frightened by the practice, and that you do not overuse it or see it in too much detail. A key part in this self-practice is that you must know what you want to tell yourself and what kind of message you want to put into your brain. Whatever you are wanting to say to yourself, it must be positive, genuine, and simple. Using the word “I” in your message is important as well because it easily applies to you. Additionally, it is recommended that you tell someone nearby that you are going to perform this practice because then you won’t be disturbed and just in case of an emergency, someone will be near to wake you from your trance. You need to feel relaxed, focused, and your mind needs to be clear. Tell yourself to relax, slowly close your eyes, begin to visualize, and be ready to use your prepared message/statement to yourself. Also make sure to do plenty of research beforehand so you know all of the proper steps to the practice, especially because it can be harder to do it to yourself.
Switching gears a bit, the origin of hypnosis goes back to the years of 1700 with a man named Franz Anton Mesmer, also known as the “father” or the one who birthed the idea of hypnosis. His ideas, as we now know, are definitely not true and are considered nonsense by many, but Mesmer did take the first step in creating modern hypnosis. As a German scientist, Franz believed that each and every body and object had a type of cosmic energy that was transferred between them. Further, he thought that this energy could be harnessed or controlled and used for influencing the behavior of others. As you can gather from the name “Mesmer,” he named this transference or process of controlling another’s energy “mesmerism.” Most people today have heard that word, and now you know where that comes from and how it applies to modern hypnotic suggestion.
Conclusively, hypnosis is more than what today’s people and society believe it to be. There are many ways for one to practice hypnotherapy, in which many benefits and risks come with each of them. Even though it is not for all people, it is something that offers many positive outcomes. If you are stressed or are experiencing some type of pain, hypnosis is a coping mechanism that may be just what you need.
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