Hypnotherapy, commonly incorrectly referred to as hypnosis, is a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) method which is used to help a range of health conditions.
It offers relief to the sufferer in a natural, non-invasive way with few side effects as compared with pills, potions, prescription medications and procedures.
Hypnotherapy uses hypnosis, a method of inducing a trance-like state, in order to work on a range of health issues.
It can be a way of tackling present problems, or a method for healing the past and moving on more confidently into the future.
As the word suggests, the main goal is therapy – that is, treatment. A skilled hypnotherapist is different from an ordinary hypnotist. Many people learn how to hypnotize others, but it takes in-depth training to deliver the helpful therapeutic part of this CAM.
Hypnotherapy’s main effectiveness comes from the hypnotherapist’s skillful verbal communication with a patient when the patient is in a trance, or hypnotized or hyper-focused state. The purpose of that state is to order the patient to concentrate on specific thoughts, tasks or goals in order to help achieve them.
It could also be termed guided relaxation, in which the mind can focus on certain thoughts without getting upset or worried. The patient can also make life-improving decisions such as stopping smoking or losing weight.
Once they have come out of the hypnotized state, the patient will follow through with what has been suggested during the hypnotherapy session. Further sessions for treatment will then be planned, in a similar way to the manner in which a person would follow up with their own doctor about any medical condition.
Hypnosis
The term “hypnosis” comes from the Greek word hypnos, meaning “sleep.” Hypnotherapists use exercises that bring about not sleep, but a deep relaxation and an altered state of consciousness, commonly referred to as a trance.
A person in a deeply focused state may look asleep, but they are actually aware on the subconscious level of what is being said to them, while ignoring what is going on at the conscious level (such as the noise outside the window).
Many people worry that they will be the victim of mind control and forced to do things they don’t wish to do. They hate the idea of being coerced or made to do something embarrassing and look foolish.
The truth is that even those who are the most receptive to hypnotherapy are not puppets. A hypnotherapist can’t control the person’s mind and free will. In fact, hypnosis can actually teach people how to master their own states of awareness, and by doing so, harness the ability to control their body and mind.
For example, many people resort to hypnotherapy because they have tried every other method they can think of to quit smoking or to lose weight. The fact that so many people are now using hypnotherapy to achieve that goal attests to the fact that it works.
Is Hypnosis Fact or Fiction?
Hypnosis has been used by humans for thousands of years, with the trance-like states used for rituals and religious ceremonies. Modern hypnosis in the sense that we understand it was developed in the early 20th century by an American psychiatrist call Milton H. Erickson (1901-1980). In 1958, both the American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association recognized hypnotherapy as a valid medical procedure.
Since 1995, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has recommended hypnotherapy as a treatment for chronic pain. It is now an accepted part of CAM and is becoming increasingly mainstream thanks to better training and recognized credentials for hypnotherapists.
Hypnotherapy has benefited many. It’s not a side-show attraction, but real science.
