Hypnotherapy

Sarah is closing her eyes smelling flowers up against a window

My interest in hypnotherapy developed when I had been a clinical naturopath for a few years, and I started to become fascinated with human behaviour. Many of my clients come to me to help them with their gut problems and mood support. I soon started to question why some people were more compliant with their treatment plans than others. Or why did some of my clients end up self sabotaging themselves or go back to their old behaviours?

Generally, your behaviour is due to past experiences, beliefs, environment and fears of your subconscious. Your conscious mind makes your decisions that you are aware of, whereas your subconscious and unconscious mind contain the parts that we can’t see. Sigmund Freud developed the ‘Iceberg Analogy’ to describe the parts of your mind and how they are represented visually as an iceberg.

HOW HYPNOTHERAPY WORKS IN CHANGING BEHAVIOUR

Have you ever driven your car to work (or any other regular destination) and thought at the end of your journey ‘I can’t remember much of the journey!’

It’s as though you are in autopilot. This is also called a trance state.

Hypnotherapy occurs when your ‘state of consciousness involving focused attention and reduced peripheral awareness characterised by an enhanced capacity for response to suggestion’ (Yapko, 2019).

Hmmmm…..so what does this mean??

YOUR BRAIN FUNCTIONS IN 5 DIFFERENT FREQUENCIES:

  • Beta (14-40Hz)- Waking conscious state. This frequency enables logic and reasoning, and can also facilitate anxiety, fear and stress.

  • Alpha (7.5-14Hz)- Present in deep relaxation, such as a day dream or light meditation. Also referred to the gateway of your subconscious mind

  • Theta (4-7.5Hz)- Present during deep meditation, light sleep and hypnosis. Research has shown that it is during this brain wave frequency and even alpha frequency that hypnosis is effective. In this wave frequency you are more open to suggestion and ideas that can change your behaviour and give you insight to create positive change in your life.

  • Delta (0.5-4Hz)- Deep sleep wave. This is experienced in dreamless sleep, deep transcendental meditation and hypnosis states. Important for the healing process to occur.

  • Gamma (40Hz) - The fastest of the frequency waves. Related to fast information processing.

COMMON MYTHS OF HYPNOTHERAPY:

  • You will loose control of your mind and thoughts

  • You will ‘go’ to another place

  • You will act like a chicken (or any other behavior that you don’t want to do!)

  • With hypnosis, you just wave a magic wand and all your issues will magically disappear!

  • Hypnosis isn’t real

THE GOOD NEWS?

They are all just myths!

Unfortunately stage hypnosis has given clinical hypnosis a bad wrap. Yes, the people are acting in ways that will make you laugh and they shout and sing for no reason…but there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes for this to happen. Firstly, the people on stage have been ‘screened’ to measure their suggestibility to hypnosis.

Yep, you heard correctly. There are various measures that a hypnotherapist can do to determine if a person will respond to hypnosis more than others. Lastly, the people that put their hand up to these events WANT to be hypnotised and are not wall flowers…

The wonderful aspect of hypnosis is that you will NOT behave, act or respond to any of the hypnotherapists ideas or suggestions unless they align with your own ideals and values.

TRADITIONAL OR ERICKSONIAN?

There are 2 types of hypnotherapy techniques that can be used therapy. Traditional uses a direct approach and is often scripted. This method gives a ‘direct’ instruction to the client with no choice e.g. ‘You will close your eyes now’.

Whereas the Ericksonian method has been established by Milton Erickson, a pioneer hypnotherapist during his time. His technique used an in-direct approach, where the client would be given ‘choices’. Erickson also used the use of metaphors and story telling during his hypnotherapy sessions. Treatments and sessions are individualised and use the client’s own resources and strengths for success.

My teaching has been taught using the Ericksonian method and I use a trauma informed approach.

HYPNOSIS CAN HELP YOU WITH:

  • Anxiety

  • Stress

  • Self esteem

  • Procrastination

  • GUT health (IBS & SIBO)

  • Pain

  • Smoking

  • Behavioural changes

references

Brain Waves & Hypnosis, M1 Psychology, https://m1psychology.com/brain-waves-and-hypnosis/, date accessed 11/02/21

McLeod, Samuel. 2015, Freud & the unconscious mind, https://www.simplypsychology.org/unconscious-mind.html, date accessed 11/02/21

Yapko, Michael. 2019, Trancework-An introduction to the practice of Clinical Hypnosis 5th ed. Routledge, New York, pg. 7