What is hypnosis. Many hypnotists have different opinions about it, and to date no one has been able to really grasp it. Is it scientifically proven? Opinions are divided on that too. Who reigns in the hypnotic state....
Hypnosis is a separate phenomenon
In the last century, there were a number of hypnotists with quite different ideas about hypnosis. For example, you had the world-famous hypnotherapist Milton Erickson who talked about subconsciousness and consciousness. Especially the idea that the subconscious mind already has all the resources in it to make the change came from him. It was a completely different view of people since Freud, on the contrary, often saw the subconscious mind as a pool of destruction.
The subconscious mind was first discussed in 1567 by Paracelsus. A controversial doctor for the time. Later that concept was further developed by Pierre Janet and still later by Freud as a psychological application.
Erickson used the client's subconscious mind to make the change. By contacting the subconscious and influencing it, he had miraculous results.
Hypnosis by Elman
Another hypnotist was Dave Elman. He had the thesis of bypassing critical thinking and enabling selective thinking. Scientific research supports this contention more than the unconscious/conscious concept.
That study involved registering words that indicated a color with another color. For example, the word "blue" was in green and you then had to name the color. The group that had received the post-hypnotic suggestion not to register the word did a lot better.
What happens next
In the brain, two areas appear to be involved in this test: in the prefrontal lobe is a kind of crisis center that lights up when the brain is confronted with conflicting information. It's called "anterior cingulate cortex," or ACC.
The other part that shows pronounced activity is in the visual cortex, at the bottom and back of the brain. The effect of hypnosis is visible in the scan because in the control group the crisis center lights up in incongruent sets, but in participants under posthypnotic suggestion it does not. (Source: "Hypnotic suggestion reduces conflict in the human brain," PNAS)
So there is definitely a bypassing of the crisis center, which is kind of interesting. Another controversial assertion came from George Estabrooks in his book "Hypnotism
Hypnosis and Free Will
Is there free will? No, according to Estabrooks in the 1950s, there was no free will and you can hypnotize anyone. Now recent research has also shown that free will does not even exist either, but that there are 3 genes responsible for what you will do.
It involves three genes responsible for the production of dopamine, a signaling substance in the brain that produces a pleasant feeling. Two gene variants, DARPP-32 and DRD2, affect the production of dopamine in the basal ganglia, brain regions involved in the control of movements. A third gene variant - COMT - controls dopamine levels in the prefrontal cortex. This brain region is responsible, among other things, for making plans and making decisions.
If you possess the first two genes, then you are likely to avoid major changes and adjust your behavior in small steps based on previous experience. If you have the third gene, you are more likely to choose to take a leap of faith and see what it brings. (Source: Natural Science)
This is also, of course, the subject of discussion and remains an interesting one. Can you hypnotize people against their will? In my opinion no, only you can create the context so that it is no longer against someone's will. That is why it is also important as a hypnotherapist to create the context for someone to easily go into hypnosis.
Personally, I always work with contracts. Before I start, it is already set up so that I will be successful doing hypnosis. This is very important. It doesn't have to be endless speeches, but some docility is certainly desirable.
If you want to be more successful in hypnotizing it is important that you make sure someone wants to join. You can just ask and you will find that the more someone cooperates , the easier you can also reach depths such as somnambulism or deeper.
Good luck!
Astrid de Haas
on25 Apr 2012