Has Anyone Here Had Any Experiences With Hypnotherapy?

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Permalink Reply by Dom on January 23, 2009 at 3:46am

HI Jon, in answer to your question, no I have'nt had any experience with Hynotherapy. As a clinical Hynotherapist can you share your thoughts with me about the benefits and also the susceptibilty needed to be hypnotized. Do people need to believe they can be hypnotized first? Has it had any bearing on your belief system? Do you have any views on whether the mind exists outside of the brain?
I would be interested for you to expand on your thoughts about hynotherapy
Thanks Jon
regads Dom

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Permalink Reply by Jon Rhodes on January 23, 2009 at 4:24am

Hi Dom. There is a lot of misrepresentation about hypnotherapy in the media. This misrepresentation then gets spread by word of mouth. It may surprise you to learn that hypnosis is very similar to meditation, and most people go into a trance several times a day. The times when you are engrossed in a book, TV program, or a film are examples of a natural hypnotic 'trance'. That is why so much money is spent on TV advertising - we are in a more suggestible state when in a trance.

What this means is that our conscious minds are quietened, allowing suggestions to be more easily absorbed by the unconscious mind. In a hypnotic session for smoking cessation, I am more able to convince someone not to smoke again, than I am able to do so when they are not in a trance. So yes, pretty much everyone can be hypnotised. However most cannot be hypnotised to the level of believing they are Elvis Presley for example.

Us clinical hypnotherapists prefer to say we 'guide' someone into a trance. A subject must allow themselves to trance out. It is very much a skill on the part of the subject to get their minds into that state. A person can usually achieve deeper levels of trance the more they have experienced hypnosis. A hypnotherapist only helps them get there. You can hypnotise yourself, but this does take a bit of practice. So a person does need to believe to some point, or at least be open to the possibility of hypnosis, otherwise they will not properly try to go into trance.

I suppose the biggest bearing it has had on my belief system is about how powerful the unconscious mind is. If we allow ourselves to use this part of the mind more, our abilities significantly improve. I don't know if you are a fan of football (soccer!), but I have seen so many times when a player has so much time to take a shot at goal that they have too long to think. This sometimes causes them to start accessing their conscious mind, and they make a huge mistake, missing completely. When they have less time to think consciously, they have to rely on their unconscious mind, which is more powerful, and they usually react with more grace and accuracy. When someone is in 'the zone', that is when they are accessing their most powerful unconscious part of their mind. I have found that practicing hypnotherapy has helped me be more able to access this state of mind.

I think the mind exists outside of the brain only in a metaphorical sense. Our thoughts can, and usually do, travel through time and space. By this I mean we might be thinking of what we did last week, or thinking about a place that we have not visited for a while. In a trance I am easily able to visualise in quite a bit of detail a room that I am familiar with. However there is no conclusive evidence that I am aware of that your mind is actually there in a 'real' sense. If you were to move an object without me knowing I would not 'see' that it has moved. However I am open to the possibility of their being more to it than this! What are your thoughts on this Dom?

Some interesting questions you have asked Dom. I hope these answers help with your understanding of hypnosis. There is a video of a free hypnosis session on my profile page if you want to experience hypnosis for yourself. There is also another session I have posted on YouTube, which can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s8qZKpLXaU&feature=channel_page If you do try these Dom, let me know how you get on.

Hope this helps

Jon Rhodes
HypnoBusters

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Permalink Reply by Dom on January 24, 2009 at 1:05pm

HI Jon. First of all thank you for your response. I would like to comment on one part if you don't mind, paragraph 5. It has long been an interest of mine stemming from philosophy, as to the interaction (if any) between body and mind. You could say that such questions can lead to ruminations more in the realms of Psychology. My own meditations on this subject have led me to all sorts of hypothesis but the one that sticks with me most is the thought that the mind is not located at all in the brain. I think of the brain more as an interpreter for the mind. For sake of brevity; the mind acts on the brain,which in turn acts on the physical body through the nervous system, which in turn performs the action willed by the mind. Fanciful, or simply one of many hypothesis. This is an hypothesis very much my own, dreamed up many years ago and as it transpires independently of Location theory of mind which I believe follows similar lines. It would be interesting whether someone with your background could be persuaded to see the mind this way. Although the above hypothesis could be taken to be meta-physical, etiologically speaking it still seems the more workable hypothesis out of the many that take one side ( physiological) or the other ( airy fairy non physical) It seems to me that it is possible that there can be interaction between mental and physical, if the brain can act as an interpreter( for want of a better word!! ) What do you think ?

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Permalink Reply by Jon Rhodes on January 28, 2009 at 4:04am

It is an interesting take on how the mind, brain and body interact Dom. I am always open to change my views on anything, but I do believe in fairly conclusive evidence before changing my mind conclusively. I am though, willing to accept this as a possibility.

It may or may not be possible to conclusive prove such a theory. Regardless of this, it is an interesting view point, and one which could probably be developed as a tool to explain all sorts of phenomena, such as life after death and out of body experiences etc.

From your model Dom, I would like to ask this. Presumably someone suffering from brain damage would have problems interpreting their mind through their brain? What about someone suffering from minor mental illnesses that are treatable? Where does the problem lie with someone suffering from depression, is it in the mind, the brain, or both?

The reason I ask this is that as a clinical hypnotherapist I treat minor mental issues such as addictions, obsessions, phobias etc. In your model, what would I be treating, the mind or the brain?

Another question that springs to mind (or brain!) is where does our knowledge and wisdom come from, and where is it stored? Do we learn throughout our lives and store it in the mind or brain, or has this knowledge always been in our mind, and is passed to our brain throughout life?


Jon Rhodes
HypnoBusters

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Permalink Reply by Dom on January 31, 2009 at 4:23pm

HI Jon, Wow!! we have created a hornets nest. There are a few very valid points in your reply. In all though I would suggest that your reply highlights one vary salient point - The difficulty. Of course like many hypotheses there are no ready answers and mine is guilty of this. The problem itself is the very nature of the mind. As a clinical hypnotherapist you would of course be able to support this statement I am sure. It may be easier to suggest any patient who was suffering from what could be termed an abnormal condition say schizophrenia could more easily be seen as having a problem with their brain and perhaps this model could be used as a tool. When it comes to phobias for example which may be a nuisance but not necessarily a mental disorder in the same vein as schiozophrenia it may be more difficult to use this model I agree. Of course we can only hypothesise on this unless we have clear evidence. Here's a thought Jon, when a surgeon performs an operation on the brain they have the power to cause the patient unwilled actions. For example I watched such an operation on a lady who was asked to count and keep counting till told to stop, whilst she counted the surgeon manipulated a part of the brain and she froze on 3, this was held for say 10 seconds and then the surgeon released it, 13 , 14 . 15 etc. Now my model could be used to explain this, simply the brain was not interpreting the counting; performed by the mind,(the mind) external to the physiology which was still counting regardless of the surgery. Admittedly I do not have ready answers for your reply but rest assured your questions have raised questions in me. Be sure that I will endeavour to shape my views by corresponding with people such as you Jon.
Regards
Dom

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