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What is Hypnotism (First Installment)
I’m not sure that any doctor, psychiatrist or scientist of any standing in the world today would risk his reputation by denying the existence of hypnosis and the reality of its phenomena; nobody can say exactly what it is. Even though most of us today are “swamped” with information access; yet, there are still many ignorant and foolish people who are prepared to scoff at hypnosis and degrade its usefulness. Even the hardened skeptics, however, can’t explain away the reality of the trance.
The fact that nobody really knows the true nature of hypnosis certainly doesn’t take away from its strong usefulness. After all, no one knows the true nature of sleep or electricity, but I think few would deny their value.
One thing is very certain: there is nothing ‘occult’ about hypnotherapy. It should be unnecessary to stress this fact in these days of science and progress, but it is astonishing how many otherwise intelligent and educated people regard the practice of hypnotherapy as an esoteric cult.
Undoubtedly, the trance state does appear weird to those who do not understand it; and in early Christian times it became associated with the idea of witchcraft and magic. Sensational stories of the Svengali type, even though having no foundation in fact, helped to cause the credulous public to regard it with superstitious awe. So great is the force of suggestion that even many medical men who have never studied the subject, or even witnessed hypnosis, will unhesitatingly condemn it.
Such an attitude of mind is all the more remarkable when it is considered that the pioneers of hypnotism have all been fully qualified and highly respected medical men. There is vast literature on the subject and considerable research has been carried out by reputable scientists working quietly in their laboratories. Their painstaking work has added greatly to our knowledge of the nature of hypnosis and exploded many of the old beliefs.
One of these exploded myths is the popular belief that hypnosis is sleep. Although hypnosis may be induced by suggestions of sleep and sleep may be turned into hypnosis, and hypnosis may turn into sleep, all scientific tests show the trance is more like the waking state than ordinary sleep.
For example, anyone who is ordinarily asleep will not respond to stimuli in the same way in which a hypnotized subject will. Usually, if spoken to, a person who is asleep will not respond; but a hypnotized client can hear better than usual, and will carry out even a whispered command. In some cases it is possible to get a response from a sleeping person by repeatedly speaking to him, but in this case the ordinary sleep has changed into hypnosis.
Again, in ordinary sleep a person is unconscious of his surroundings; but when in hypnosis, the subject knows perfectly well where he is and what is happening. If he has been deeply hypnotized, there may be loss of memory regarding what happened in the trance, especially if the Hypnotherapist has suggested this; and as a result such a subject imagines he did not know what was happening during hypnosis. Of course, it doesn’t take much more than a moment’s thought to convince anyone that even in the deepest hypnosis, the subject must be able to hear every word spoken by the Hypnotherapist in order to carry out his commands.
Another difference is that in ordinary sleep certain reflexes such as the knee jerk are diminished or abolished, whereas in hypnosis they are the same as in the waking state.
Scientific tests which record the action of the heart and lungs show the hypnotic state is more like normal consciousness than ordinary sleep.
Brain waves, as measured by special instruments, are characteristic of those in the waking state. Another scientific test, which shows hypnosis is definitely not sleep, makes use of the psycho-galvanic reflex. This test depends upon the fact that the resistance of the body to a small amount of electric current varies under the influence of emotion. Normally, it is about 5000 ohms in the waking state; and if some stimulus is applied to the body, say a prick with a pin, the resistance falls to perhaps 4000 ohms and then rises back to normal. In ordinary sleep, the resistance may rise as high as 50,000 ohms, but in hypnosis it is 5,000 ohms—the same as in the waking state.
It is very important that this difference between hypnosis and sleep are recognized. Due to the fact that hypnosis is often produced by suggestions of sleep, and hypnotized persons are usually seen with their eyes closed and so appear to be asleep, the general public practically always considers hypnosis to be sleep. Got It?!
Clients are nearly always surprised by the fact they can hear the Hypnotherapist speaking while they are hypnotized. As I have said in other articles, it is not uncommon in the light and medium stages for the client to say, “You know, I don’t think I was really under. I could hear everything you said.” They say this in spite of the fact they have been sitting perfectly still, sometimes in an awkward position, without moving a muscle for anywhere between 3/4 of an hour to a full hour and more—a condition which would normally be impossible in the waking state.
Such misconceptions regarding hypnosis can cause deep disappointment which could detract from the value of the treatment. Therefore, you will always be carefully explained (among other teachings) at Purpose Driven Hypnotherapy that hypnosis is not ordinary sleep, and that you as a client will and indeed must hear the Hypnotherapist speaking all the time. If the Hypnotherapist stops speaking to a client for any length of time, the trance will turn into ordinary sleep, and the client will wake after a short period of time, from a few minutes to an hour or slightly more.
There is never any danger of remaining permanently in a trance, which many people seem to fear. The client should expect to feel merely in a pleasant, drowsy state as though half asleep and half awake, and he will on no account be unconscious. Finally, I will point out that some people pass into a deep trance very easily even at the first attempt and such people may forget some or all of the events in trance; in which case they would not remember hearing the suggestions. But, memory of the session will be recovered within a short period of time.
Enough has been said to show that hypnosis is most definitely not ordinary sleep; and so now we should consider briefly some of the other well-known theories. The first of these I will mention (even though it has already been condemned) is that of Charcot. As the result of some highly unscientific work with grossly hysterical patients, the great French neurologist reached the extraordinary conclusion that only hysterical people could be hypnotized. This should not be even be considered as a remotely possible explanation of hypnosis, unless we consider 85% to 90% of all people are hysterical. Strangely enough, there are even some people today who hold this Whack-o opinion, and in some cases even an incompetent psychiatrist or psychologist has been said to exclaim, “Oh, so-and-so should be a good hypnotic subject - she’s hysterical.” Ah yes, and maybe aferwards we should do some blood-letting.
The absolute fact of the matter is, the easiest subject to hypnotize is a perfectly normal, healthy person; and while some hysterical cases are easy, others may prove very difficult and would be considered beyond the scope of the Hypnotherapist.
Just as with the sleep theory, it is important that clients should recognize the falseness of Charcot’s claims. Nobody likes to be labeled hysterical; and if the client believes that only hysterical and weak-willed people can be hypnotized, then this attitude of mind is likely to result in resistance to treatment.
Another favoite theory is that of ‘dissociation.’ Here, it is supposed that the conscious mind is split off from the subconscious during hypnosis. As the conscious mind is more and more suppressed, the subconscious comes more and more to the surface, as it were, and takes over control of the individual. When the conscious mind has been entirely suppressed, then there is no memory for events in the trance. This is sometimes popular with the lay public, who in recent years (primarily from popular books on psychology, newspaper articles and psychological films) has become very ‘subconscious-minded’! Practically every patient expects to become unconscious while the subconscious mind receives suggestions from the hypnotist, and to wake up with no memory of events of the trance.
Unfortunately, there are several well-known facts which kill this fat-headed and simple theory. One is that consciousness is retained in the trance and subjects are able to think and reason. Even though deeply’asleep’ in the hypnotic sense, they can, and often do, refuse to carry out suggestions with which they do not agree.
Loss of memory for events in the trance sometime follows deep hypnosis, especially if suggested by the Hypnotherapist; but, such clients will, of course, eventually remember the events of the trance.
Even when there is apparent loss of memory, this can be immediately removed by suggestion; and, further, scientific tests have proven the loss of memory is more artificial than real. I feel it is important to explain to all clients that amnesia for events in the trance is not essential for success. Otherwise, because they have heard the Hypnotherapist speaking and remember most of what has happened, they are likely to feel disappointed in some way. Such feelings of disappointment may, in certain cases, act as counter-suggestion and so tend to undo some of the good which has been done.
A few people have attempted to explain hypnosis as a conditioned reflex. However, to set up a conditioned relex, a period of training is necesssary, as Pavlov’s famous experiment with a dog shows. By ringing a bell each time the dog was fed, Pavlov caused it to associate the sound of the bell with food. After a time, by merely ringing the bell, without any food, he was able to cause a flow af saliva in the dog’s mouth.
In a similar fashion it was supposed the suggestions of the Hypnotherapist would ‘ring the bell’ in the patient’s mind and so cause the condition of hypnosis to appear. The fact that it is often possible to induce hypnosis very rapidly even at the first attempt, and without any previous training of any sort, disproves this theory.
Another theory considers that hypnosis results from brain fatigue following the strain of listening to sleep suggestions of some monotonous stimulus such as a metronome. Some methods, as will be discussed in later installments of this article, do aim at tiring the senses; but in many cases hypnosis can be produced very quickly and easily without any previous straining.
Evidently this brain fatigue is not necessary and cannot explain hypnosis, especially as in hypnosis the senses are often exalted and thinking improved.
