Spotlight on Hypnotherapy

Next time you decide to go to work by public transport, visit your local shopping centre, work out at your fitness studio or even sip coffee as you’re talking with your friend, you’ll notice downward-turning heads hypnotised by a myriad of digital paraphernalia. The stream of souls silently gazing at their screens is what clinical hypnotherapists would note as the initial stages of trance. These trance states can be induced through any point of focus, such as a visual object (and yes, the iPhone is far more effective than a swinging pendulum) or sound. It basically enables the brain to elicit lower brainwave states (alpha and theta), which are associated with suggestibility and learning.

Maybe you think that this can’t be so since you’re focused on so many things every single day. While it’s understandable that your mind is trying to analyse your various states of trance during the day, perhaps you can consider this to be a good thing since you’re open to learning. In these deeply relaxed states, a qualified (and I adamantly stress this point) hypnotherapist can offer specific suggestions to help you. It might be worth noting that anything not fully understood can generate fear. In order to dispel the fears, we can discuss the growing evidence of the use of hypnosis in a clinical setting for the relief of chronic pain, the treatment of phobias, anxiety or other unhelpful behaviours.

The more I delved into the history of hypnosis, the more I realised how beneficial it can be as an adjunct therapy in a treatment plan. Various key elements of hypnosis, such as the trance state, have been part of diverse religious ceremonies for eons. Consider the regular timing of drum beats (activating alpha brainwave patterns), clapping, closing your eyes whilst praying, repetitive chants, and so on. 

Hypnosis in the clinical setting, however, has evolved only over the last few hundred years and is still morphing into a modality increasingly scrutinised. In Europe and in the US, it is an acceptable practice in numerous clinical settings, such as anaesthetising dental patients who cannot tolerate various drugs.

In the West, the use of hypnosis began in the late 1700s with Dr Franz Mesmer, an Austrian doctor who used its principles to heal many of his patients through his concept of ‘animal magnetism.’ Later, in the mid-1800s, a Scottish neurosurgeon named James Braid coined the term ‘hypnosis’ and described it as a form of prolonged attention that induced a trance state. 

In the late 1800s, it was used and passed from surgeons to mental health professionals and was rediscovered in the early 1900s for its ability to provide pain relief to severely injured soldiers during World War II. In 1955, the British Medical Association recommended that it be taught in medical schools, and in 1958, the American Medical Association approved it. So why are we lagging in Australia?

The reasons are simply this: it’s been linked with stage hypnosis, which is an exaggerated view of hypnosis for entertainment purposes. In this setting, the hypnotist is viewed as having magical powers to sway a captivated audience. Nothing could be further away from the truth with respect to clinical hypnosis, which, incidentally, is not a quick fix. The participants are not ‘zapped’; instead, as with the placebo effect, if a person expects to be controlled by an external power, she willingly lets go of her responsibility and succumbs to someone else’s suggestions. The misconception is that the hypnotist is doing all the work.

In contrast to the perceived mind control effects of stage hypnosis, hypnotherapy aims to show the client that she has control over her own mind for the purpose of alleviating pain or other unhelpful behaviours. If you’re considering this type of service, I urge you to check the therapist’s qualifications, currency, and whether they are affiliated with governing bodies that maintain standards.

Depending on the type of treatment sought, only certain professionals can administer it. For example, a client seeking help for irritable bowel syndrome can only be seen by a FODMAP trained individual in addition to their hypnotherapy training. Other clients with a history of mental illness, such as severe depressive disorder, need to be referred to a clinical psychologist. As evidence grows for its use, clinical hypnotherapy may become as common as acupuncture, which, interestingly, was also viewed with suspicion when introduced to the West many years ago.

Milton Erikson, a prominent American psychotherapist during the turn of the 20th century and on whom the permissive approach to hypnotherapy was based, used his own disability, polio, colour blindness and tone deafness, to improve outcomes. This style of hypnosis is conversational, that of developing a relationship and fostering trust. Anyone can download any type of script online these days. What people crave and need is someone who can really listen to them and address their needs strategically to help them reach their goals.

Statistics form the site ‘Professional Hypnotherapists of Australia Inc,’ state that hypnotherapy has an approximate 80% success rate for the cessation of smoking, is 90% more effective than cognitive behavioural therapy for keeping weight off, reduces the frequency of migraines, speeds up recovery from surgery, is a compelling tool for pain management as well as a tool for raising confidence and performance. With an alarming yearly increase in anxiety in Australia, one in four people experience this condition, and one in five children experience learning difficulties in school, we can keep an open mind (no pun intended) about its emergence as a viable and drug-free option for our and our loved ones well-being.