A year ago I asked `how does hypnotism work?’ Nobody here knew, me included. Over the last year I haven’t seen anything posted to suggest we are any the wiser. Whilst it is understandable that some hypnotherapists have no interest in the mechanics of hypnotism, so long as it works and they can do it, it seems wrong, to me, to stand idly by whilst very many hypnotherapists write and teach a good deal of tosh, purporting to be about hypnotism. It’s like botanists insisting, and teaching, that this (mushroom) is a rose (because they were taught the mushroom is a rose). So I’d like to have a look at what hypnosis is (and what it isn’t).
Here are four paragraphs from the web page of an hypnotherapist and trainer (with a PhD and MCH).
“Have you ever been lost in thought as you drive along a familiar route? If you drive you probably know what I am speaking of already. You begin by getting in your car and putting on your seat belt, starting the car and pulling out on the road, so far quite conscious of what you are doing. As you drive along a familiar road your mind switches from the conscious to the inner conscious or (subconscious) as you follow that daily route. This is in fact driving while under a light state of hypnosis! Your experience may go even further on this particular day as you drive past your turn off and come to realize it several miles out of your way. I bet you can relate to this quite easily, without any stretch of the imagination. This time you were in a deeper state of hypnosis. At least this is how we explain it. You may have stared into a fire place and found that you didn’t want to stop staring at the flames. You could have stopped at any time you wish, however, you didn’t because you were in a stated focused on concentration, which is another way of explaining hypnosis. This is no mystery about what hypnosis really is.
“Hypnosis is a heightened state of awareness. Yes, a heightened state of awareness! In fact your senses become more acute while in hypnosis especially the sense of hearing! Yes, you are quite aware of your surroundings. You may hear noises in another room or cars passing by outside. If you didn’t know you would hear passing cars or phones ringing and you did you would probably no believe you were hypnotized at all. Keeping in mind we can easily conclude that “Hypnosis certainly is not sleep!!” Even though the word hypnosis in Greek means sleep. The reason that this is ancient therapy was called sleep was again misconception of another man. His name was James Braid M.D. Yes, when he began to use this as a treatment, Braid truly believed that his subjects were indeed asleep. As he continued to use this technique however, Braid was astonished as he came to realize that his subjects were not sleeping at all. Well then, what part does the hypnotist play? The answer is quite simple, the hypnotist is merely a skilled guide or teacher.
“The hypnotist has no control over his or her subject at all. Just as you drove your car and missed your turn off while in a focused state of concentration, you were in complete control of your car! You stayed in your lane and obeyed all the traffic signals! Who then is in control when the subject is hypnotized? Well of course, the subject is in control!! No one can be made to do anything while in hypnosis that he or she would not normally do in a waking state. Yes, barking dogs and clucking chickens are for show business! Not in reality. No one can be made to bark or cluck unless they want to do it! Yes there are people who have nothing to do I guess, except bark and cluck for whatever reason they may have.
“In recent years some serious research has been done with hypnosis. As a result hypnosis is no longer looked on as a bizarre or strange phenomena. In fact hypnosis has gained momentum and acceptance in the evolution of our ever changing health care system.”
I suspect there might be some people here who broadly agree with the quoted author. I know there will be many fewer who agree with me when I say that those four paragraphs could only have been written by someone who has never hypnotised anyone.
According to our good doctor, hypnosis is a state of heightened awareness, where you have no awareness of what you just did. It is a state of complete control, where you accidentally miss your turning and drive for miles not realizing it. This is gibberish.
Spontaneous amnesia (as for a bit of routine driving) is often cited as evidence of hypnosis. It is true that people sometimes have spontaneous amnesia after being hypnotised. But often they don’t, and people often remember driving along motorways. Sometimes people sneeze whilst driving and sometimes they sneeze in or after hypnosis. That doesn’t mean that sneezing is proof of hypnotism.
Heightened awareness is possible in hypnosis, but a total lack of awareness is also possible. Relaxation and excitation are both available within hypnosis. Total control and no control are, also, both possible within hypnosis. None of these phenomena defines the state of hypnosis. A hypnotee’s muscles may be relaxed, or they may be contracted. Their eyes may be open or closed, moving or still, seeing or blind. They may be awake or asleep, sitting, standing or lying down.
The only phenomenon that defines hypnotism that I am aware of is the instant and uninhibited acceptance of the hypnotist’s suggestions by the hypnotee. Of course, the fact that someone barks, or clucks, or pokes their tongue out when you tell them to, doesn’t mean they are hypnotised either. If, however, you say “In a minute I’m going to tell you to poke your tongue out and I want you to make sure you don’t. Try really hard and make sure you don’t poke your tongue out. Do you understand me?” and they then poke their tongue out when you say “tongue,” you can be reasonably sure they are hypnotised. (Notice, this is not an Ericksonian ‘try to do something and find you cannot,’ where the ‘find you cannot’ is a direct suggestion, and the rest is misdirection. This is just an instruction to the hypnotee that they stop you making them do what you say. And notice also that you do not then have to say `poke your tongue out’ as the suggestion; “tongue” is sufficient. They already know what’s coming.)
I do not see any connection between the uninhibited and instant response of an hypnotee to suggestion, and being `lost in thought’. Hypnosis isn’t about daydreaming, any more than swimming is about taking a shower.
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