subject: Is Hypnosis Effective For Symptom Removal? [print this page] Hypnosis was accepted by the American Medical Association in 1958 as an effective approach for treating nervous strain and stress related symptoms. Does it actually work? And what should you consider critical when looking for a hypnotist, or buying hypnosis tapes?
There are many assorted hypnotic methodologies that are used to reach the subconscious mind to invoke change. Each method has its good points and its bad points. We are all different, so it makes sense that the best results will be obtained by utilizing the methods that each individual will react favorably to.
Most companies that sell hypnosis CD's and tapes offer programs that consist of standard traditional hypnosis techniques. A few hypnosis vendors offer much more up-to-the-minute and effective Ericksonian hypnosis techniques. And fewer still offer Neuro-Linguistic Programming techniques.
The newest and by far the most powerful methodology is video hypnosis. Video hypnosis relies on the latest Neuro-Linguistic Programming mind processes to cause instant change in an individual. Video hypnosis methods are not subliminal in nature.
With "Traditional Hypnosis," we simply make suggestions to the subconscious mind mind. In case you are wondering, as far as I'm concerned, the term unconscious and subconscious are interchangeable - they refer to the same part of the mind. This type of self-hypnosis works well for someone who generally accepts what he/she is told.
Most hypnosis programs sold today are based on "Traditional Hypnosis" techniques. This reason is it really doesn't take much knowledge to create a script and just instruct a subject to do something. Unfortunately Traditional Suggestion Therapy is not very efficient for people who are critical or analytical in their thought processes.
By contrast, Ericksonian Hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming techniques work more effectively for most people today! This is because today individuals are taught to analyze everything they hear, rather than just follow the flock. So these methods do work efficiently on people who are critical in their thought processes.
These techniques are much more effective at reaching and influencing the subconscious mind. However, it can take many years of training, study, and most of all experience to learn how to apply these techniques with success. This is a chore that is only accepted by truly dedicated hypno-therapists.
With "Ericksonian Hypnosis," we use little stories, called hypnotic metaphors, to present post-hypnotic suggestions to the subconscious mind. This is a powerful technology, because it usually eliminates the resistance to suggestions that is often caused by the conscious mind. There are two types of metaphors, "Isomorphic," and those of the imbedded command or "interspersal" nature.
Isomorphic metaphors offer guidance to the subconscious mind by telling a story that has a moral. The subconscious mind draws a one to one relationship between the elements of the story and the elements of a problem situation. For example, if a child is telling a lot of lies, the parent might tell the child the story about the "Boy who cried wolf." The subconscious mind would draw a comparison between the boy in the story and the child, and realize that telling lies could lead to disaster, so the child would probably stop lying.
With the Embedded Command technique, the hypno-therapist conveys an enlightening story that engages the conscious mind. The metaphor contains hidden direct suggestions that are almost always accepted by the subconscious mind. For example: during the time that the subject is in the hypnotic state, he might hear the hypno-therapist say something like: I'm going to tell you a story about ...[a beach that has feelings. Isn't that] ...strange to... [you]? It's a warm summer's day, and... the beach [feels great].
The hypnotist pauses, shifts his voice tonality, and verbally stresses the bracketed text. The subconscious mind recognizes a "Selectional restriction violation." Beaches can't have feelings. So it's like the subconscious mind says to itself: "Wait a minute, a beach can't feel anything, so that must mean that I'm supposed to feel great."
Since the suggestions are submerged in a story that is misdirecting the conscious mind, it is not very likely that the conscious will realize that it has just received a post-hypnotic command, so it won't resist it.
Process Instructions direct the subconscious mind to find a memory of an appropriate learning experience from the past where something appropriate was learned, and then apply that experience to eliminate bad behaviors in the present.
With "Neuro-Linguistic Programming" (NLP), rather than using suggestions, we use the same thought processes that are creating a problem, like feelings of stress, to get rid of the symptom. NLP in the hands of a trained therapist can be very effective.
NLP Anchoring: Have you ever heard an old song and had it recreate feelings from the past? When you originally heard the song, you were feeling those feelings, and they subconsciously became attached to the sound of the music. So the song became an Anchor for the feelings. Now when you hear the song, it triggers the same feelings again.
Anchoring can be a very effective method. Suppose that you have a memory of being commended for having done a great job in the past. If you get back inside of that memory, you'll be able to revivify the feelings of self-esteem that you had at that time. If you touch two fingers together while you re-experience those feelings of self-esteem, that touch will become an anchor for the feelings of self-esteem.
Now suppose that you want to create motivation to stick to a diet and lose weight. If you make a mental image of yourself with a thin, sexy body, and simultaneously trigger the anchor - (press the two fingers together again), your subconscious mind will associate the feelings of self-esteem to your image of you with the thin body and your level of motivation to lose weight will increase dramatically.
NLP Flash: This is a very powerful Neuro-Linguistic Programming method that can be used to turn things around in the subconscious mind, so that thoughts and experiences that used to trigger feelings of stress actually trigger relaxation instead.
The NLP Flash method is also a fast way to obliterate a conditioned response. For example: If a smoker has a cigarette while drinking coffee, his/her subconscious mind will pair the two behaviors together so that he/she automatically gets a strong compulsion for a cigarette anytime he/she has a cup of coffee. The Flash will cause the smoker's mind to disconnect the image of a cigarette from the cup of coffee so that he/she does NOT get an compulsion to smoke just because he/she is drinking coffee.
With "Subliminal" methods, the recording has two tracks. One track contains a cover sound that is heard by the conscious mind. The cover sound could be anything from music to nature sounds. The number two track contains direct suggestions that are listened to by the subconscious mind mind. These suggestions are repeated hundreds of times during a session.
Subliminal programs can play in the background while you are working, or talking or partisipating in any other activity. You don't have to stop what you are doing and relax like you do with hypnosis CD's. Subliminals can be an addition to hypnotherapy programs. But Subliminals will never replace Hypnosis or NLP because they are not as effective! They are not even in the same universe!! Some studies have claimed that it can take up to 80 hours of listening to a subliminal CD before it will have any effect on many people.
The last hypnotic technique that we're going to talk about is Video Hypnosis. Video hypnosis is the most effective form of hypnosis!
The techniques used in video hypnosis are based on the Neuro-Linguistic Programming technology, which works based on the utilization of a person's existing thought processes instead of direct suggestions.
Over 70% of the population learns more quickly by seeing, rather then by hearing.
Think about it. If you feel an compulsion to eat or smoke when watching television, it's because your subconscious recorded the video image of either food in your hand, or a cigarette in your hand, and then linked that image to an image of the TV. You never spoke to yourself and told yourself in words to associate them together, true?
And that's why the Video Hypnosis method is so powerful and effective. It's not hypnotic in the traditional sense, relying on the spoken word; rather, it relies on transmitting images to the subconscious mind. And if you've ever cried when watching a sad movie, then you know how powerful video hypnosis can be at reaching the subconscious mind. With this technique, results usually start with the very first viewing of the video!
The Video Hypnosis technique is marketed under the tradename of Neuro-VISION. It reprograms the subconscious mind using a high-tech digital process. This frees you of your compulsions, urges, and tensions and allows someone who smokes to stop without effort, and a dieter to lose their compulsions and appetite. Results start with the very first viewing!
