Taking the Mystery Out of Hypnosis as a Therapy Tool
People have mixed reactions when they hear the word “hypnosis.”
Some are immediately intrigued, some dismiss it as a “bunch of bologna,” and some have seen it performed on stage and view it as a form of comedic mind control. It is a longstanding practice that is often shrouded in mystery but if you just hang tight, I’m about to shine some light on this effective and intriguing therapeutic tool.
What is clinical hypnosis?
The Society of Psychological Hypnosis, Division 30 of the American Psychological Association, defines hypnosis as a “state of consciousness involving focused attention and reduced peripheral awareness characterized by an enhanced capacity in response to suggestion.”
But what does this actually mean? Hypnosis is the process of eliciting a trance and offering suggestions to the unconscious mind. Trance is a natural brain phenomenon that we experience throughout every day of our lives.
A common example of trance is when you are driving home and realize that you are approaching your interstate exit but don’t quite remember how you got there. You were lost in your mind, internally focused, with reduced awareness of what was going on around you. When we are in this state of mind, the conscious part of our mind that is often chattering and analyzing things fades into the background. The unconscious part of our mind, the quieter part that has access to all of our memories, wisdom, and abilities is now in the foreground. Our unconscious or subconscious mind is much more open to suggestion — and this is where clinical hypnosis comes into play.
Once we are in a trance, a skilled therapist can offer suggestions to help us reach our therapeutic goals. For example:
● If I am working with a client who struggles with anxiety, I might suggest they imagine a control room with levers and dials that allow them to adjust the intensity of their emotions, and then encourage them to practice lowering the lever that manages their anxiety.
● If I am working with a client who is having trouble finding motivation to do tasks, I might suggest they picture themselves doing the tasks, how good they will feel afterward, and that they will now find it easier to take action.
The incredible thing about the unconscious mind is that it will only take in and use suggestions that it wants to use. If I suggest something that is unhelpful, irrelevant, or confusing, your mind will choose to ignore it by either not following or simply not hearing it at all. Hypnosis is not mind control. You are in control 100% of the time and can even choose to end the trance whenever you like.
Hypnosis sessions often feel like a deeper form of meditation. It is common to feel relaxed during the experience and calm and refreshed afterward, but each person’s experience of trance is different. Like all therapeutic interventions, people have different degrees of responsiveness to hypnosis. On one end of the spectrum, some clients enter a deep trance easily and experience a very powerful response in only one session. On the other end, some clients have a mild response in the first handful of sessions and take a while to learn the skill of going into trance. Most people fall in the middle where they are able to experience a light to moderate trance fairly easily, and with practice their experience intensifies.
Mental and physical benefits of clinical hypnosis
Hypnosis can be used as a standalone treatment to tackle a specific issue, but it’s often incorporated with multiple other therapeutic interventions. In my practice I most often use it in conjunction with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help clients more deeply internalize new thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
People seek out hypnosis perhaps because they have heard about it helping a specific condition or their therapist may suggest it. Here are examples of areas where clinical hypnosis is used at Hello Mental Health.
Overcoming fears
Working through traumas
Preparing for anxiety-provoking medical procedures
Anxiety and stress management
Depression
Improving health behaviors
Improving focus, motivation, and self-discipline
Improving self-talk
Increasing self-compassion
How is it actually used?
There are numerous ways a practitioner can elicit or induce trance, many of which are similar to guided meditations. Often the practitioner will encourage a client to get physically comfortable by settling into their chair and slowing down the rate of breath, and then suggest that the client bring their focus to something specific- whether it be the breath, an image, or perhaps a physical sensation.
The therapist will encourage a deepening of the trance by using specific phrases or images (i.e. “with each ‘out’ breath you notice yourself settling in even more, becoming even more comfortable”). When the therapist notices indicators of trance like eye fluttering, swallowing, and relaxed face and jaw, the therapist may then start introducing therapeutic suggestions.
Each practitioner is going to differ in when they introduce the idea of hypnosis and how much of the session is spent in trance. With me, I start with some education on what it is and how it works, then answer any questions or concerns that arise. If the client is interested in proceeding, we practice two or three “mini trances” in session and I record each one for the client to listen to between sessions.
In future sessions, we begin each session with a check in, spend the first 25-30 minutes of the session focused on one topic (i.e. fear of conflict) and then the next 10-15 minutes in trance with suggestions related to the same topic. The last 5-10 minutes are spent debriefing the experience and making sure the client is fully alert by the end of the session. I always provide a recording of the trance for the client to listen to between sessions.
How do I find a qualified therapist who uses hypnosis?
What a great question! There are many organizations that offer brief trainings and then give therapists a certificate — this does not necessarily mean that the therapist is competent to use a certain therapeutic intervention. My first recommendation is to look for therapists who have been trained through one of the organizations supported by the American Psychological Association: The ASCH, the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (SCEH), or the Milton H. Erickson Foundation.
My second recommendation is to search for therapists that advertise use of hypnosis and inquire directly about their training and supervision. A great indicator of their experience is if they have received multiple trainings and supervision from a qualified expert versus a one-day training.
Keeping an open mind to your overall well-being
Clinical hypnosis is an effective tool for many people and is not nearly as mysterious as it is portrayed in the media. It is simply harnessing a natural brain phenomenon to help you reach your therapeutic goals more quickly- and who doesn’t want that! If you haven’t considered it before, I hope this article helped dispel some myths and open your mind to this powerful tool.
