The Holistic Guide to Hypnotherapy: The Essential Guide for Consciousness Engineers Volume 1

By Steve Webster C.Ht

The Holistic Guide to Hypnotherapy is the most comprehensive and detailed guide to hypnotherapy yet. The essence of hypnotherapy appears in a fluid light, interspersed with information, graphics, interesting points, famous quotes, and humorous memes. Detailed guides to the steps of hypnotherapy, therapies, modalities, and alternate health options help both the novice and the professional. Most hypnotists cannot hypnotize 60 percent of the population, and this book teaches you how to. Your subconscious mind can never be ill, and in this regard, the book concludes with teaching you how to be a consciousness engineer and create the existence you desire and deserve.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Mar 29, 2017
• ISBN: 9781504356848

Steve Webster C.Ht

Steve Webster was born in the UK in 1965, grew up in South Africa, and now lives with his wife Tracy in Thousand Oaks California. He has been many things in this life including entrepreneur, adventurer, soldier, traveler, company founder, company executive, pilot, and investor - but by far the most interesting adventure was that of hypnotism, and hypnotherapy in particular. An Honors graduate of the august Hypnotherapy Motivation Institute, he eats, sleeps and breathes anything ‘trance’ related. He became aware of the incredible self-power each person possesses, and likes to share that information with anybody who will listen (and a few who won’t!). He has appeared on Hypnosis TV, and is a regular contributor to hypnosis media. He is the inventor of ‘Consciousness Engineering’, holds an MBA degree from Heriott-Watt University in Edinburgh, and a whole bunch of weird certificates that live in a box in his study. He is the founder and owner of Thinessence, the USA’s first holistic hypnotherapy weight loss and wellness center, based in Los Angeles. He enjoys most sports, long rides on his Harley, and is probably the worst golfer ever.

Book preview

THE

HOLISTIC

GUIDE TO

HYPNOTHERAPY

The Essential Guide for

Consciousness Engineers

Volume 1

STEVE WEBSTER C.HT

Copyright © 2017 Steve Webster C.Ht.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Interior Graphics/Art Credit: Karlien Naudé and Derek St. Thomas

Balboa Press

A Division of Hay House

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.balboapress.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5043-5683-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-5684-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017903630

Balboa Press rev. date: 04/28/2017

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Forewordi

Genesis

Chapter 1—What is Hypnosis?

Chapter 2—What is Hypnotherapy?

Chapter 3—Hypnotic Modality*

Chapter 4—How does a Subject become Hypnotized?

Chapter 5—Forms of Hypnosis

Chapter 6—Types of Hypnosis

Chapter 7—Suggestibility and Sexuality (Behavior)*

Chapter 8—The Hypnotherapy Process*

Chapter 9—Pre-induction

Chapter 10—Hypno-diagnostics*

Chapter 11—Inductions*

Chapter 12—Deepeners and Convincers*

Chapter 13—Therapies, Suggestions and Scripts

Chapter 14— Ideomotor Responses*

Chapter 15—Abreactions

Chapter 16—Healing Yourself*

Chapter 17—Guided Imagery*

Appendices

Primary Inductions*

Secondary Inductions*

Shock/Rapid Inductions*

Self-hypnosis Inductions*

Deepeners and Convincers*

Deepeners for Shock/Rapid Inductions

Convincers and Challenges*

Medical Referral (Sample)

Informed Consent Letter (Sample)

Professional Code of Conduct (Sample)

Daily Affirmations

Suggestibility/Sexuality Questionnaire

Handwriting Analysis Reference Tables

Questions for Your Intake Form

Weightloss Performance Agreement

Blood Sugar/Glucose Sensitivity Test*

Ideomotor Finger Signal Set-up—Dabney M. Ewin (MD)*

Table of Brainwave States*

Glossary of Hypnosis Terms*

Glossary of NLP Terms*

Bibliography and Recommended Reading

Electronic Sources

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my long-suffering wife, Tracy—the book finally arrived! Thank you for your input on items such as nutrition, and thank you for leading me to A Course in Miracles.

Thank you to my friends, mentors and colleagues, particularly those at the Hypnosis Motivation Institute (HMI) in Encino, Los Angeles, who freely gave their information and input. My thanks to this organization for a brilliant and thorough curriculum, high standards of hypnosis training, and for churning out confident and well qualified hypnotherapists every year.

A heap of praise needs to go to Lexi Lawson, my editor, for piecing together a jumbled mess of thoughts and ideas, to Karlien Naudé for the excellent graphics, and to Derek St. Thomas for excellent graphics and for being my sounding board on my extremely weird views of consciousness. I would like to give special thanks to the following people and organizations for creating amazing material, or allowing me to reproduce their content in this book. A further list of sources is credited at the back of the book:

Brilliant People

Organizations/Websites

Any content from Wikipedia is used under the Creative Commons Share-Alike License and the original URL will be displayed.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Steve Webster C.Ht. January 2017

Foreword

Steve Webster has written an interesting and compelling overview of modern day hypnosis, explaining his understanding of the theory, and how and why hypnosis works. Many books have been written about how hypnosis can be used as a therapeutic tool and Steve has pulled together the most relevant ideas from recent publications and research, while also adding ideas of his own. In doing this he has created a highly readable publication that should appeal to both professionals and those new to hypnosis. He also offers practical exercises to help the reader gain hands-on experience with using hypnosis with clients and so the book is much more than just an academic volume, but more of a ‘guide book’ to the field and it’s practice. As with any journey, we need to first choose a destination and then find a map. This book provides both for the student of hypnosis and suggests landmarks to look out for on the way.

Stephen Brooks

Founder of the British Hypnosis Research and Training Institute. University of London.

https://britishhypnosisresearch.com/.com

Genesis

Hypnosis is fascinating! Imagine being able to lead a person into a trance-like state. But hypnotherapy is even more fascinating; imagine using that state to reprogram a person’s subconscious mind to improve their lives!

In many ways this is an unconventional book, and I am happy about that. It attempts to cover a wide range of topics, from hypnosis to nutrition to spirituality—so too much focus could not be given to one subject. This book, after all, is a holistic guide to hypnotherapy. However, I believe I have given sufficient detail for each topic.

Because of its unorthodox nature, purists may resist a lot of the information included, and that is

OK

. Others, particularly the metaphysical types out there, will find that a lot of the writing resonates with what they believe. As you read use your intuition, take what resonates with you, and leave the rest. I have given scientific proof for many claims, and virtually none for others. Some items cannot be substantiated, in the same way that hypnosis cannot be ‘proven’. When man has a knowledge that is right and gives right results but cannot be explained, we call it insight, perception, or intuition… it is subtle knowledge.

With regard to facts that cannot be substantiated, consider that over 90% of your mind is, supposedly, subconscious and 10% or less, conscious. Scientific proof cannot be found to substantiate this claim. However, intuitively this seems correct. I accept this as approximately true. At the risk of being repetitive, if you do not agree, don’t take it in. Simply discard it, read on and absorb what does resonate with you. Much of hypnotherapy is a generalization science, and not a specific science.

Let me give you an example of this: nobody can verify whether past life regression (PLR) is a factual science. Even though I have seen its effectiveness, one cannot define whether it is a previous life the client has experienced, or whether the experience has been passed down through the genes of hereditary descendants, or whether the client is tapping in to cosmic intelligence to undergo the virtual experience of PLR. But, irrespective of whatever the scientific process might be (or not), the results are indeed positive. The client’s issue is resolved. And so the end justifies the means. Just because we cannot prove how it works does not undermine the fact that it works! I would love to know the mechanics of why it works. Until then, I am satisfied to use the modality because I know it is effective.

Generally, to prove a theory, I cite a well-known expert, magazine article or book. In many cases I do not give ‘proof’, particularly regarding my own strange theories. Again, take what resonates with you, and leave the rest. In many cases I have quoted experts, or drawn inspiration from these experts, and the headings for these chapters are marked with a star (*). In cases where I have quoted people I felt that rewording what they wrote somehow did an injustice to their perfect job. In some cases, the author did not want me to reproduce their original work, and I have attempted to convey the spirit of what they were saying. My version is probably not as good as the original, so if a certain topic interests you I suggest you check the source and consult the primary book/article to get the true essence of what the author intended. Where I know the origin of the work, I have given credit. This book’s size will encourage most readers to download it in e-format, so I have deliberately made generous use of hyperlinks. Such hyperlinks can simply be clicked on to navigate to the article/reference/original work.

Hypnotherapy is a broad subject. I have tried to present its essence in a fluid light, interspersed with information, graphics, tables, interesting points, famous quotes and humorous memes. They say a picture paints a thousand words, and these quotes and memes paint metaphorical pictures in one’s mind. I researched as many techniques as possible, firstly to be thorough, and secondly to give you, the hypnotherapist, as many options as possible. You will resonate with some techniques and tools, and discard others.

In the book, I often refer to the mindbody, as if it were a living entity. The mind and the body are inextricably interconnected and, to me, mindbody denotes this logically. After all, we, as hypnotherapists, treat psychosomatic illnesses, and psycho = mind + soma = body. Ergo, mindbody is a legitimate entity.

When I first saw hypnotherapy in practice, I realized I was witnessing a real-life miracle. There is no doubt in my mind that a hypnotherapist has super powers . . . and 99.99999% of the time these superpowers are used only for good. Hypnotherapy attracts an unusual brand of healer. They are holistic practitioners who care deeply and want to have a positive impact on the world. They are professional listeners and supreme storytellers. They desensitize fears and build new dreams. They bring positive change to people who really need it. I count myself lucky to be involved in hypnotherapy, and very lucky to have met, and be colleagues with, so many Super Heroes. All those I know use their powers for good 79758.png

Throughout the book, and particularly in Volume 2, I use a new expression—Consciousness Engineers—to describe hypnotherapists because that’s what they are; the client’s consciousness creates their reality, and the hypnotherapist adjusts that consciousness. Our consciousness highly impacts our ability to fight disease and illnesses. Our subconscious is not aware of illness, disease and behavioral disorder—it vibrates at too high a level. Because it vibrates at a low level, it is our conscious mind, our ego, which creates this dis-ease. This might be too metaphysical for the left-brained hypnotherapists out there. For this reason, I scanned the book and banished most elements on consciousness to the Volume 2, chapters 38 to 41.

The observant reader will notice certain threads repeating themselves in many chapters; threads such as nutrition, balance and vibration. Everything is connected to everything else, and so reference is made to these phenomena in various chapters, multiple times. Throughout the book there are circular threads—such as consciousness, self-creation, health, neuroplasticity and what-you-think-is-what-you-become—because they are all inextricably linked. This is why a holistic guide to hypnotherapy has to include consciousness engineering. Your body is a lower form than your mind. You can fix the body, but it is a temporary fix if you have not fixed the mind. The mind is the source of all disease, illness and behavioral disorder. The emphasis of this guide is on fixing the conscious mind, the source of all behavioral disorder, illness, pain, and unhappiness.

Although most of the content originated in my mind, I claim no credit for it. I have to tell you a strange story: a while back I read a book by William Hewitt (Hypnosis for Beginners), which included a chapter on cosmic intelligence. Hewitt would undergo self-hypnosis, and invite some of the great people into his space—people such as Gandhi, Jesus, Buddha and Einstein—and have a conversation with them. The following day he would know facts and information he had not read, or garnered from any other source. It was as if he had absorbed this knowledge through a process of osmosis. It just arrived! This resonated with me, and I followed the process, and was duly amazed by the information that arrived into my space. Many of the weird and wonderful facts and concepts in this book arrived in this fashion. I looked forward to waking up each day because some new gem of information, or a fascinating topic, would thrust itself into my consciousness. I describe this phenomenon in the chapter on Cosmic Intelligence.

Whether you call it cosmic consciousness, or Akashic records, or whatever, I don’t care. I just know it works for me. So, to come back to the point, I cannot claim any credit for the contents in this book. The information came from a formal source, such as a lecture, magazine, online article, video, brilliant hypnotist/hypnotherapist or book; or it was imparted to me by the august college of HMI and their amazing teachers; or the info arrived through the ether into my space.

Regarding the formal sources, I have to give heartfelt thanks and credit to the individuals and organizations (you know who you are, and I have spelled it out in the Acknowledgments page) for their kind permission to use their content, tips, advice, collaboration or inspiration.

I have not been a hypnotherapist all my life, but I learned a lot in a short period of time and was inspired by:

1. The amazing quality and value of the one year hypnotherapy course at HMI in Tarzana. They are without doubt the worldwide Harvard of hypnotherapy schools;

2. Cosmic intelligence;

3. Divine providence;

4. The amazing people who devote themselves to the great art of hypnotherapy, and who contribute freely to the community at large. Hypnotists and people involved in the healing arts are generous in sharing their useful information.

I have an overly curious mind, and during my training I needed to know many things that were not taught. I researched these things, and that was the prompt for writing this book. When I started studying hypnotherapy I wished I had a book like this: a book that was a source of much information that I could constantly refer to when researching a client’s particular behavior or illness.

At times this book, with its holistic broadness and metaphysical slant, might seem like a self-help guide. In some cases, I talk about healing the client; elsewhere will refer to healing you, the hypnotherapist. If it aids you, then you know it will work on your client! Physician, heal thyself . . .

At times there is repetition of material. Let’s use an example: Finger Spread is both a suggestibility test, and a secondary induction. As such, it appears multiple times. Material might also be duplicated because it is compartmentalized. Another example: breathing techniques appear in many therapies, and also in the chapters covering self-hypnosis, Habits for a Good Life, etc.

At times this book might seem like a new diet book. Nutrition is a most important factor in our everyday lives. What we eat leads to who we are, and how we behave. Food can be our medicine, and food can be our poison. Our nutrition affects our behavior more than anything else. It is shocking to see how many mental and physical illnesses are linked to hypoglycemia, or hyperglycemia. We then make matters worse by treating these illnesses with allopathic medicine.

Some readers might find the book’s content inflammatory, unconventional or extreme. I make no apologies. There are no mistakes, only feedback. Through the process of healthy debate, research, investigation, and trial and error, we may succeed in making the world a better place.

I do not judge anybody and, if anything in the book is perceived to be critical, know that I have not wished to be malicious. The content was all produced with good intent! But, as a human being, I am fallible like everybody else, so please overlook any perceived slight.

• For readers currently learning hypnotherapy, I hope this book helps you in many ways.

• For the amateur hypnotherapist, I hope it gives you vital information that leads to your being more confident, having more resources, and delivering a better service to your clients.

• For the established professional hypnotherapists out there, I hope that, within the confines of these pages, you find several golden nuggets of information, and/or verification of your own brilliant ideas and concepts.

• For the medical fraternity, I hope this material replaces the one week crash course you are taught!

As hypnotherapists, we deliver a much-needed service to the world. Too many people are in pain, and we have the wonderful gift of unburdening those tortured souls.

I would really love to hear your suggestions and criticisms. You can contact me at [e-mail]. Sending Love and Light to all who read this book 79760.png

Chapter 1—What is Hypnosis?

To the layman, hypnosis is shrouded in mystery. Winston Churchill, once said that Russia is . . . a riddle wrapped inside a mystery, inside an enigma. To most people the same can be said of hypnosis. Because of its mystery, it even invokes fear in certain people, particularly within some religious institutions. Still others see it as a form of evil mind control. But those of us who have had the privilege of practicing the science and the art of hypnosis, understand why it works. Quite simply, a mix of physical and emotional triggers leads a person into hypnosis; and practitioners, or those who attend hypnosis consultations as clients, are aware of its enormous power.

Hypnosis has been around for a long time. The ancient Egyptians built sleep temples with a medical purpose, healing a variety of ailments, perhaps many of them psychological in nature. The treatment involved chanting, placing the patient into a hypnotic state, and even analyzing their dreams in order to determine treatment.

The Greeks also recognized hypnosis. Their sleep temples, called Asclepieions, were built in honor of Asclepios who, interestingly enough, was the Greek god of medicine. The Romans too had sleep temples, and the famous J. R. R. Tolkien was involved in the excavation of a Roman sleep temple near Gloucester, England. The ancient Hebrews named their hypnotic process Kavanah.

So hypnosis has been around for a long time, yet it remains an unknown science. Humans typically challenge what they do not understand, and so there are many skeptics. But, like any science, its mechanics can be explained easily, even if they cannot be understood easily by some people.

1.1 Modern History and the Evolution of Hypnosis*:

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Franz Anton Mesmer – Mesmerism

Mesmer (1734–1815) was an Austrian physician. He was disappointed with contemporary medical techniques at that time. He searched for an alternative, which he found, and successfully treated many people with a variety of illnesses and disorders. Influenced by Newton’s theory of gravity and the effect on tides, he surmised that the body had an energy flow which, when disrupted or blocked, gave rise to illnesses and disorders. He referred to this as animal magnetism. He put people into trance using a system of hand movements and other techniques which became known as mesmerisms. His technique was only accidentally successful – the successful part was the benefit derived from trance (homeostasis, placebo, relaxation, activating the parasympathetic system) and not from magnets, nor did it have anything to do with animal magnetism. His methods were later discredited by a panel of experts which included Benjamin Franklin.

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Marquis de Puységur – Artificial Somnambulism

The Marquis de Puységur (1751–1825) was an avid fan and practitioner of mesmerism. He became intrigued by the sleep effect he was able to have on a peasant in his employ, after putting him in trance. He noticed similarities between sleep-walking and somnambulism, and he referred to it as artificial somnambulism. His peers preferred Puységur’s method of sleep-trance in preference to the outdated and increasingly unpopular method of Mesmerism. In his earlier teachings on animal magnetism he states: "The entire doctrine of Animal Magnetism is contained in the two words: Believe and Want"; he did not know at the time, but he was also practicing the autosuggestion later made popular by Émile Coué, and the process of affirmations.

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James Braid – Hypnosis and Auto-Hypnosis

James Braid (1795–1860) was a British medical surgeon who discovered hypnosis back in 1841. Of course he did not discover hypnosis, it has been around since at least the Egyptian epoch (and evidence exists of it used as early as 10,000

BC

). But he termed the trance-like state that he could guide his patients into hypnosis, from the Greek word hypnos, meaning sleep. In his discourse Neurypnology (1843) he writes: By the term ‘Neuro-hypnotism’, then, is to be understood ‘nervous sleep… a peculiar state of the nervous system, induced by a fixed and abstracted attention of the mental and visual eye, on one object, not of an exciting nature’. What we call hypnosis he termed neurypnology, which is more accurate because hypnosis has little to do with sleep. Braid also performed his own experiment to prove hypnosis was not caused by the magnetism of the inducer by entering into a self-induced trance state. In this regard he discovered autohypnosis.

James Esdaile – Mesmeric Analgesia

James Esdaile (1808–1859) is considered to be the father of mesmeric analgesia. While employed as a surgeon for the British East India Company, he was aware of the lack of anesthetic aids available for patients in extreme pain (this was several years before the discovery of chloroform). In 1841 he tried mesmeric analgesia on a patient who was suffering greatly, and with great success.

His general success at helping surgery clients with pain relief led to the opening of a mesmeric hospital in Calcutta, effectively the world’s first modern hypnosis clinic. Ironically, Esdaile did not generally mesmerize the patients himself, but employed native Indian boys to spend two to eight hours per day with each patient in a darkened room, employing a technique that involved breathing on the patient’s body. Subsequently, the Esdaile State has come to mean a client who is in a deep hypnotic trance, almost coma-like, so deep they do not seem to respond to stimuli or suggestions. Many hypnotists believe that an Esdaile state is the deepest state of hypnotic sleep. Esdaile was the first to record that hypnosis is caused by a mental act of fixed attention. His method was popular until the introduction of chemical anesthetics.

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Jean-Martin Charcot – Hypnotic Depth

A popular neurologist of his time, Charcot (1825-1923) became famous for his work on hypnosis and hysteria. Initially believing that hysteria was a hereditary disorder, he later realized that it is a psychological disease. He was also convinced that hysteria and hypnotic receptivity originated from the same neurological condition. Charcot developed a Grand Theory of Hypnotism wherein he believed there were 3 stages: lethargy (no response), catalepsy (response), and somnambulism (converse and respond). He believed that hysteria had these 3 same depths. He also believed (wrongly) that post-hypnotic suggestion could only be achieved in a sleep state.

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Hippolyte Bernheim – Suggestibility

Bernheim (1840–1919) is often referred to as the father of hypnotherapy. He is credited with the view (popular today) that hypnosis is fundamentally a state of heightened suggestibility, itself induced by means of suggestion.

An avid opponent of Charcot’s theories, in his book On Suggestion and its Applications to Therapy (1884) he writes: To define hypnotism as induced sleep, is to give a too narrow meaning to the word, to overlook the many phenomena which suggestion can bring about independently of sleep. I define hypnotism as the induction of a peculiar psychical condition which increases the susceptibility to suggestion. Often, it is true, the sleep that may be induced facilitates suggestion, but it is not the necessary preliminary.

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Émile Coué – Autosuggestion, Placebo, Laws of Suggestion

Working as an apothecary in France from 1882 to 1910, Coué (1857–1926) quickly discovered what later came to be known as the placebo effect. He also offered the first laws of suggestibility. As a pharmacist, he would often issue a small positive note with each given medication. These affirmations or auto-suggestions were embellished in his book Self-Mastery Through Conscious Autosuggestion, published in 1920.

He recognized that to effect a change in ourselves, the patient needed to effect a change in their subconscious thinking. In this regard he accidentally discovered homeostasis. The application of his famous autosuggestion, Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better is a common tool in affirmations. This is also called Couéism or the Coué method. Coué claimed that I have never cured anyone in my life. All I do is show people how they can cure themselves. This is a concept which modern hypnotherapy holds to be true—all clients heal themselves. He formally recognized the existence of two minds, conscious and unconscious.

Sigmund Freud – Hypno-analysis

Freud (1856–1939) first used hypnosis as a vehicle for regression and catharsis between about 1885 and 1905. He then discarded it in order to develop his own technique of psychoanalysis. Later in his career he returned to hypnotherapy, proposing that a combination of the psychoanalysis with hypnotherapy may shorten treatment, and be more effective.

In his book On Psychical Treatment (1905) he wrote:

It has long been known… that it is possible, by certain gentle means, to put people into a quite peculiar mental state very similar to sleep and on that account described as ‘hypnosis.’ [. . .] The hypnotic state exhibits a great variety of gradations. In its lightest degree the hypnotic subject is aware only of something like a slight insensibility, while the most extreme degree… is known as ‘somnambulism’, on account of its resemblance to the natural phenomena of sleep-walking. But hypnosis is in no sense a sleep like our nocturnal sleep or like the sleep produced by drugs. Changes occur in it, and mental functions are retained during it, which are absent in normal sleep.

Johannes Schultz – Self Hypnosis and Autogenics

Johannes H. Schulz (1884–1970) was a German psychiatrist and an independent psychotherapist. He became world famous for the development of a system of self-hypnosis called autogenic training. In 1912, he was quite successful at hypnotherapy. However, he did not like the fact that patients became dependent upon him to go into a trance. Questioning patients as they descended into deeper states of hypnosis, Schultz concluded that patients could self-hypnotize by repeating certain phrases and imagery. His first book on autogenic training was published in 1932. History has sidelined Schultz, because of his desire to exterminate handicapped people and his persecution of homosexual men. Schultz mistakenly believed that homosexuality was hereditary and curable.

Clark L. Hull – Hypersuggestibility

Hull (1884–1952) was the first major scientific researcher to specialize in the study of hypnotism. Like Erickson, he too contracted polio and during convalescence studied psychology and then hypnosis.

Although interested in hypnosis, he was dissatisfied with the lack of scientific foundation and attempted to ground this with intensive research. His research led to his book Hypnosis and Suggestibility (1933) in which he writes: The only thing which seems to characterize hypnosis as such and which gives any justification for the practice of calling it a ‘state’ is its generalized hypersuggestibility. He agreed with the general conclusion that the hypnotic trance is a state of heightened susceptibility to suggestion.

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Milton Erickson – Ericksonian Hypnosis

Erickson (1901–1980) was probably the most influential hypnotherapist in the 20th century. He developed a distinctive style of hypnotism which is referred to as Ericksonian.

In The Collected Papers of Milton H. Erickson on Hypnosis, Vol. 4, he writes: The hypnotic trance may be defined, for purposes of conceptualization, as a state of increased awareness and responsiveness to ideas. It [hypnosis] is a state of consciousness—not unconsciousness or sleep—a state of consciousness or awareness in which there is a marked receptiveness to ideas and understandings and an increased willingness to respond either positively or negatively to those ideas.

Photo courtesy Milton H. Erickson Foundation

The British Medical Association (BMA)

It is one thing for famous hypnotists and hypnotherapists to publicize their version of what hypnosis is and is not, but when conservative and respected organizations accept hypnosis and validate it by offering their definitions, this lends credibility to the science.

The British Medical Association definition focuses on quantifiable psychological and physiological changes experienced by a person in hypnosis. Their definition in the BMA treatise Medical use of Hypnotism (1955) is: [Hypnosis is] a temporary condition of altered attention in the subject which may be induced by another person and in which a variety of phenomena may appear spontaneously or in response to verbal or other stimuli. These phenomena include alterations in consciousness and memory, increased susceptibility to suggestion, and the production in the subject of responses and ideas unfamiliar to him in his usual state of mind. Further, phenomena such as anesthesia, paralysis and rigidity of muscles, and vasomotor changes can be produced and removed in the hypnotic state.

Dave Elman – Rapid Induction

Dave Elman (1900–1967) was a musician cum radio host who became interested in hypnosis and toured America teaching people his methods. He developed or popularized many techniques, including fractionation. In his book Hypnotherapy (1964) he writes: Hypnosis is a state of mind in which the critical faculty of the human is bypassed, and selective thinking established.

Dave Elman’s techniques are very popular with many hypnotists and in the medical industry. He pioneered the use of rapid induction techniques and was a great advocate of the hypno-analytic approach to therapy (psychoanalysis carried out on people who are in a state of hypnosis).

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Dr. John Kappas – Message Units, E&P Suggestibility and Sexuality

Dr. John Kappas (1925–2002) was a prominent hypnotherapist, psychologist, and founder of the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in Los Angeles (1968). He authored five insightful books on hypnosis but, most importantly, in his book Professional Hypnotism Manual, he pointed out the differences in hypnotic personalities and introduced his revolutionary model of Emotional and Physical Suggestibility and Sexuality. Along with different types having certain traits, he realized that each type requires differing methods of induction. This is a core of Kappasinian hypnosis.

Kappas redefined our understanding of hypnosis with his message units theory of hypnosis. The message units going into the brain create the anxiety that eventually leads to the escape process, which is hypnosis. At this time, the body and brain feel safe within their environment, and the brain loses the critical ability that might otherwise cause it to reject suggestions.

In the same book he wrote: Sexual Personality develops from our upbringing. It is formed at a very early age by a complex interaction of observation, sensory stimulation, interaction with others, and a number of other different factors, including the environment.

The American Psychological Association (APA)

The APA has a division dedicated to psychological hypnosis and this is their definition: "Hypnosis typically involves an introduction to the procedure during which the subject is told that suggestions for imaginative experiences will be presented. The hypnotic induction is an extended initial suggestion for using one’s imagination, and may contain further elaborations of the introduction. A hypnotic procedure is used to encourage and evaluate responses to suggestions. When using hypnosis, one person (the subject) is guided by another (the hypnotist) to respond to suggestions for changes in subjective experience, alterations in perception, sensation, emotion, thought or behavior. Persons can also learn self-hypnosis, which is the act of administering hypnotic procedures on one’s own. If the subject responds to hypnotic suggestions, it is generally inferred that hypnosis has been induced. Many believe that hypnotic responses and experiences are characteristic of a hypnotic state. While some think that it is not necessary to use the word ‘hypnosis’ as part of the hypnotic induction, others view it as essential.

Details of hypnotic procedures and suggestions will differ depending on the goals of the practitioner and the purposes of the clinical or research endeavor. Procedures traditionally involve suggestions to relax, though relaxation is not necessary for hypnosis and a wide variety of suggestions can be used including those to become more alert. Suggestions that permit the extent of hypnosis to be assessed by comparing responses to standardized scales can be used in both clinical and research settings. While the majority of individuals are responsive to at least some suggestions, scores on standardized scales range from high to negligible. Traditionally, scores are grouped into low, medium, and high categories. As is the case with other positively-scaled measures of psychological constructs such as attention and awareness, the salience of evidence for having achieved hypnosis increases with the individual’s score."

1.2 OK, So What Is Hypnosis?

Simply, it is an altered state. It is a state of mind that allows us to temporarily bypass our critical filter (analytical mind) and allow reprogramming of our beliefs, motivations and values. In this altered state, we open up a gateway to the subconscious where these programs reside. Ordinarily, the critical mind is the gatekeeper of the subconscious mind, and has a strict set of rules. Hypnosis bypasses these rules and allows manipulation of the subconscious mind.

Depending on the authority, there are many definitions of hypnosis. I include several of these in order to get a holistic view:

• Hypnosis is created by an overload of message units that disorganize our inhibitory process (critical mind), triggering our fight/flight mechanism and ultimately creating a hyper-suggestible state, providing access to the critical mind.

• Hypnosis is a state of trance which is, essentially, a natural phenomenon. You enter into this trance several times a day: when you drive home after work with so much on your mind you cannot remember the journey; when you are driving and miss your turn; when you walk into a room and cannot remember why you walked in there; when you are watching a movie, or reading a book, and become so engrossed that it seems like reality (even for a short period of time). These are all hypnagogic states.

• Hypnosis is similar to daydreaming. By slowing down our brainwaves (typically through relaxation) to an alpha state (8 Hz to 13 Hz), we enter into a trance state that allows daydreaming.

• Hypnosis is a heightened state of awareness that allows the hypnotherapist to work with the client on a subconscious level.

• All hypnosis is self-hypnosis: the hypnotist guides the subject into the state of self-hypnosis.

Hypnosis has a simple component, a complex component, and a metaphysical component:

The Simple Component

You may have been lying in bed at night, pondering an issue you need to solve, and you have an "Aha!" moment; you may be in the shower, when a stunning inspiration comes into your mind. Neither of these events was magic. In your relaxed state, your brain frequency was reduced to an alpha state (more on this later) and you experienced a form of hypnosis—conscious function was reduced, and subconscious increased. Different brainwave frequencies lead to altered states of consciousness. Alpha and theta lead to a state where the mind is highly effective at puzzle solving and providing effective solutions to your problems. Hypnosis is effective because it transfer’s the client’s mind from a beta state (or a gamma state if in high anxiety) to an alpha or theta state. In this state the client becomes highly resourceful and is able to seek out and identify workable solutions for their issues. The hypnotist leads the client to their own inner resources. All the client needs is a willingness to change.

In this simple component of hypnosis, the skill of the hypnotist is twofold:

• Transitioning the client to an alpha or theta level of brainwave state.

• Using techniques to connect the client to their own inner resources.

The Complex Component

Your subconscious mind is the most powerful element in your body. Imagine trillions of your cells all functioning right now: they are being driven by a program—your subconscious mind. All of your senses are automatic, driven and managed by the subconscious mind. It pumps your heart without your involvement, and your lungs, and even your mind functions without your conscious involvement. It operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Your subconscious mind contains all your programming—how your body works, who you are, and how you behave. This programming can be reprogrammed. From the day you were born you learned from, and copied, those around you. You have modelled yourself on people around you, and events that occurred in the world around you. This modelling and your experiences dictate your confidence, self-esteem, resourcefulness, emotional state, values, morals, and ethics. These levels form a homeostasis—dictating the boundaries of who you are, and your potential for success in life. You may strive for something, and even achieve it temporarily, but you will always return to your core levels. This is the process of homeostasis.

Let me use one example: a person wins the Lotto and yet two years later the money is all gone. In the person’s subconscious mind they had a specific value of net worth; it was exceeded temporarily through the Lotto money, but then reverted back to its homeostasis value.

The definition of homeostasis is the tendency of the mindbody to seek and maintain a condition of balance or equilibrium based on internal values. But your homeostasis is not fixed. Your subconscious mind can be reprogrammed so that your inner picture of who you are is enhanced.

Homeostasis is one part of this complex component, but there is another, and it involves electromagnetic frequencies. We know the mind can be modified, and hypnotists know how to do this. But what about the body—can this be modified? The answer is yes. All things, living and inanimate, vibrate at a specific frequency. Every component of your body—your cells, your blood, your cartilage, your organs, your limbs and your brain—each of these has a unique known and specific electromagnetic frequency. In the simple component of hypnosis above, I explain that a person can generate specific brainwave frequencies, and these frequencies can be manipulated and modified. In the same manner, a subject can affect the frequency of part of their body—the part that is bothering them, is a disorder, or is in pain. Take sore knees for example: the subject has the ability to adjust the faulty frequency being generated by the sore knees. Healthy knees will vibrate at a specific frequency, and this can be generated by the subject’s mind.

Think of the mind as nothing more than an amazing frequency generator and receiver. If all frequencies emitted by your mind were in the correct range, you would live in bliss: pain-free, mental-disorder-free, confident, ambitious and successful. When your mind starts emitting faulty frequencies, or misinterpreting incoming frequencies, you perceive these as pain, mental dysfunction, depression, disease, etc.

In this component of hypnosis, the skill of the hypnotist is in:

• Identifying the client’s limiting beliefs.

• Getting the client to recognize the limiting belief.

• Creating alternatives for the client, and allowing them to cement the alternative into their subconscious mind.

• Helping the client to generate the frequencies to correct their disorder.

• Helping the client understand that they created their world and they have the power to create something else.

The Metaphysical Component

(Warning—left-brained hypnotherapists can skip this part. Right-brained hypnotherapists, read on. ): You are responsible for generating these frequencies; through them you create everything around you. If the majority emanate from your primitive mind then your behavior will be at a low vibration, e.g. fear and anger. Alternatively, you can generate them from your higher mind, inducing high vibration behavior and emotions such as forgiveness, reason, kindness and unconditional love. The higher your consciousness the more able you are to operate from a higher mind. The lower your consciousness, the more of your behavior will be generated by your primitive mind.

In a beta brainwave state you are conscious and functioning normally, you are in a normal waking state. The deeper you go into an alpha/theta state, the deeper you connect with your subconscious. At a delta level you connect with your deep subconscious mind. At an epsilon level of brainwave state (below 0.5 Hz), you connect with the highest level of your subconscious mind, the Superconscious, your Highest Self. This is your soul. At this level you are the Creator.

The hypnotist is able to operate if the client is in beta level for neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), or alpha/theta level for hypnosis, and some may even require a deeper level, perhaps delta. The hypnotist will not assist the client to get to an epsilon level, although binaural entrainment can help with this.

In this component the hypnotist does not play a direct role. Recognizing and achieving epsilon level is part of the client’s life path, and something they achieve for themselves. But the hypnotist can assist indirectly. Exposure to hypnosis helps the client to recognize, at some stage, that relaxed states lead to higher resourcefulness; it helps them to live a fuller life. The client may make the connection that even more relaxed states (slower brainwaves) will lead to even more powerful resourcefulness.

1.3 How does it feel to be in Hypnosis?

• The client is awake, not asleep. An exception to this is in deep hypnosis, where the physiological symptoms are the same;

• The client typically hears every word/sound;

• The client is hypervigilant—the subconscious mind can interpret speech 85 times faster than the conscious mind;

• All senses are augmented—better hearing, smell, kinesthetic;

• Time distortion—the client has no sense of time. A fifteen-minute session might seem like an hour and vice versa. Typically they sense that time is contracted—a thirty-minute session seems like five;

• Attentional refocusing—the client is able to temporarily forget their current troubles, worries, stress, pain or discomfort and focus on solutions (this is also called pattern interrupt and is discussed in more detail later in the book);

• The client is in a deep state of relaxation.

• Although hyper-cognizant of their environment, the client is heavily focused on the voice of the hypnotherapist (the Cocktail Party Effect).

Typically a client will experience one or more of the following hypnotic phenomena:

• Catalepsy – for instance, where an arm remains in an outstretched position and they are not aware of it;

• Amnesia – client may forget, temporarily or permanently, memories of sections of the hypnosis session;

• Age regression/progression – client may move forwards or backwards in this life, a previous life, or a future life. Typically this only happens when it is intentional;

• Anesthesia – for instance, where a client had pain, this pain is reduced or eliminated;

• Time distortion – typically thirty minutes goes by as if it were only five;

• Positive hallucinations – seeing something that isn’t there;

• Negative hallucinations – not seeing something that is there;

• Levitation – where the client feels as if their body is rising, and/or they are outside of their body;

• Sensory change – cold hands become hot, etc.;

• Deep relaxation – most, if not all, clients report a sensation of feeling deeply relaxed after hypnosis.

• Augmentation – improved hearing, smell, etc.

1.4 What Hypnosis is NOT

• Hypnosis is not mind control;

• Hypnosis is not magic, a dark art, or evil;

• The client is not unconscious;

• The client is not in deep sleep.

1.5 Myths about Hypnosis/Hypnotherapy

People often fear what they do not understand. Many myths were created by the B-grade movies that appeared in the last century, depicting evil manipulators controlling their subjects who appear zombie-like and totally under their control. Obviously there is no validity to the following:

• A hypnotist has magical powers. Obviously not true—there are clear reasons why hypnosis works. The hypnotist has mastered the mechanics of these. As such he is more of an artisan than a magician.

• A person can be hypnotized against their will. Typically a subject must want to be hypnotized, failing which their resistance will prevent it. However, there seems to be the occasional event where this does occur, but it is pretty much the exception that proves the rule.

• The hypnotist can obtain confidential information from the subject. Typically this is not true, but there are cases where it can be challenged. There are examples of hypnotherapists working with law enforcement to interrogate hypnotized suspects to determine facts about a crime, for instance.

• Only weak-minded people can be hypnotized. People with a low IQ are notoriously difficult to hypnotize. Smarter people are generally easier, possibly because of the greater overload of messages they incur every day. High Emotionals can be an exception to the Smarter people are generally easier to hypnotize rule and this is discussed later (Chapter 6.3).

• A person can get stuck in hypnosis. Not true. Assume a subject is left in a hypnotic state—they would naturally come out of it after a while, similar to waking up after a good night’s sleep.

• Deep hypnosis is necessary for good results. Whilst deep hypnosis is good for some applications, some therapies require only a light state of hypnosis.

• Everybody can be hypnotized. The hypnosis world argues about this every day. In my opinion all people are hypnotizable (everybody has entered one of the trance states discussed above, for example) but not everybody can be hypnotized on demand. Elements such as low ego sensations (discussed later in the book), medication, emotional state, drugs/alcohol, loss of control issues, and resistance may prevent the person from allowing themselves to enter a state of hypnosis. Resistance may even be present in people who want to be hypnotized—but because of an inner fear (loss of control, for instance, or a subconscious block), they will not allow themselves to be hypnotized. Some people, such as somnambulists, are easily hypnotized, whilst high Emotionals (known as Intellectuals) are more difficult to hypnotize conventionally. There are ways to hypnotize a high Emotional successfully, and this is also discussed later in the book.

• A person can be made to do things against their will. Hypnotherapy works with the subconscious where a person’s values, morals and beliefs are stored. So, unless a person wants to change these, the subconscious will block any attempt to compromise it. Remember, the primary goal of the subconscious is the survival of the organism.

• Hypnosis will make you a zombie. A person who is hypnotized displays certain unusual behavior characteristics, most notably heightened suggestibility and responsiveness.

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Hypnotherapy is not conventional medicine, but rather an alternative form of healing. We cannot make any claim to curing a client’s issue, but we can certainly treat it. In fact we treat it with a good degree of success. An interesting Stanford University research paper claims hypnotherapy is far more effective than the established processes of formal psychotherapy, psychiatry and CBT: news.stanford.edu/news/2000/september6/hypnosis-96.html. Research by Alfred Barrios bears further proof of the efficacy of hypnosis:

http://www.stresscards.com/hypnotherapy_reappraisal.php.v

A story appears in the press, from time to time, wherein a person uses hypnosis for some self-serving or nefarious deed, or a downright evil act ranging from sexual manipulation to robbery. Fortunately these stories are, again, the exception that proves the rule: the clear majority of hypnotists and hypnotherapists are creative, or entertaining, or healing masters and use hypnosis for the greater good. Often, the antagonists of hypnosis are the same people claiming it does not work—if it does not work then you have nothing to fear!

This quote by Eric Willmarth (PhD) in www.hypnosiscentral.com sums up the above:

Clinical hypnosis has been attacked by the church and endorsed by a Pope. It has been acknowledged by the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Institutes of Health. It has been used as the sole anesthetic in thousands of medical procedures and operations, has helped to solve crimes and is used in psychotherapy to treat anxiety, depression and many other conditions. Still, there are detractors and the exact definition of hypnosis remains elusive.

Chapter 2—What is Hypnotherapy?

From Chapter 1 we obtain a pretty thorough understanding of what hypnosis is. But what is hypnotherapy, and how is it different to hypnosis?

The US Dictionary of Titles (079.157.101 hypnotherapist) defines it thus: Induces hypnotic state in client to increase motivation or alter behavior pattern through hypnosis. Consults with client to determine the nature of the problem. Prepares client to enter the hypnotic state by explaining how hypnosis works and what the client will experience. Tests subjects to determine degree of physical and emotional suggestibility. Induces hypnotic state in client, using individualized methods and techniques of hypnosis based on interpretation of test results and analysis of client’s problem. May train client in self-hypnosis conditioning.

To put this more simply, hypnotherapy is the treatment of a subject, typically in trance, where their subconscious programming is modified to produce a better set of behaviors. I call this trance-formation. Wikipedia’s definition is "hypnotherapy is a type of therapy used to create subconscious change in a patient in the form of new responses, thoughts, attitudes, behaviors or feelings. It is undertaken with a subject in hypnosis."

There are many hypnosis modalities: inductions, deepeners, scripts, suggestions and techniques. The choice of what modalities are applied depends partly on the skill and experience of the hypnotherapist, but mostly on the needs and issues of the client.

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Hypnotherapy could also be referred to as self-improvement behavior modification. In California a hypnotherapist can treat people only for vocational or avocational improvement.

A clear and rather obvious definition is: Hypnotherapy is hypnosis carried out in a clinical setting, with an expressly therapeutic purpose. This misses the point that hypnotherapy has so many more arrows in the quiver than mere hypnosis.

But these

Reviews for The Holistic Guide to Hypnotherapy

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This book really help to understand more about Hypnotherapy. Thanks