By Luke Dalfiume, PhD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Co-Owner, John R. Day & Associates, Christian Psychological Associates
My first exposure to hypnosis occurred in the 1970s while watching Scooby Doo. There were several episodes in which hypnosis was used to control behavior. Popular culture hypnotists in the present use hypnosis to seemingly make others do crazy things, such as dance and sing like Elvis. When presented this way, hypnotisim appears to be exotic and maybe even threatening. I work in a Christian psychological practice, and approximately half my clients identify as Christians. When I mention hypnosis, a number of them indicate a reluctance to use it, fearing they will open themselves up to untoward influences. I think it is because of fear and the exotic-sounding nature of hypnosis that some teach what they call “meditation” instead (though when it is described to me, it sounds indistinguishable from hypnosis!).
Hypnosis has been described in various sources as a state of attentive, receptive concentration containing three concurrent features of varying degrees: dissociation, absorption, and suggestibility. Dissociation refers to the ability to put one’s mind somewhere else. Many think of Multiple Personality Disorder, professionally known as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), when they think of dissociation. DID involves the development of discrete personalities. It typically develops as the result of trauma, and it is very rare. However, we all dissociate. When one daydreams, for example, one is dissociating. One is present in one place (e.g., standing in a boring line), but putting one’s mind someone else (e.g., on a beach in the Bahamas).
Absorption is another essential feature that must be present for hypnosis. It involves becoming absorbed in one’s own mental imagery. One develops a particular focus point (such as the coin or watch in Scooby Doo) or a more complex image (such as the beach in the Bahamas; the imagery would involve what one sees, hears, feels, and smells), and focuses on it. There is an awareness of other things (conversations going on around one, sounds of traffic on the street, etc.) but they all become part of the state one is in, rather than jolting one out of that state.
Finally, suggestibility is essential. If a person does not want to be hypnotized, they will not be. Also, 99 percent of people cannot be made to do something while hypnotized they would not want to do. Those who do goofy things while hypnotized want to do them! Suggestibility refers to an openness to using one’s mind in a different way than one usually does. In other words, if you are open to doing this, you will be hypnotizable, and if you are not, you will not.
My goal when I use hypnosis with a client is to teach them a skill they can use outside my office. It is possible to learn to hypnotize oneself, and it only takes a few minutes. Physical or visual cues can be set up allowing one to get into a trance (i.e., hypnotized) state quickly.
My most frequent use of hypnosis when working with clients is for relaxation. Most people in a trance state feel very relaxed and a heightened sense of wellbeing. A number of clients have told me they felt like they took a several-hours-long nap after a 10-minute hypnosis session. Hypnosis has a wide variety of other applications, including pain management and smoking cessation. There is an interesting BBC documentary about hypnosis, showing, among other things, a woman having her two upper front teeth extracted and dental implants put in with no pain medication, managing the pain through hypnosis, and a medical doctor who uses hypnosis to treat those with irritable bowel syndrome. This can be found on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q7CoqFud5s.
Hypnosis does appear to be mysterious mind control because when doing hypnosis we use the mind in an atypical way, but it is also a very useful tool for helping to manage a number of different issues.
For more information or to book an appointment, contact John R. Day & Associates, Christian Psychological Associates, located at 3716 West Brighton Avenue, Peoria, or their additional locations in Normal, Canton, Pekin, Princeton, or Eureka. Call us at 309-692-7755 or visit us online at www.christianpsychological.org.