The HOW and WHO of Hypnosis (Part 2 of Series)

There are two separate aspects of the HOW of hypnosis. One is the how do you get into the hypnotic, or alpha state in the first place, and the other is how you work with it once you get there. Let’s consider the first aspect briefly. There are many ways to get into the alpha state, and probably every hypnotist and every Hypnotherapist will have their own favorite ways of helping or teaching clients to access this state. Fixed-eye inductions are what most people think of when they think of hypnosis. These are the ever popular ‘stare at this spot….’ or ‘look at the spinning disk…’ or ‘follow my hand with your eyes…’ type of induction techniques. This is also what tends to happen in ‘highway hypnosis’ which is why you want to keep your eyes moving when you are driving to stay alert. This type of technique works pretty well for people who are visually-organized. However, not everyone processes information primarily through the visual channel, so there are many other techniques as well. Because the way I work is to teach my clients how to access this state on their own, I prefer to have them close their eyes and do a progressive relaxation, leading into visualization. This technique brings in auditory, visualizing, kinesthetic, and olfactory cueing as well. When I am working directly with a client, I will ‘load’ the sequence with their particular modalities. On CD, I spread it across the board so that the most people will get the most benefit. Let’s move on to talk about the second aspect of the HOW of hypnosis.

When we talk about how to work with hypnosis, we are now into the realm of hypnotherapy. It is one thing to get into the alpha state; it is another to know what to do once you get there. This is where working with a trained Hypnotherapist can make all the difference for a client who desires to make specific changes in targeted areas of his or her life. The client and the Hypnotherapist comprise the WHO of hypnotherapy. Many skills are involved in successful hypnotherapy. For a brief overview article on this, please see http://www.transformfast.com/tools_of_the_hypnotherapist.htm. Here, let me just mention a few of the procedures that may be employed to illustrate the broad range of techniques that are available.

• One of the most basic tools is called a ‘reframe.’ What this means is simply helping the client shift their perspective to see their issue from different points of view. This is more easily achieved in the alpha state than in ordinary awareness because the ego is less dominant. The alpha state provides for an ‘expanded’ awareness that can see more options and possibilities than are normally apparent.

• Sometimes, the Hypnotherapist will work with metaphors or archetypes to help the client understand their situation in the context of a parallel or larger story.

• In other cases, the technique will be working with aspects or parts of self which may be in conflict, by helping the client ‘broker a deal,’ which can provide a context for all the parts to be in alignment.

• Time Line work is another modality for working with patterns and unresolved issues, sometimes by helping the client trace the roots from the past and ‘projecting’ the results into the future to see probable outcomes if change does not occur in the now.

• At times, working in the trance state can be similar to working within a waking dream with the sub-conscious guiding the unfolding of the understanding within the client. In such cases, the role of the Hypnotherapist is to ask skillful open-ended questions which are carefully timed to continue providing opportunity for the unfolding process to expand.

Each client and each issue is unique. No one technique will work across the board. This is why the Hypnotherapist must be able to tailor every session to the person and the circumstances presented. The few techniques briefly outlined here represent a very tiny sampling of the various methods which may come into play within a session.

This is why, when choosing a Hypnotherapist to work with, you want to find someone who continually upgrades their skills. This is not a profession for someone who wants to work in a routine manner. Because hypnotherapy deals primarily with the sub-conscious mind, and the ‘operating system’ of this aspect of the consciousness field is very different from that of the conscious mind, it is truly a dissimilar therapeutic model from standard ‘talk’ therapy with a counselor or psychiatrist.

In my next post, I will discuss the WHEN of hypnosis and hypnotherapy.

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