HYPNOSIS
The hypnotic state is a perfectly natural
phenomenon: a state which occurs
spontaneously in all of us, to some degree,
every day of our lives. The daydream and the
pleasant, drowsy, intermediate state between
wakefulness and true sleep are examples of
natural hypnosis. During the trance state
people are usually aware of what is going on
around them, are always able to respond to
the therapist, and always retain the power
to reject any suggestion which may be
unacceptable to them.
Hypnosis can be used
therapeutically because it gives the
individual greater access to the important,
but subconscious, parts of the mind in which
are locked our deepest beliefs, fears and
emotions. This sometimes neglected part of
the mind exercises a far greater influence
over our personality and our behaviour, and
works in a quite different way, than the
more superficial, conscious part, which
tends to think verbally and logically. The
deeper, subconscious, mind thinks in sensory
ways, using visual images, sounds, and
feelings - which may have a far more
powerful effect on our behaviour than words
alone.
One of the most valuable
uses of clinical hypnosis lies in helping
people to cope with the stress and emotional
upsets which overtake everyone at some time
in their lives. Symptoms of such stress
include fears and anxieties, depression,
sleeplessness, and feelings of inferiority
and inadequacy. In time these may give rise
to physical tension, digestive problems,
headaches, breathing difficulties, skin
disorders, muscular aches and pains, high
blood pressure, and many other bodily
symptoms. Stress, of course, also underlies
our unwanted addictions to various habits
such as
smoking,
over-eating, and drinking,
and taking unprescribed drugs - habits which
bring their own problems in their wake.
