About Hypnotherapy

History and Background

• Its scientific history began in the latter part of the 18th century with Franz Mesmer, a German physician who used hypnosis in the treatment of patients in Vienna and Paris. In the middle of the 19th century, an English physician James Braid studied the phenomenon and coined the terms Hypnotism and Hypnosis, after the Greek God of sleep, Hypnos. Hypnosis attracted widespread scientific interest
• In the 1880s. Ambroise-Auguste Liébeaut, a French country physician with the support of Hippolyte Bernheim, a professor of medicine at Strasbourg, believed that hypnosis is a combination of psychologically mediated responses to suggestions. During a visit to France at about the same time, Austrian physician Sigmund Freud was impressed by the therapeutic potential of hypnosis for neurotic disorders and on his return to Vienna, he used hypnosis widely. Hypnosis subsequently acquired other limited uses in medicine.
• The most prominent figure in modern hypnosis is American psychiatrist, Milton Erickson, who was a master of using language creatively in order to communicate with patients’unconscious. What was unique in his approach was that he was not interested in identifying the cause of the symptoms, like many other clinicians back then, instead his focus was on helping patients release their symptoms by stopping the defence functions. He made outstanding clinical successes, and his methods were called Ericksonian hypnosis, which was strongly embedded in other contemporary approaches such as neuro-linguistic programming (NLP).
• In the late 20th century, the American Psychological Association established the Division 30 Society of Psychological Hypnosis. Since then, the science of hypnosis has been developed rigorously.

Hypnosis – Some mesmerizing facts

• An average person experiences hypnosis at least twice a day. Common examples include arriving at your destination without memory of driving there, zoning out while reading the page of a book, or becoming so engrossed in the television show you’re binging that you barely realize half a day has passed.
• Stage hypnosis and clinical hypnosis are very different.
• You can hypnotise yourself. This is termed as Self- Hypnosis.
• Hypnosis several times complements mainstream medicine effectively.
• A person cannot be hypnotised against their will. Some people have higher hypnotic suggestibility or susceptibility to hypnosis than other people.
• Because hypnosis helps brain change how it perceives information, it can help patients overcome fears and phobias.
• In movies, it is often depicted that hypnotists use pendulums or pocket watches to induce hypnosis. However, in reality most inductions are verbal and not visual.
• In 1958, American Medical Association approved the medical use of hypnosis.
• Several studies have shown that hypnosis has helped people stop smoking.
• Many research studies have proved that hypnosis help patients change their behaviour, eliminate bad habits and boost behavioural changes.

Applications of Hypnotherapy

Hypnosis has used since a very long time as an effective therapeutic tool and the use of hypnosis in medicine has widely increased and is gaining popularity.

Clinical hypnotherapy is very commonly practiced and there are several studies to show that hypnotherapy can be effectively applied to address issues related to:

• • Addiction- smoking/ Drugs, alcoholism
  • Weight management / Obesity
  • Healing of wounds / Ulcers
  • Hypertension
  • Headaches
  • Stress and anxiety
  • Fears and Phobias
  • Depression
  • Allergies
  • Insomnia
  • Pain management
  • Migraine
  • Mood swings, mental unrest, Anger, tantrums
  • Self confidence
  • Performance anxiety
  • Bereavement
  • Building strong relationships
  • Elimination of negative thoughts and emotions
  • Childhood traumas

  and other related areas. In case of students, Hypnotherapy can be used to address several issues such as

  • Stage fear.
  • Exam fear/ tension
  • Improving memory and concentration
  • Speaking in front of a group
  • Self – confidence
  • Motivation
  • Handling stress
  • Relationship issues
  • Allergies

  and other related aspects.

  Hypnotherapy is being used in sports as well. When coupled with training, the use of hypnotherapy has shown to improve the performance of a sportsman. Self Hypnosis is being used to enhance the focus of athletes, reduce muscle tension, increase the self confidence and motivation.