Hypnosis

Part 3 of this series

Hypnosis
By Ron Eslinger

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, conducts and supports medical research throughout the nation. The NIH defines hypnosis as a traditional psychological intervention; therefore it is not listed as an alternative therapy.

The word hypnosis is from the Greek word ‘Hypnos’ meaning sleep. James Braid labeled the trance-like state ‘hypnosis’ because people’s eyes were closed and most individuals appeared to be sleeping. Despite the appearance of sleep, hypnosis is a state of complete relaxation. People are not asleep when they are in hypnosis. During hypnosis, awareness actually increases allowing the mind the ability to concentrate and focus. The potential for sleep during hypnosis exists, but by definition hypnosis is not a state of sleep. Even though there is still controversy, my clinical definition of hypnosis is a decrease of the brain activity into an alpha or theta cycles per second. Such a state allows an individual to respond to suggestions made during hypnosis.
The frequency range of Alpha is approximately 7 to 14 cps. This is the “state” one hears so much about in metaphysics. It’s associated with meditation, hypnosis, daydreaming, REM sleep, `spacing out’, `vegging out’. All those states of mind are when you are “in” alpha.

The frequency range of Theta is approximately 4 to 7 cps. This state is associated with “deeper” hypnosis. Generally when a person is under anesthesia, they will be in a theta brainwave pattern.

HYPNOSIS IS NOT
Loss of Control
Control by the subject
Sleep
Being controlled by someone else
A form of Black Magic
Being gullible
An abuse of the person’s desires or capabilities

Common misconceptions related to the reality of hypnosis.

Hypnosis

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, conducts and supports medical research throughout the nation. The NIH defines hypnosis as a traditional psychological intervention; therefore it is not listed as an alternative therapy. In 1958 hypnosis was endorsed by the American Medical Association (AMA) as a legitimate tool in health care.

The word hypnosis is from the Greek word ‘Hypnos’ meaning sleep. James Braid labeled the trance-like state ‘hypnosis’ because people’s eyes were closed and most individuals appeared to be sleeping. Despite the appearance of sleep, hypnosis is a state of complete relaxation. People are not asleep when they are in hypnosis. During hypnosis, awareness actually increases allowing the mind the ability to concentrate and focus. The potential for sleep during hypnosis exists, but by definition hypnosis is not a state of sleep. Even though there is still controversy, my clinical definition of hypnosis is a decrease of the brain activity into an alpha or theta cycles per second. Such a state allows an individual to respond to suggestions made during hypnosis.
The frequency range of Alpha is approximately 7 to 14 cps. This is the “state” one hears so much about in metaphysics. It’s associated with meditation, hypnosis, daydreaming, REM sleep, `spacing out’, `vegging out’. All those states of mind are when you are “in” alpha.

The frequency range of Theta is approximately 4 to 7 cps. This state is associated with “deeper” hypnosis. Generally when a person is under anesthesia, they will be in a theta brainwave pattern.

Many people still think hypnosis is a form of Voodoo, Hocus Pocus and even black magic, but hypnosis is neither black magic nor magic of any kind. There is absolutely nothing the hypnotist can do that is an imposition on a person’s will during hypnosis. If a person does not want to quit smoking, he or she is not going to quit. If one is not willing to give up or decrease pain, they are not going to experience relief. A person can only achieve what he or she is willing to accept in hypnosis or self-hypnosis. Hypnosis is not what the hypnotist does to a client, but rather what the client is willing to accept from the hypnotist as the facilitator.

Some people are concerned about whether hypnosis allows abuse over an individual’s desires or capabilities. For example, a hairdresser came to me requesting hypnosis for smoking cessation. In those days, she could smoke on the job. She was very hypnotizable and went into hypnosis very quickly and very deeply. She was so hypnotizable that upon her one week follow up appointment, she stated that she did not want a single cigarette anymore. She was the perfect success story.

However, about three weeks later I received a telephone call from her. Her co-workers at the beauty salon told her they could not believe that she allowed some one to take control of her mind. So what do you think she does? She called me and demanded that I hypnotize her again to give her smoking habit back to her. She did not want me controlling her mind any more. For some reason, she did not mind going back into hypnosis to become a smoker again.

Unfortunately, this is the kind of logic or lack of logic we face sometimes. She reasoned, as long as she was a non-smoker, she was under my control. She did not understand that the suggestive influence of her friends hypnotized her into believing I was controlling her mind. She refused to believe that it was her choice. Peer pressure were stronger than her desire to stop smoking, which is often the case

Many misconceptions about hypnosis exist today. However, the practice and process of hypnosis remains a consistent and safe approach to relieving anxiety, eliminating harmful habits, and reducing pain. Many modern studies support the positive results I see in my practice every day. Although science continues to study why hypnosis works, there are many studies that reveal the complex interaction between our minds and our bodies.

I stated earlier that hypnosis is nothing more than focused concentration. It is also defined as an altered state of consciousness during which a person’s thoughts are at an alpha or theta brain wave frequency. Hypnosis is a state of complete awareness of all our surroundings. But in hypnosis that awareness may increase by 200-percent and is turned inward. This concentrated focus enhances the ability of the subconscious mind to accept and respond to suggestions. The subconscious mind is not just in the brain or the head. According to research completed by Candace Pert, Ph.D., a research professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at Georgetown University, Washington, DC. She states that the subconscious mind is a part of every cell within the body. Every cell in the body has memory units. Each cell has over 6,000 receptor sites for proteins capable of interacting with signals and converting those signals into intracellular activity. Through molecular division, each cell divides into a daughter cell and the mother cell dies. The daughter cells replace the parent cells, however they still contain the cellular activity or memory of the mother cell. This cell replacement process occurs every three months, except in skeleton cells that divide every six months. With each division and replacement new memories can replace old memories, creating new behaviors from the cellular level.

Studies of the heart confirm that it also has its own consciousness. The heart does not receive signals from the brain to make it beat. It beats independently by responding to electrical impulses from the Sinoatrial Node (SA node) and the Artioventricular Node (AV node). The brain does not control the heart’s increase or decrease in speed either. Instead, the heart responds to signals provided by the vagus nerve. This independence affords the heart its own consciousness. The heart also is greatly influenced by the fight or flight response which is covered later in this text As we study the Limbic system and stress.

HeartMath, LLC (HeartMath) is a company that offers training products used in the evaluation of stress relative to heart or cardiac performance. The Emwave, a stress relief system produced by HeartMath, measures the rhythm of the heart against coherence with the brain. I use similar techniques with both pain patients and in an Anger Management Program. Like biofeedback, Emwave lets the individual experience how thoughts change physiology and impact the unconscious responses of the heart. Any time an individual is able to control their response to stress, they can also control 85-percent of the medical problems in their life. Emwave is a wonderful avenue for therapy that can be used by practitioners and individuals for self-help.