Psychological And Physical Aspects Of Hypnotherapy

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“What is Hypnosis?” Describe the psychological and physical aspects of hypnosis and discuss the role of relaxation in Hypnotherapy.

Division 30 of the American Psychological Association describes hypnosis as “beginning with an introduction to the hypnotic process during which, it is explained suggestions for imaginative experiences will be presented to the client. This "hypnotic induction" is an extended initial suggestion for the client to use their imagination, and may contain further elaboration of the introduction. The "hypnotic procedure" is used to encourage and evaluate the subject's responses to suggestions. When using hypnosis, one person (the subject) is guided by another (the hypnotist) to respond to suggestions
involving changes in subjective experience, as well as alterations in perception, sensation, emotion, thought or behaviour”.i

Hypnosis involves the hypnotist inducing a trance state in one or more people. A trance state is one in which the subject's usual means of orientating himself in time and place has faded, blurring the boundaries between the external world and the inner life of the mind. There is a decrease in usual critical thinking, allowing the subject to accept ideas they may otherwise reject. The subject is open to suggestions and has focused selective perception. Imagination plays a greater role than usual. Fantasies and memories are experienced with vivid intensity, and alterations in perception and memory may increase. The subject tends to be highly involved in whatever he is perceiving, imagining or thinking. There is an enhanced tendency to comply with hypnotic suggestions. During hypnosis the critical inner voice is suspended, allowing the subject to behave in a way that he may otherwise reject. Hypnosis does not allow people to do anything their moral code would not allow. The subject must be willing to by hypnotised on some level, otherwise the hypnosis would not work.ii

Now we have an understanding of hypnosis, we can discuss its psychological and physical effects.

Psychological

To look at the psychological effects of hypnosis, we must first look at the workings of the brain. The brain is constantly giving out electrical impulses, measured as brainwaves. These are classified into four main groups based on their frequency.

Beta waves are the fastest of the brainwaves at around 15 to 40 cycles per second. We 2 experience beta waves when we engage and focus on a task such as reading, writing, playing sport, holding a conversation. During beta waves, the brain has normal intellectual functioning and the body has normal reflexes and motor responses.

Alpha waves are slower than beta waves at around 9 to 14 cycles per second. They are present when we are resting after completing a task. We feel alpha waves as a relaxed sense of wellbeing and as creativity or problem solving. Alpha waves are present during lighter hypnosis or when daydreaming or in a light trance state. Alpha waves are experienced as a relaxed body, slowed breathing and pulse, withdrawal into the self and the direction of attention to an imagined activity, dialogue or event which may be real or fantasy.

Theta waves are slower still at around 4 to 8 cycles per second. They are present when we are daydreaming or driving a familiar route without being consciously aware of doing so. They generate a feeling of serene calm and feeling emotional surges. Theta waves are associated with the subconscious mind, i.e., with the memories, thoughts, feelings and behaviour patterns we do not know exist. Theta wave activity may sometimes bring up suppressed memories or emotions, bringing them to the attention of the conscious mind. This may be emotionally painful, but can also be the key to healing, with support from a therapist. In theta wave activity, we are accessing our intuition and gateway to learning and development. Theta waves are present during medium to deep hypnosis and are characterised by loss of awareness of surroundings, closed eyes, increased awareness of internal functions such as breathing or beating of the heart, increased receptivity of the senses, intensified imagery and literal interpretation of speech.

Delta waves are the slowest at 1 to 4 cycles per second. This is when the brain's conscious activity is at its lowest. Delta waves are produced in the subconscious mind and in the deepest state of rest. No other brainwaves are active when delta waves are present. Delta waves are present during deep hypnosis. There is a state of detached awareness and sleep. Delta waves are characterised by a further reduction of activity and energy output, limpness or stiffness of limbs, narrowing of attention, increased suggestibility, illusions of senses being possible, loss of auditory receptivity and environmental awareness and heightened functioning of the creative process.

The brainwaves that are commonly accessed through hypnosis are alpha and theta. These are the waves which facilitate access to the subconscious mind, enabling it to accept and act upon positive suggestions for change which may otherwise be rejected.

Hypnosis encompasses relaxation, guided imagery, distraction, progressive muscular relaxation and positive suggestions. It is also a means of reframing negative thought patterns in a positive way, to improve confidence and self esteem, in a way that the subconscious mind will accept. During hypnosis the subject is hyper-suggestible, that is, far more open and receptive to suggestion than in the non-hypnotised state. Milton Erickson stated “your conscious mind is very intelligent, but your unconscious is a lot smarter”iii This refers to the belief that we all have the inner resources to solve our problems and to self heal. In hypnosis, the subconscious is given free reign to do just that. This knowledge and experience is empowering for the hypnotherapy client. Hypnosis tends to leave decision making to the client, which gives them the feeling of being in control. Again, there is a psychological benefit to feeling in control of one's life and
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possessing the inner resources for change, development and growth.

Hypnosis subjects often experience time as being distorted.
They feel they have been in a trance state for a few minutes, when it has actually been longer. There may also be an alteration in memory. If clients regress in time to when they were children they may remember factually accurate memories, but also fantasies. A hypnotherapist can support the subject to change the behaviour associated with a particular memory so that the physical and emotional reactions to that memory change. Using the subconscious, the memory is separated from the learned behaviour, and unhealthy behaviour replaced with new, healthier
reactions.
Pat Bowers, a psychologist, argues that hypnosis triggers networks in the brain which are beyond our conscious control. This is why hypnotised subjects experience a feeling of effortless. In these deep networks, new associations are made and these new associations are another way of describing creativity.iv
Physical
The physical effects of hypnosis explain why hypnosis is important as a therapeutic tool. Hypnosis has been used to support clients with weight loss, smoking cessation, stress, phobias, natural childbirth, health problems, pain, self-esteem and motivation, learning, sports performance, insomnia, anxiety and panic, cancer, anxieties about surgery, depression, etc. Clinical studies suggest that hypnosis may improve immune function, increase relaxation, decrease stress, and ease pain and feelings of anxiety.v
The primary physical affect of hypnosis is relaxation. Jacobson noted that if patients were helped to relax their muscles, healing physically, mentally and emotionally occurred. Most people tense their muscles in an involuntary response to modern life. If muscles are constantly contracted, people will experience tension which can lead to physical problems such as back and neck pain, headaches, etc as well as reinforcing the stress that caused the muscles to tense in the first place. Hypnosis uses the technique of Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) which allows clients to relax their muscles. Regular practice of relaxation through hypnosis allows clients to retain this muscle relaxation in general life.
There is evidence that hypnotherapy can influence specific physiological response, that is, physical reactions that are controlled by the central nervous system, for instance changes in blood flow.vi
Hypnotherapy can reduce the fear and anxiety that some people feel before medical or dental procedures. For example, studies show that dental patients who underwent hypnosis had a significantly higher threshold for pain than those who had not. Hypnosis may also improve recovery time and reduce anxiety and pain following surgery. Clinical trials on burn patients suggest that hypnosis decreases pain (enough to replace pain medication) and improves healing. Generally, clinical studies show that using hypnosis may reduce the need for medication, improve mental and physical condition before an operation, and reduce the time it takes to recover.vii
The dissociated control model of Woody and Bowers describes how the induction of hypnosis inhibits certain functions of the frontal lobes that come under the brains' supervisory system which is responsible for the regulation of activity(rather than habitual or automatic responses which are present in much of our learned behaviour). Hypnosis
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disengages the supervisory system from its influence on the behaviour and experiences of the subject, who is then able to respond in an automatic and involuntary manner to hypnotic suggestions.viii
Hildegard posits the state or special process theory of hypnosis. This argues that the hypnotic experience happens due to a process of dissociation within high level cognitive control systems. Although the organising and planning part of the brain continues to work as usual during hypnosis, another part of the brain dissociates from this and is hidden from awareness by an amnesiac barrier . Hypnotic suggestions work by influencing this dissociated part of the brain to change behaviour or thinking. As the subject is not aware of the cognitive activity, only the changes in behaviour or thought processes,these changes are experienced as involuntary and easier than the subject would have thought.ix
Brain scanning techniques have been able to shed light on the reality of the hypnotic experience for the subject.
Early scanning studies showed that highly susceptible hypnotic subjects experienced hypnotic experiences and produced brain patterns similar to those associated with experiencing them for real. This was true for both auditory and visual experiences. However, this was not replicated when the subjects were not hypnotised and asked to visualise the experiences.x
The role of relaxation in hypnotherapy
There is an emphasis on relaxation in the hypnotic induction, usually focusing on relaxing each body part and muscle group in turn. This focus on relaxation proves a counterpoint to the usual state that is necessary to be able to participate in modern life, that is one of tension and alertness. As the induction proceeds the focus on relaxation will continue and be repeated to deepen the effect. Hypnosis generally leaves the subject feeling calm and relaxed and this effect may last for a long time. The more the client is able to relax, the more likely they are to develop vivid visual imagery which in turn tends to heighten the effectiveness of the
hypnosis.
Part of the relaxation may be explained by the role of the therapy on the client. Hypnotherapy gives the client a feeling of being in control, whilst also feeling as if the action is being taken by someone else (i.e., the subconscious). This temporary relinquishing of control can in itself help relaxation. Often inductions are framed in such a way that the client is unable to fail, for instance using questioning words such as may, could, might, etc. This reduces the pressure on the client to succeed and provides a further counterpoint to their daily experience. All these contribute to improving the client's experience of hypnosis as relaxation. Hypnotherapy is a powerful tool in stress related conditions. Stress is known to contribute to a number of physical conditions, and relaxation helps people to manage stress. There appears to be a psychosomatic element to a large number of illnesses that are generally regarded as physicalxi Hypnotherapy is used to reduce the stress that illness induces, which in turn leads to a reduction in further illness. The same cycle can be witnessed for the use of hypnotherapy in pain relief. Relaxation helps the client to take the edge of their pain, this appears to make the pain to pass more quickly, or feel less intense and also reduces the client's anxiety that is associated with pain. As a consequence the client's experience of pain reduces as does their expectation of feeling pain.