The Multi-Layered Nature of Hypnosis
Essay Title:
“What is Hypnosis” Describe the psychological and physical aspects of hypnosis and discuss the role of relaxation in Hypnotherapy
2189 words
Hypnosis is a complex concept. Forms of hypnosis have been around for thousands of years, with a more detailed historical account of the development and practice of modern hypnosis being available largely from the 18th Century onwards.
No one definition of what we understand under the term hypnosis is exactly the same, in the same way as no patient who considers hypnosis as treatment is going to be the same, or will experience hypnosis in exactly the same way as others. Academic and theoretic debates about whether hypnosis is a real or imagined phenomenon have been long standing.
This essay explores the question of what hypnosis is by taking a look at a brief historical account of hypnosis and how this has influenced the modern theory and practice. The essay will describe the various psychological and physical aspects of hypnosis and detail hypnotic techniques and delivery, taking a look at the key ingredients of suggestion and trance to help us understand the nature of hypnosis. We will also consider what role relaxation in particular plays in the hypnotic process and hypnotherapy, before concluding.
A brief history of hypnosis
Ancient history accounts for examples of hypnosis as early as 2000 BC when Egyptian priests were using techniques of hypnotic induction in death and rebirth rituals in ‘Sleep Temples’. The ancient Greeks also practiced a form of hypnosis and healing in sacred temples. In India yogis have used self-hypnosis as a tool to quieten the mind during meditation for thousands of years. [1]
It is generally thought that modern history of hypnosis began with Franz Anton Mesmer (1733-1815), an Austrian doctor who used magnets and the notion of transferring ‘cosmic fluid’ in order to cure illness. As there was no scientific evidence to his work but he was
“What is Hypnosis” Describe the psychological and physical aspects of hypnosis and discuss the role of relaxation in Hypnotherapy
2189 words
Hypnosis is a complex concept. Forms of hypnosis have been around for thousands of years, with a more detailed historical account of the development and practice of modern hypnosis being available largely from the 18th Century onwards.
No one definition of what we understand under the term hypnosis is exactly the same, in the same way as no patient who considers hypnosis as treatment is going to be the same, or will experience hypnosis in exactly the same way as others. Academic and theoretic debates about whether hypnosis is a real or imagined phenomenon have been long standing.
This essay explores the question of what hypnosis is by taking a look at a brief historical account of hypnosis and how this has influenced the modern theory and practice. The essay will describe the various psychological and physical aspects of hypnosis and detail hypnotic techniques and delivery, taking a look at the key ingredients of suggestion and trance to help us understand the nature of hypnosis. We will also consider what role relaxation in particular plays in the hypnotic process and hypnotherapy, before concluding.
A brief history of hypnosis
Ancient history accounts for examples of hypnosis as early as 2000 BC when Egyptian priests were using techniques of hypnotic induction in death and rebirth rituals in ‘Sleep Temples’. The ancient Greeks also practiced a form of hypnosis and healing in sacred temples. In India yogis have used self-hypnosis as a tool to quieten the mind during meditation for thousands of years. [1]
It is generally thought that modern history of hypnosis began with Franz Anton Mesmer (1733-1815), an Austrian doctor who used magnets and the notion of transferring ‘cosmic fluid’ in order to cure illness. As there was no scientific evidence to his work but he was
References: [4] Eason, The Big Hypnosis Debate, State or Non State Theory of Hypnosis, http://ezinearticles.com [5] Hadley and Staudacher, Hypnosis for Change, New Harbinger Publications, Third Edition, 1996 [6] Karle and Boys, Hypnotherapy, A Practical Handbook, Free Association Books, Second Edition, 2010 [7] Heap and Dryden, Hypnotherapy, A Handbook, Open University Press, 1991 (reprint 2010)