Audio extract from a 2009 University of Toronto lecture by Rick
of a sample induction on test anxiety
Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy is a term to describe the use of hypnosis in a therapeutic context. Many hypnotherapists refer to their practice as "clinical work". Hypnotherapy can either be used as an addition to the work of licensed physicians or psychologists, or it can be used in a stand-alone environment where the hypnotherapist owns his or her own business. The majority of certified hypnotherapists (C.Hts in the U.S. and Canada, Diploma. Hyp in the UK) today earn their living or a large portion of their living through the cessation of smoking (sometimes in a single session) and the aid of weight loss (body sculpting). There is no evidence that 'incurable' diseases are curable with hypnosis (such as cancer, diabetes, and arthritis), but pain and other body functions related to the diseases are often successfully controllable. Some of the treatments practiced by hypnotherapists, in particular so-called regression, have been viewed with skepticism. However age regression and past life regression is used by thousands of practioners with effectiveness and safety.
Audio extract from a 2009 University of Toronto lecture by Rick
on "What does a hypnotherapist do?"
History of Hypnosis
The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis is an organization that "promotes greater acceptance of hypnosis as a clinical tool with broad applications". Hypnosis is applied to a great range of both physical and psychological ailments, rather than being restricted to purely psychological phenomena. For children also, bed wetting behaviors have been treated successfully this way. The society was founded by Milton Erickson, a physician who succeeded in helping to put hypnosis on a firm footing. Milton H. Erickson was opposed to non-board-licensed health care professionals performing therapeutic hypnosis, to protect the public from so called "certified laymen" eager to practice. To get around this in the United States, "certified" lay hypnotists now claim to perform "non-therapeutic issue-resolution hypnosis", rather than "hypnotherapy. With my particular blend of training as a licensed psychotherapist AND hypnotherapist, I can approach areas of the psychological with a client, including the use of hypnosis for ‘therapeutic’ applications.
Forensic Hypnosis
Forensic hypnosis is not widely used in many countries' legal systems as there is evidence to support theories of 'false memory' syndrome, particularily by those who are facing the stressful predicament of criminal proceedings. However, hypnosis is frequently used by the public for anecdotal information pertaining to criminal and legal proceedings, and there is no shortage of testimonial evidence of its helpfulness and accuracy in ‘uncovering’ anecdotal information to apply to legal and criminal matters.
There are infact over 5,000 clinical studies on hypnosis, the majority of them favourable.
Hypnosis has a history that stems over 200 years. Much of that history is rife with controversy. Yet, hypnosis for therapeutic use is currently experiencing an upsurge in the popular imagination, and likely will continue to grow in legitimacy and usage.
Generally it is a self induced state where the subject focuses attention by responding to the suggestion of the hypnotist. As attention is focused and magnified, the hypnotist's words are gradually accepted without the subject carrying any conscious censorship of what is being said, bypassing the critical factor of the conscious mind. This is not unlike the athlete listening to the last pieces of advice from a coach minutes before an important sport event: Concentration filters out anything that is unimportant and magnifies what is said about what really matters for the subject.
Misnomers that the subject's will is controlled, or that the subject loses consciousness, or that the subject will embarrass themselves or reveal secrets are common. All hypnosis is infact self hypnosis, the client induces themselves with the facilitation of the therapist based on a pre-arranged contract for such work. At no time does the client not know where they are or what they are doing. As well, no self respecting therapist would not want to 'serve' the client to the best of their abilities. None-the-less, the misnomers abound.
Hypnosis is most often used to help the self-hypnotist stay on a diet, overcome smoking or some other addiction, or to generally boost the hypnotized person's self-esteem. Hypnosis however has dozens if not hundreds of other applications.
Hypnosis is an organic process that doesn't require dieting, surgery, or pills.
Hypnosis is useful as a replacement for surgery, pills, or dieting for corrective weight management. Most people who apply due diligence with a weight management regiment find that they can eat what they want, and infact rekindle their love of eating. They begin to love food that's actually good for them. Ironically, all eating disorders can be said to be a need to rekindle a love affair with food, but for it's own sake. It is a misnomer that heavy people 'just love to eat' They over eat as a substitute for something else that the subconscious confuses or substitutes food for - like affection, or fear, or some buried emotion. Weight goes awry when our signals confuse the signal to eat with some other signal of lack, distress, fear, discomfort, anxiety, etc that the subconscious is holding onto. Eating for emotional reasons is at the core, an attempt to get rid of fear. As well, the subconscious is a metaphorical languauge. There is no analytical function in the subconscious. The subconscious forms functions and processes below our thinking awareness - it breathes us, digests us, pulses our hearts and manages our involuntary physical processes. Therefore, It can also tell us to choose a piece of fresh mango instead of chocolate cake, or to stop eating when we are full.
Therefore one must purge themselves of slogans like "When I'm hungry I could eat a horse" as your subconscious imagines you literally eating a horse which is not the kind of encouraging imagery you want to apply. You infact want to reassure the subconscious that you can eat what you want and not put on weight and that you recognize when you are full and want to stop eating.
Hypnosis is proven effective for weight management.
As well with metaphors like 'big' and 'bigger' A parent's admonition, "No, you can't have that, but when you get bigger you can have what you want" to a child can forge the beginning of a subconscious battle with the bulge, if a motivation to 'get bigger' is subconsciously applied in order to have what is being deprived to the child. So, your subconscious will use 'big' as a rationale or requirement for 'getting what I want in life'. The combination of what you want (motivation) what you believe, and what you expect as a blueprint for action never fails you, infact.
An unhealthy relationship with food is due to one of a couple of variables: sexual trauma is the most common reason, where the unconscious is reacting to some kind of fear of a normal weight (If I am a normal weight I will look attractive and I will be abused, as I was the last time I 'looked good')
Or else, food represents some kind of comfort that replaces the love or affection of someone, or is used to demonstrate love, such as if we came home from school to an empty house, but with a bowl of ice cream waiting. If we hold that "A cold beer is the best reward for hard work' we will equate the two as inseperable. One key aspect of hypnosis is helping clients purge unhealthy metaphors and replacing them with useful metaphors.
One physiological definition of hypnosis states that the brainwave level necessary to work on issues such as stopping smoking, managing weight, reducing phobias, improving athletic performance, etc., is the alpha state. The alpha state is commonly associated with closing one's eyes, relaxation, and daydreaming.
Ivan Pavlov believed that hypnosis was a "partial sleep". He observed that the various degrees of hypnosis did not significantly differ physiologically from the waking state and hypnosis depended on insignificant changes of environmental stimuli. Pavlov also suggested that lower brain stem mechanisms were involved in hypnotic conditioning.
