The Practice of Hypnosis in Cognitive-Behavioral Psychology

Find out what hypnosis is – and what it isn’t. Learn the history of hypnosis and the many uses in Cognitive-Behavioral Psychology

Hello friends!

Continuing our reading of the book Manual of Techniques and Therapy and Behavior Modification, organized by Vicente Caballo, today we are going to study the chapter on Hypnosis. According to the author of this chapter, E. Thomas Dowd, it is better to use the term hypnotherapy – rather than hypnosis – as hypnosis is not an isolated technique, but must be used within the context of behavioral therapy:

“Hypnosis is not a therapy in itself, but a specialized technique that can be usefully incorporated into particular therapeutic situations. Hypnosis should only be used by professionals well trained in the practice of their own profession and, indeed, such professionals should not employ it as their only method of treatment. Thus, it is incorrect to speak of a “hypnotist” or even a “hypnotherapist”: Rather, one should speak of a psychologist, behavior therapist or physician who is trained in, and uses, hypnosis” (Dowd , p. 609).

History of Hypnosis

The beginning of the use of hypnosis in history is difficult to specify. But we do know that similar techniques were used in religious rites and ceremonies in different cultures. According to Dowd, the systematization and the most contemporary form must be attributed to Paracelsus, who was a controversial author and researcher, but who is also attributed with changing the system of medicine from the Hippocratic conception of temperaments to the modern biochemical conception (although quite still linked to alchemy).

“The modern study of what is now called hypnosis began with Paracelsus, who believed that magnetic forces (particularly those that come from the stars) influence people through invisible waves. The concept was later expanded to include the idea of ​​”animal magnetism”, a force similar to physical magnetism, which emanates from the human body and which could influence the thoughts and actions of others.

Another author who marked the development of hypnosis as we know it is Mesmer – whose name gave rise to mesmerism (synonym for hypnosis).

Dowd says:

“These concepts were refined and organized by the Austrian physician, Franz Anton Mesmer, who claimed that illnesses could be cured by passing magnets over the body of the sufferer. He later discovered that magnets were not necessary and attributed the cures to “animal magnetism” contained within the body itself. Mesmer’s work was finally investigated by a prestigious French commission, which decided that “animal magnetism” (or “mesmerism”) did not exist, but was the result of imagination and suggestion. Mesmerism (and Mesmer) was discredited and hypnosis was temporarily forgotten.

The word hypnosis was created by James Braid who related the state to dream (hypnosis comes from the Greek Hypnos which means sleep), but Braid stated that hypnosis consisted of a narrowing of consciousness, close to sleep in a certain sense, however, different from it.

Freud learned the techniques of hypnosis from Charcot. However, after an enthusiastic adoption of the technique, he abandoned it as ineffective. Fact that made hypnosis discredited again.

However, especially from the work of Milton Erikson, hypnosis became popular again, to be studied and practiced on a larger scale.

What is and what is not hypnosis?

Despite the name, it is important to point out that hypnosis is not the same as sleep, a dream. The patient or client does not sleep during the session, nor is there any loss of consciousness. What happens is the change of concentration for certain stimuli, in a way, in general, not very common in the daily life of each one of us.

Another misconception about hypnosis is the following: “Hypnosis implies a surrender of the will and, therefore, the subject is under the control of the hypnotist”. According to Dowde, “All hypnosis is self-hypnosis. Individuals allow themselves to be put into a trance because they want to. Hypnosis cannot be induced without the subject’s collaboration” (Dowd, p. 610).

We should also clarify that hypnosis does not put the patient in a state that leads him to do things against his will. Furthermore, it is necessary to understand that there are formally provoked states of hypnosis (with the presence of a hypnotherapist) and so-called informal states, which normally happen in everyday life.

“For example, some individuals are so deeply absorbed in an activity that they lose track of time (time distortion) or are unaware of external stimuli. The term “road hypnosis” refers to the behavior of the person who travels in a car from one place to another without realizing the route. Ericksonian hypnotherapists, in particular, frequently use informal trances” (Dowd, p. 610).

The Practice of Hypnosis in Behavioral Psychology

Didactically, we can divide a hypnosis session into five stages:

1) patient preparation,

2) hypnotic induction,

3) deepening hypnosis,

4) use of the hypnotic trance for therapeutic purposes and

5) finalization.

1) Patient preparation

In this step, the hypnotherapist clarifies what hypnosis is and what it is not for the patient, establishing the therapeutic relationship for the process to be carried out.

2) Hypnotic Induction

“The number of possible induction techniques that could be used by hypnotists is potentially infinite, limited only by their own creativity” (Dowd, p. 617). Evidently, the competent hypnotherapist will have learned the induction techniques and will be able to choose which one is most suitable for the patient he is treating.

A very common hypnotic induction technique is that of progressive relaxation, based on systematic desensitization:

“For example, the hypnotherapist might start like this:

First relax the muscles of the head, feeling how the tension escapes downwards…, now the eyes…, then the jaws, letting the mouth open freely…, now the muscles of the neck, feeling how all the tension flows downwards. And now relax the ankles…, now the feet…, and finally the toes, letting all tension escape through the toes.

Suggestions for relaxation should be accompanied by suggestions for focusing attention, such as:

as you feel the muscles in your chest relax, you can focus on your breathing pattern and let your breathing become slower and deeper… as you relax more and more, you can watch your attention focus more and more into your body and the sound of my voice and less and less into other sounds and other sensations, (or)… as you relax more and more, you find yourself progressively releasing tension” (Dowd, p. 617) ).

3) Deepening hypnosis

In practice, it is often difficult to distinguish the induction from the so-called deepening, as the induction itself can lead to a deep state of hypnosis. However, sometimes, the hypnotherapist uses metaphors, visualizations – such as going down a ladder or counting from 10 to 1 – to stabilize the induction.

4) Use of the hypnotic trance for therapeutic purposes

The main objective of hypnotherapy is to make it possible, within the moment of the hypnotic state, to modify dysfunctional or negative beliefs, thoughts and behaviors. For this reason, Dowd constantly stresses the need to consider hypnosis only as a tool for psychotherapy and not as an isolated technique (since hypnotic induction is relatively easy and, if not used with a purpose, ends up being pointless). sense).

“In the case of self-hypnosis and during trance, the subject can give himself constructive instructions, modifying negative and irrational thinking and using imagination in a therapeutic way” (Dowd, p. 621).

5) Finalization

“To bring the patient out of the trance, it is considered best to employ the reverse procedure to that of hypnotic induction and deepening. Thus, if you hypnotized the subject using the 15-step ladder method, you should remove him by counting backwards 15 steps. In this case, a popular method is to count from 5 to 1 or from 10 to 1” (Dowd, p. 621).

Conclusion

The technique of hypnosis is generally used in behavioral psychology to control pain, change habits, substance abuse disorders (alcohol and drugs) and also in cognitive restructuring, that is, to improve self-esteem and psychological functioning. general.

references

Caballo, v. Manual of Techniques and Therapy and Behavior Modification.

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