EXAM The Truth About Hypnosis

The truth about hypnosis
I want you to look at this picture and tell me what comes to your mind when you see it…….
Exactly hypnosis. I´m going to talk about an important method that is used nowadays in the
medical field.
Hypnosis is, perhaps, one of the most misunderstood and controversial methods of
psychological treatment. The myths and misconceptions that surround hypnotherapy mostly
stem from people’s ideas about stage hypnotism. The truth is that stage hypnotism is
essentially a theatrical performance and has about as much in common with bona fide clinical
hypnosis as many Hollywood movies have with real life.
The fact is, however, that hypnosis is a genuine psychological phenomenon that has valid uses
in clinical practice. According to the American Psychological Association's Div. 30 (Society of
Psychological Hypnosis), hypnosis is a procedure during which a health professional or
researcher suggests while treating someone, that he or she experience changes in sensations,
perceptions, thoughts or behavior. Although some hypnosis is used to make people more alert,
most hypnosis includes suggestions for relaxation, calmness and well-being.
But how hypnotherapy works?
Hypnosis is a state of highly focused attention or concentration, often associated with

relaxation, and high suggestibility. Instructions to imagine or think about pleasant experiences
are commonly included during the process. People respond to hypnosis in different ways.
Some describe hypnosis as a state of focused attention, in which they feel very calm and
relaxed and other people describe the experience as pleasant.
While a person is under a hypnotic trance, it seems that they are much more open to helpful
suggestions than they usually are. The positive suggestions that they rare given while
hypnotized are referred to as “post hypnotic suggestions” because they are intended to take
effect after the person is no longer under hypnosis.
The suggestions given to people under hypnosis appear to be an important part of the
mechanism through which the procedure works. While many people won’t accept or respond
to an up-front, direct suggestion, under hypnosis, suggestions seem to get into the mind -
perhaps through the “back door” of consciousness where they make important behavioral or
psychological changes. Contrary to popular belief, people under hypnosis are in total control of
them and would never do anything they would normally find highly objectionable.
Everyone can be hypnotizable?
People differ in the way they respond to hypnosis. A person's ability to experience hypnosis
can be influenced by fears and concerns arising from some common misconceptions. Also,
some people seem to possess a trait called “hypnotizability” that, like other traits, varies
greatly among individuals. To be successfully hypnotized, a person must want to undergo the
process voluntarily and also possess at least a moderate degree of hypnotizability.
Research shows that hypnosis works as part of a treatment program for a number of
psychological and medical conditions like treatment of pain; depression; anxiety and phobias;
stress; skin conditions; post-surgical recovery and many other conditions. The relief of pain is
one of the most researched areas, as shown in a 2000 study by psychologists Steven Lynn, etal.
They found the benefit associated with hypnosis is the ability to alter the psychological
components of the experience of pain that may then have an effect on even severe pain.
Nowadays the technique is called hypno-analgesia, Dr. Patterson and fellow psychologist Mark
Jensen; found that hypno-analgesia is associated with significant reductions in: ratings of pain
need for analgesics or sedation, nausea and vomiting, and length of stay in hospitals. Also
Surgeons and other health providers have reported significantly higher degrees of satisfaction
with their patients treated with hypnosis than with their other patients.
Hypnotherapy may be useful for all psychological and/or medical problems for different
patients. But, the decision to use hypnosis as an adjunct to treatment should only be made in
consultation with a qualified health care provider who has been trained in the use and
limitations of clinical hypnosis. Because who knows if you try it maybe you have the ability to
hypnotized someone and make them do weird things.

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EXAM The Truth About Hypnosis

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The truth about hypnosis

But how hypnotherapy works?

Hypnosis is a state of highly focused attention or concentration, often associated with

Everyone can be hypnotizable?

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