FAQ about Hypnosis

Learn and understand about Hypnosis. How it works, how to practice it etc.

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Dj I.C.U.
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FAQ about Hypnosis

Post by Dj I.C.U. » Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:00 pm

From http://www.institute-shot.com/hypnosis_and_health.htm

What is Hypnosis? Hypnosis is a social interaction in which one person responds to suggestions given by another person (the hypnotist) for imaginative experiences involving changes in perception, memory, and the voluntary control of action.  Click on the picture at the right to see an enlarged photograph of Svengali hypnotizes Trilby, from Georges Du Maurier's Trilby (1894).

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Can Anyone be Hypnotized?

Post by Dj I.C.U. » Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:00 pm

There are large individual differences in response to hypnosis. Hypnosis has little to do with the hypnotist's technique, and very much to do with the individual's capacity, or talent, for experiencing hypnosis. Most people are at least moderately hypnotizable. However, while relatively few people absolutely cannot be hypnotized, by the same token, relatively few people fall within the highest level of responsiveness (so-called hypnotic virtuosos).

There is some controversy over whether hypnotizability can be modified. Some clinical practitioners believe that virtually everyone can be hypnotized, if only the hypnotist takes the right approach. However, there is little evidence favoring this point of view. Similarly, some researchers believe that developing positive attitudes, motivations, and expectancies concerning hypnosis can enhance hypnotizability. However, there is also evidence that such interventions may only affect behavioral compliance with suggestions, not the subjective experiences that lie at the core of hypnosis. As with any other skilled performance, hypnosis is probably a matter of both aptitude and attitude: negative attitudes, motivations, and expectancies can interfere with performance, but positive ones are not by themselves sufficient to create hypnotic virtuosity.

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How is Hypnotizability Measured?

Post by Dj I.C.U. » Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:04 pm

Hypnotizability is measured by standardized psychological tests such as the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale or the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility . These instruments are work-samples that are similar to other performance tests. Hypnotizability, so measured, yields a roughly normal (i.e., bell-shaped) distribution of scores.

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What Happens During Hypnosis?

Post by Dj I.C.U. » Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:05 pm

A typical hypnosis session begins with an induction procedure in which the person is asked to focus his or her eyes on a fixation point, relax, and concentrate on the voice of the hypnotist. Although suggestions for relaxation are generally part of the hypnotic induction procedure, people can respond positively to hypnotic suggestions while engaged in vigorous physical activity. The hypnotist then gives suggestions for further relaxation, focused attention, and eye closure. After the person’s eyes are closed, further suggestions for various imaginative experiences are given. For example, individuals might be asked to extend their arms and imagine a heavy object pushing their hands and arms down or to hear a voice asking questions over a loudspeaker. Or, the hypnotist might suggest that when they open their eyes, they would not be able to see some object that has been placed in front of them. Posthypnotic suggestions may also be given for responses to occur after hypnosis has been terminated, including posthypnotic amnesia, the inability to remember events and experiences that took place during hypnosis. Response to each of these suggestions is scored in terms of objective behavioral criteria – did the arm drop a specified distance over a period of time, did the person answer questions realistically, did the person deny seeing the object, etc.?

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Does the Ability to be Hypnotized Vary with Age?

Post by Dj I.C.U. » Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:05 pm

Cross-sectional studies of different age groups show a developmental curve, with very young children relatively unresponsive to hypnosis. Hypnotizability reaches a peak at about the onset of adolescence but then scores generally drop off among middle-aged and elderly individuals. Longitudinal studies indicate that hypnotizability assessed in college students remains about as stable as IQ over a period of 25 years.

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Can I Hypnotize Myself?

Post by Dj I.C.U. » Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:07 pm

The role of individual differences makes it clear that, in an important sense, all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. The hypnotist does not hypnotize the individual. Rather, the hypnotist serves as a sort of coach or tutor whose job is to help the person become hypnotized. While it takes considerable training and expertise to use hypnosis appropriately in clinical practice, it takes very little skill to be a hypnotist. Beyond the hypnotist's ability to develop rapport with the person, the most important factor determining hypnotic response is the hypnotizability of the individual.

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Is the Ability to be Hypnotized Related to Personality?

Post by Dj I.C.U. » Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:08 pm

Hypnotizability is not substantially related to other individual differences in ability or personality, such as intelligence or adjustment. Interestingly, it does not appear to be related to individual differences in conformity, persuasibility, or response to other forms of social influence. However, research has found that hypnotizability is related to an individual’s disposition to have hypnosis-like experiences outside of formal hypnotic settings. Similarly, an extensive interview study by Josephine Hilgard showed that hypnotizable individuals tend to display a high level of imaginative involvement in domains such as reading and drama.

In 1974, Auke Tellegen and Gilbert Atkinson developed a scale of absorption to measure the tendency to have subjective experiences characterized by the full engagement of attention (narrowed or expanded), and blurred boundaries between self and object. Absorption is the most reliable personality correlate of hypnotizability. By contrast, vividness of mental imagery is essentially unrelated to hypnosis. So far as the measurement of hypnotizability itself is concerned, there is no substitute for performance-based measures such as the Stanford and Harvard scales.

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What Happens to the Brain during Hypnosis?

Post by Dj I.C.U. » Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:08 pm

Researchers have been interested in biological correlates of hypnotizability as well as in those that can be measured by paper-and-pencil tests. Although hypnosis is commonly induced with suggestions for relaxation and even sleep, brain activity in hypnosis more closely resembles that of a person who is awake. The discovery of hemispheric specialization, with the left hemisphere geared to analytic and the right hemisphere to nonanalytic tasks, led to the speculation that hypnotic response is somehow influenced by right-hemisphere activity. Studies employing both behavioral and electrophysiological mechanisms have been interpreted as indicating increased activation of the right hemisphere of the brain among highly hypnotizable individuals, but positive results have proved difficult to replicate and interpretation of these findings remains controversial.

Hypnosis is influenced by verbal suggestions, which must be interpreted by the individual in the course of responding. Therefore, the role of the left hemisphere of the brain should not be minimized. One proposal is that hypnotizable individuals show greater flexibility in using the left and right hemispheres in a task-appropriate manner, especially when they are actually hypnotized. Because involuntariness is so central to the experience of hypnosis, it has also been suggested that the frontal lobes (which organize intentional action) may play a special role. A better understanding of the neural substrates of hypnosis awaits studies of neurological patients with focalized brain lesions, as well as brain-imaging studies (e.g., PET, fMRI) of normal individuals.

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How do People Become Hypnotists and Who is Reputable?

Post by Dj I.C.U. » Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:08 pm

Anyone can hypnotize, because the talent for hypnosis lies in the person being hypnotized. The most practiced hypnotist of all time was a professional radio announcer who recorded the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, which has been used in laboratories and clinics worldwide since 1962. However, that person had no special training in hypnosis, and he never personally hypnotized anyone in his life. All that was required was that he possess a pleasant voice and the ability to read a script with expression.

With respect to clinical hypnosis, it is most important is that the practitioner be qualified to treat the problem at hand without the use of hypnosis. A professional who has the appropriate training to treat a particular disorder is in the best position to decide, with the patient, whether hypnosis is the most appropriate and promising approach.

There are several organizations that purport to "certify" hypnotists, and many individuals advertise themselves as "hypnotherapists" in the Yellow Pages, however, the most important credential is a diploma from an accredited university and state licensure as a physician, dentist, clinical psychologist, clinical social worker, etc. Hypnosis is not a profession. Rather, it is a technique that professionals employ as appropriate.

While anyone can be a hypnotist, it takes a great deal of skill and training to use hypnosis appropriately and effectively in clinical practice. Many professional schools offer courses in clinical applications of hypnosis, but many, if not most, professionals receive hypnosis training in postgraduate continuing education. In the United States, two societies offer specialized training in hypnosis to professionals with appropriate credentials: the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (SCEH) and the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH). Neither organization certifies professional hypnotists.

Many other countries have national organizations that are affiliated with the International Society of Hypnosis. Outside the United States, among the most active societies are the Australian Society of Hypnosis and the British Society for Experimental and Clinical Hypnosis. If you are considering hypnosis as a treatment for a problem, you should first obtain a referral from your health care professional. The SCEH or ASCH may be able to help you to locate members in your region who may be able to provide a consultation.

saorsa
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Interesting Article

Post by saorsa » Sat Dec 23, 2006 5:29 am

Very interesting article. Contained a lot of good information.

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