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What is hypnosis?
Clinical hypnosis is
a procedure during which a health professional or researcher
suggests that a patient might experience changes in sensations,
perceptions, thoughts, or behavior. It is not by itself a type of
therapy, but only a tool that can assist therapy. These hypnotic
suggestions are intended to aid you in making personal changes that
will help you with your problem. Some people are very responsive to
hypnotic suggestions and others are less responsive.
Myths about hypnosis
Movies and television have
given people some mistaken ideas about hypnosis. For example, people
in hypnosis do not lose control over their behavior. As a committee
of the American Psychological Association wrote, "Hypnosis makes it
easier for people to experience suggestions, but it does not force
them to have these experiences." People in hypnosis typically remain
aware of who they are and where they are, and unless amnesia has
been specifically suggested, they usually remember what happened
during hypnosis.
Psychologists do not use hypnosis to make
people act silly, in the ways that "stage hypnotists" do. Also, it
is not possible to get "stuck" in hypnosis.
A myth about
hypnosis is the idea that it lets people replay memories from their
past like a videotape. Some hypnotized people remember more details
about past events than they did before being hypnotized. However, it
is possible that some of the newly remembered details are a product
of the imagination. Some hypnotized people also remember past events
that are unfamiliar to them. It is possible that these newly found
memories are accurate, but it also possible that such events are
partially or completely the result of the imagination. Because
hypnosis can make memories seem so real, people who have recalled
material while hypnotized are sometimes more confident than they
should be about the accuracy of what they have recalled. Most of the
time, neither patient nor the therapist has any way of knowing
whether memories (hypnotically recalled or otherwise) are accurate
or not. For these reasons, hypnosis is not a useful procedure for a
patient to explore childhood memories in order to determine if
mistreatment occurred, and your therapist will do his best to avoid
giving you suggestions about what you will find if you do explore
past memories.
What to expect in hypnosis
Hypnosis generally starts with an induction procedure. The
induction procedure is a set of instructions designed to help you
focus your attention. Most induction procedures include suggestions
for relaxation with the eyes closed.
Once your attention is
focused, the psychologist will give you suggestions that are related
to your problem. These suggestions may cause you to experience
changes in your sensations, thoughts, and feelings. Sometimes your
psychologist will give you suggestions that are intended to continue
helping you solve your problem after the hypnosis has ended
(post-hypnotic suggestions). In most cases, the psychologist will
ask you to tell him what you are experiencing. You are free to speak
at any time, to ask questions, or to open your eyes and end the
hypnosis procedure.
After the hypnosis is over, you and the
psychologist will generally discuss your experi-ences.
Possible risks
There are few risks associated
with the use of hypnosis by trained practitioners. In addition to
the possibility (see above) that some people may remember things
that are not factual and may become too confident that they have
recalled those things accurately, other possible risks are:
*Some people are not very hypnotizable. Most people have an
average ability to respond to hypnotic suggestions, which is
sufficient for using hypnosis in therapy. However, a small
percentage of people show little or no response to hypnotic
suggestions. If this occurs, then you and your psychologist will
talk about alternative procedures for working on your problem.
*Hypnosis is not always effective. As with any health care
treatment, no approach works for everyone. If hypnosis does not help
you, then you and your psychologist will discuss alternatives.
*Hypnosis may get in the way of your being able to testify
in court. If you and your therapist use hypnosis to process memories
that could be the focus of a lawsuit, you may not be allowed to
testify about your memories in court. Numerous courts have held that
"hypnotically refreshed testimony" is not admissible. If you are
considering a lawsuit, or are likely to be called to testify in a
lawsuit, please notify your therapist before any hypnosis is done.
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