Hypnosis Seven

Is relaxation a prerequisite for hypnosis?

2012-01-23T08:01:00.000-08:00

No.

It is, of course, preferable to relax when you are in a therapist’s office.

But you could (and often do) go into hypnosis while exercising vigorously (e.g. running a marathon) or in an emergency (such as a car crash).

Is hypnosis safe for children?

2012-01-15T09:06:00.000-08:00

Yes.

Hypnosis is safe for everyone.

Children can readily benefit because, even more than adults, they slip in and out of hypnosis naturally all day as they play make-believe.

Why are you and Michael Carr-Jones annoyed when people use the phrase UNDER hypnosis?

2011-12-20T13:16:00.000-08:00

Because that invokes the out-dated concept

of the hypnotist being in control, of the client

being involuntarily sedated.

When I was supposedly in hypnosis I heard every word the therapist said so I could not have been hypnotized, could I?

2011-12-13T10:56:00.000-08:00

Hypnotherapist Michael Carr-Jones answers this by saying your question is his “biggest bête noir”.

“Of course you hear every word. You are awake, aware, fully conscious. If you could not hear every word we would all be wasting our time and your money."

10 Online Resources to Help You Build Your Hypnotherapy Practice

2011-12-07T12:31:00.001-08:00

10 Online Resources to Help You Build Your Hypnotherapy Practice

Here are links to people and services I'm sure you'll find useful in marketing your online or offline therapy service. Most of them are free. And only the two banners are affiliate links of mine. The first one offers a free Wordpress blog once you sign up for their superb hosting (that includes amazing customer service).
The following resources are in no particular order. What I consider essential are greened.

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Please Note
While every effort has been made to provide links to responsible resources no warranty, guarantee, or representation is made by Dr Bryan Knight or the Online Therapists' World Directory as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information contained herein.
These links are intended for you to consider as responsible, independently licensed professionals, in collaboration with your own legal counsel to determine what is in the best interest of your particular circumstance, your clients or patients and your practice.
The listings are not meant as an endorsement of any particular product or service (with the exception of the affiliated products).
You are advised to conduct your own due diligence whenever making decisions that affect your practice.
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You'll be fascinated with Charlie Page's history and delighted with the amazing free marketing tips he provides. Not to mention the money you can make with his products and guidance.
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Join our Online Therapists' World Directory. Be sure to request our free 'Guide to Using Skype for online therapy'. Give yourself the possibility of attracting clients from around the world.
Audit My PC Anti-spam info, sitemap generator and much more.
The Online Therapy Institute provides training, a magazine, and lots of free information on billing, security, etc. One of several competing sites (see next listing for example).
The International Society for Mental Health Online An international community exploring and promoting Mental Health in the digital age.
SiteProNews SEO guidance, marketing advice, ways to use video and web news. Includes fixed-price alternative to Google's Adsense.
Daily Blog Tips Daily advice valuable not only for bloggers. How the author thinks of something to write about every day is amazing. If you find the tips useful for your web work, fine; if not, just unsubscribe.
Online Jobs Outsource your web needs to the Philippines. One way to add fresh articles to your site, develop ebooks or software and so on, is to farm it out to eager freelancers. Those in the Philippines charge much less than their American or U.K. counterparts.
Kerstin Lube A free digital gift every Wednesday. Really worthwhile. Plus she sells amazing ebooks and software at very low prices. Here's an example (re Mobile marketing): Go Mobile

How do I know I was hypnotized?

2011-12-07T11:58:00.001-08:00

The best way is from the results achieved. If you experience the kind of physical and imaginative details described previously you probably won’t even ask this question.

However, if like a lot of people you don’t feel much different physically or mentally while supposedly in hypnosis there are three possibilities:

1. You were hypnotised but because of false notions about hypnosis decided you weren’t.

2. You chose not to be hypnotized.

3. You were not hypnotised.

What does it feel like to be in hypnosis?

2011-11-29T11:14:00.001-08:00

This is traditionally answered by “it feels different for each person” which is a bit like claiming that no two snowflakes are alike. How on Earth would we know?

When used in a therapeutic context many people report:

· feeling relaxed,

· uncaring about their everyday concerns,

· only vaguely aware of their surroundings,

· barely hearing extraneous noises,

· focused in their imaginations,

· arms and legs either pleasantly heavy or light,

· enjoyable tingling sensations,

· sense of peace and lethargy,

· mind super alert.

To an observer the hypnotized person looks as relaxed as if she were asleep. In particular, the face becomes placid and sometimes a little flushed. The eyelids may twitch a little.

Could I be sexually assaulted while in hypnosis?

2011-11-23T13:57:00.001-08:00

Of course.

But since you are awake and aware of what’s happening while you’re in hypnosis you’d only allow the assault to continue if you wanted it to.

Assaults are far more prevalent by “professional” physicians, psychologists and psychotherapists, who are not using hypnosis.

Can I get stuck in a trance?

2011-11-09T11:48:00.000-08:00

No.

If the hypnotist stopped talking to you after a while you’d either drift off to sleep or you’d open your eyes to find out what’s going on.

Can the hypnotist create a false memory in my head?

2011-10-25T05:09:00.000-07:00

No, But she could create a false belief.

Inadvertently because she suggests something that didn’t actually happen or deliberately because it’s part of your therapy.

Let me explain: the hypnotist might by accident ask a “leading question” such as “And who else is in the room with your 7 year-old self?” which would likely cause a hypnotized client to imagine someone being in that room even though in reality there had been no other person present.

On the other hand, the hypnotist might very deliberately and positively suggest a client who is afraid of public speaking imagine himself giving a great speech at his next business meeting.

Can hypnosis be dangerous?

2011-10-17T06:40:00.000-07:00

No.

There’s no danger in hypnosis, only in hypnotists.

Hypnosis can be misused. Deliberately or unwittingly.

Deliberate misuse of hypnosis is what a philandering physician did when he tricked his hypnotized wife into swallowing a fatal overdose of pills.

Unwitting misuse is like the British stage hypnotist who was convicted of causing a volunteer extreme distress because he regressed her to an age when she recalled being sexually assaulted. He should have suggested she act like a six-year-old, rather than be six years old.

Can hypnosis be used to uncover the truth?

2011-10-10T07:31:00.000-07:00

No.

This question is often asked by someone wanting to know for sure if their partner is really being faithful.

However, the partner could tell lies while hypnotized.

Hypnosis does not act like a truth serum.

Will I reveal secrets when I am in hypnosis?

2011-10-06T06:26:00.000-07:00

You will only say what you want to say.

In therapy it is often beneficial to reveal a secret.

But if you are revealing a secret while in hypnosis it’s because you choose to do so, not because you’re hypnotised.

Can someone be hypnotized to rob a bank?

2011-09-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

Only if they actually want to commit the crime. And then they wouldn’t need to be hypnotized. :-)

If it were possible to make someone commit a crime by hypnotizing them then the CIA and the KGB would have rejoiced in being able to program killers. Despite their best efforts (in the ‘60s) they were unable to persuade normal recruits to kill just because they were hypnotized.

And their psychopaths don't need hypnosis as an excuse.

Is it possible to hypnotize someone over the Internet?

2011-09-12T10:57:00.000-07:00

For sure.

I have a number of clients I've met only through the Web with whom I do hypno-psychotherapy.

Check this brief video in which I chat about: Therapy over the Internet

Are there times when it would be good to be out of hypnosis?

2011-09-06T07:20:00.000-07:00

Yes. For example, when you are so mesmerized while surfing the Net that you would buy something you don’t need just because you are in a daze.

More seriously, you might want to be de-hypnotized from the food industry’s TV ads or from the negative messages implanted in your head by well-meaning (or not so well-meaning) parents.

Does the hypnotist control the client?

2011-08-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

Only as much as the client wants to be controlled.

Bad movies and books notwithstanding, since the client is awake and aware she decides what she'll agree to.

Paul

Are hypnotic suggestions akin to software and the brain like a computer?

2011-08-23T07:03:00.000-07:00

Sort of. These metaphors suit our current thinking. They serve as handy shorthand for describing the process of hypnosis.

But just as Newtonian physics was revolutionized by Einstein and his theories later brought into question by quantum physics so our metaphors will likely be superseded when we understand more about how the brain functions.

Meanwhile, just as Newton’s ideas are still useful in certain contexts, so too is the idea that our minds are somewhat like computers. However, remember that a computer spits out exactly what is entered into it. The human mind modifies the information entered.

[Keerati]

Is it true that everything that has ever happened to me is recorded in my brain like a video, waiting to be replayed?

2011-08-15T06:42:00.000-07:00

No. Memory is selective and malleable.

There is no unblemished record of your life stored somewhere just waiting for you to re-discover events from your past.

Is hypnosis built in to our basic biology?

2011-08-09T07:14:00.000-07:00

Yes. It’s the opposite of the well-known ‘flight-or-fight’ response.

It’s the calm-and-confident response.

Is there a biological basis for hypnosis?

2011-08-04T08:10:00.000-07:00

Yes.

When a person is in hypnosis specific parts of the brain “light up” in brain scans.

Also, for decades Candace Pert, a scientist, and Ernest Rossi, a psychologist, have explained how hypnosis has measurable effects arising from thoughts and behaviours through the intermediary flow of neurons and hormones.

Is there a scientific basis to hypnosis?

2011-07-28T07:10:00.000-07:00

Yes. Hypnosis has been studied extensively.

Here's some of the scientific research: Research into Hypnosis

Is hypnotizability linked to other personality characteristics?

2011-07-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

Idea go

Not much. People who are highly intelligent are more easily hypnotized as are people who have been sexually abused as children (possibly because to survive they had to dissociate).

Is hypnosis a trait?

2011-07-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

No. Hypnosis is not a fixed trait, like eye colour.

Although built-in to our basic biology it can be enhanced with practice.

jscreationzs

Is hypnosis a skill?

2011-06-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

Yes. Hypnosis is an inborn talent of the client. Its use, deliberate or unwitting, varies from person to person. Your development of this skill can be enhanced with the guidance of an experienced hypnotist. Then the talent can subsequently be even more useful and enjoyable when employed by you on your own.