What is hypnosis?

The Australian Society of Hypnosis defines hypnosis as "the process by which a person induces an altered state of attention or degree of awareness in another person. The process may result in a variety of phenomena, which occur spontaneously or in response to verbal or other stimuli. These phenomena include: alterations in consciousness and memory; increased susceptibility to suggestion; the production of responses and ideas unfamiliar to the person in the normal state of mind; or changes in behavior, perceptions, or physiological processes". ("Information on Hypnosis and the Society for Health Professional and the Community" leaflet.)

FACTS & FALLACIES ABOUT HYPNOSIS

1. Loss of control/surrender of will.
2. Hypnosis is unconsciousness
3. Fear of being made to do uncharacteristic things
4. Fear of divulging or revealing secrets
5. Dangerous because of mind manipulation
6. It is like sleep.

1. Under hypnosis, you are fully aware of what’s going on.
2. You are in control of your faculties and you do not divulge any secrets unless agreed to before hand.
3. You are not unconscious and you are not sleep – but of alertness.
4. You are not made to do anything silly or unacceptable.
5. You are simply in a state of profound tranquility of mind and total relaxation of body, with full awareness.
6. Hypnosis is not capable of altering your ethical and moral values.

HYPNOTHERAPY

As defined above, hypnosis is a technique to induce a altered state of profound tranquility of mind and total relaxation of the body, at the same time maintaining sensory contact with the environment. In this hypnotic state, the patient become receptive to suggestions (by the therapist or by the patient) that are beneficial to the patient and allowing these suggestion (or autosuggestion) to sink into the subconscious mind.

Hypnotherapy refer to the practice of medical hypnosis where a qualified hypnotherapist induces a hypnotic state where "the unlimited power of the subconscious mind is utilized for healing, creativity, personal transformation and performance" (Dr. Muthukrishnan).

Medical hypnosis or Hypnotherapy is a very powerful yet extremely delicate from of the art of healing. As in any modality of Medicine, it is not a panacea but it is eminently efficient in carefully selected patients and conditions. In Australia, the ASH recognizes that hypnosis is particularly useful in these areas:

• For helping people to change their behaviour, symptoms, and attitudes.
• Medical applications: Treatment of enuresis, asthma, hypertension, migraine, obesity, smoking cessation, gastrointestinal disorders, anxiety, labour and childbirth, pain control.
• The most powerful psychological methods for mental and physical relaxation
• Anxiety control, motivation training, depression, eating disorders, fear and phobia, memory training, nail biting, panic and performance anxiety, sexual dysfunction, sleep disorders, stuttering, study problems, trauma counseling, thumb sucking.
• Dental applications include bruxism, dental phobia, gagging, temporo-mandibular joint dysfunction.
• Surgical application: pre-operative anxiety, bleeding control, anesthesia, pain control.