HYPNOTHERAPY
BY: TATIANA NADEE
AVAILABILITY: UPON REQUEST
The first principle to guide you in learning about hypnosis is,
What you focus on, you amplify.
Hypnosis is about developing focus and using it to enhance people's lives, including yours.
What a huge difference it makes to focus one's attention on what's right instead of what's wrong, on what's possible instead of on unchangeable history, on what may be changeable in medical and psychological conditions previously perceived as hopeless, or to focus on achieving the goal instead of getting sidetracked by doubts or irrelevancy!
Hypnotherapy, also known as hypnosis…
is a trance-like state where the participant has heightened focus and concentration. It is fast-acting and based on a talking-listening interaction between the therapist and the individual.
The process is led by a therapist, who helps the recipient enter a hypnotic state of mind through verbal repetitions and evoking mental images.
Today, hypnotherapy is practiced worldwide and primarily recognised as a therapeutic method by official medical, psychiatric, and psychological associations.
In the UK, a hypnotherapy practice is regulated by the General Hypnotherapy Standards Council & General Hypnotherapy Register:
The largest registers of independent hypnotherapists, aiming to maintain the highest standards among them.
The aim of hypnotherapy is that of helping the recipient to achieve
a desired specific outcome
which usually involves the reduction of anxiety and stress. However, studies have been carried out on the usefulness of hypnotherapy also in other pathological contexts, including pain control, hot flashes caused by menopause, as well as phobias and PTSD.
It has succeeded in adjuvating behavioural change to treat insomnia, quit smoking, and eat compulsively.
The National Council for Hypnotherapy includes a list of several fields in which hypnotherapy can be helpful, including OCD, autoimmune conditions, bruxism, identity issues, childbirth, tension, low mood, trauma and relationship problems, among others.
In today’s day and age, stress, anxiety, or even striking a balance between personal and work life can be difficult and contribute to feelings of unhappiness and unsettlement (Heal-ing Soul Hypnosis, 2019).
Similarly, bad habits like smoking can reduce physical health and put us at a higher risk of severe illness (Waterfield, 2013).
Hypnotherapy can, however, help. Because of its wide range of action, hypnotherapy can be highly beneficial for the individual who wants to
reach and maintain homeostasis, that is, the steady balance between emotional, physical and chemical factors within the individual that contribute to their well-being.
Hypnotherapy can help patients face their fears and anxiety, thus contributing to a better emotional balance; it can also help reduce pain, which can be crippling and significantly reduce the quality of life, as well as support quitting dangerous behaviours for health, such as smoking or overeating. In this sense, it is clear that hypnotherapy can be valid and overarching instrument to help the individual reach an adequate balance.
Ethically speaking, the critical tenet of hypnotherapy practice is the need to benefit every patient and not cause harm, which is the same for all healthcare practitioners and counsellors.
These mirror key ethical fields of beneficence and non-maleficence (Waterfield, 2013). To comply with the above principles, hypnotherapists should always practice within the limits of their knowledge and competence and keep good records of their interactions with clients while ensuring their data, and their professional exchanges remain private, thus ensuring confidentiality is maintained (National Hypnotherapy Society, 2022b; NCH, 2021; British Society of Clinical Hypnosis, 2022b).
It is also essential to embrace a philosophy of continuous professional development, undergoing regular supervision and attending courses.
While having a compassionate and empathic approach is essential to create an excellent therapist-patient relationship, it is just as crucial not to overstep boundaries and maintain the ties professionally at all times.
Last but not least, it is essential to empower the individual by ensuring they are fully aware of what hypnotherapy is and how it works so that they can make an informed decision about whether they want to undergo treatment or not: this approach is critical for vulnerable patients, such as the mentally ill or children.
According to Mayo Clinic (2022), hypnotherapy is widely considered a safe type of complementary and alternative medical treatment. However, hypnotherapy may not be appropriate for people with severe mental illness. It can have rare side effects also on the general population, including headache, nausea, and the creation of false memories.
The Value of Hypnosis Keeps Growing as the pace of life keeps getting faster for most of us, and as our attention spans collectively get shorter, it has become obvious to many researchers and clinicians that much of what ails us is the disconnect from ourselves.
Too many of us don't know we're tired until we're exhausted, or that we're stressed until we're on overload, or that we're lonely until we're desperate for some attention, even negative attention.
It has never been more important to take the time to focus,
to discover the richness and complexity of our inner world
…and to be connected to positive and helpful abilities you thereby learned but never knew you had. Hypnosis provides each of us an opportunity, not a guarantee. (Essentials of hypnosis. Michael D. Yapko).
Hypnosis invites you to stop and go inside and focus on what's right with you, amplifying it and using it in new ways that make you feel better and be better.
Your focus quality may well be the single most significant factor determining your quality of life, and that of the people you hope to help.
Learning hypnosis will be a gift that keeps on giving in more ways than you could have ever expected.
Love and Wellness
Tatiana Nadee