Deep Dive
More About Hypnotherapy
A comprehensive look at what hypnosis is, how it works, and why it creates lasting change.
Reprinted article with permission from Denny Dwyer R.H.
What is Hypnosis?
In order to understand what hypnotherapy is and how it facilitates long lasting change, we must first attempt to understand what hypnosis is and what it works on. The brain and the mind have been analyzed and described using various sets of scientific and colloquial buzzwords — conscious and subconscious; left and right; front and rear, etc. Physically, the brain has divisions and classifications, and experiments have led to association of certain functions to certain physical locations.
Brain Wave Frequencies
The brain emits frequencies that have been charted and fairly well agreed upon, ranging from 0 to 60. The different groups of frequencies have been given names and associated thought pattern characteristics: 0–4 delta (total unconsciousness), 4–7 theta (very relaxed, suggestive), 7–14 alpha (relaxed, suggestive), 15–20 beta (normal consciousness, analytical), 21–60 beta (active to hysterical). What is generally agreed upon is that the slower the brain wave frequency, the more relaxed the person becomes and with it a fuller use and ability of the creative portion of the mind — occurring at the Alpha range down into Theta.
The Alpha State
If a person can enter into the Alpha state, he or she can better condition or more importantly, re-condition his or her mind in a creative sense, alter perceptions, and increase inherent abilities. Everyone is in this state at one time or another throughout the day. Boredom produces it. So does daydreaming, a relaxing moment, deep breathing, a temporary loss of equilibrium, meditative techniques, yoga, martial arts, doing something with a passion, and many more. Anyone can enter the Alpha state of mind. You don't have to be intelligent or in any way special.
Suggestibility
The ability to receive positive suggestions and to act upon them is improved in the Alpha state. There are two main areas of suggestibility: receiving and blocking. We can receive or accept a suggestion or block or resist it. There are also two categories of suggestion: positive (ones that will help us improve) and negative (ones that will prove detrimental to our ultimate potential). Fortunately, the ability to receive positive suggestions can be developed, while the blocking mind is properly adjusted through the use of re-education and hypnotherapy.
Techniques for Lasting Change
Depending upon the situation, many tested therapeutic techniques are used by the hypnotherapist. Five very common and successful techniques used when the person is under hypnosis are: Desensitization (helping the person put their feelings into meaningful control), Creative Visualization (the Inner Mind rehearsing one's new choice of interaction), Guided Imagery (using all five senses with a detailed story), Anchoring (anchoring results and feelings of positive acceptance to physical gestures), and Autohypnosis (the utilization of the sum results of positive anchoring after the session ends).
The Inner Mind Potential
The inner mind with its memory of unscathed full potential is lying in expectant waiting and is fully awakened to consciousness through a state of hypnosis. The analytical mind is temporarily suspended while the creative part of the mind is enhanced and alert. The positive messages you want to send and receive become very powerful. You can literally change the remembered behavior of the body for both physical actions as well as verbal skills. The potential you were born with is never lost — just covered over with a more immediate map that can be removed, by-passed, and re-mapped.
Conclusion
The awakening of the inner mind under hypnosis with techniques to allow permanent and continuing growth after hypnosis allows a person to enjoy his or her full human potential both in sports and in interaction with others. From this comes confidence, self-esteem, and motivation. What a great gift to give yourself!
Hypnosis, by William W. Hewitt
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