Harnessing the Power of Hypnotizability: Insights from Inspiraology
Lives are literally transformed in our therapy rooms.
Metaphorical monsters are successfully slain. No more smoking. No more sleepless nights. No more panicky thoughts about presentations to colleagues.
Clients find they’re becoming more organised in their thinking. Business starts to pick up for them. Relationships start to improve.
And it’s not just one or two qualitative pieces of data which support the assertion. Many of you record your results as part of the ongoing CORP programme. We believe it’s the largest study of its kind in the UK.
The data shows consistent, and significant, improvements for clients who come to see us for help in managing, or overcoming, a number of conditions, including stress reduction.
The findings highlight how important our work can be for our clients and their families.
As we head into darker nights then so we often see people reach out to us for help in adjusting to the changing season. Afterall, the UK has suddenly gone from a 30 degree mini heatwave to a deluge of rain (and cold) in a single fortnight!
And that means some of us may start to see an increase in enquiries as potential clients come to see us to seek a refuge from the ‘winter blues’ and boost their serotonin levels with the help of the therapeutic alliance.
Our work provides change through the use of mirror neurons, alongside our positive approach to help create transformation for our clients as they go on to live the lives that they realistically wanted to live when they first came to see us.
An article in Neuroscience News, published in July this year, focused on a recent paper which set out to dispel a lot of common misconceptions about hypnosis.
It’s worth a read as it touches on a lot of commonly asked questions which we may hear when we undertake the initial consultation.
There’s sadly still a lot of mysticism surrounding hypnosis which is often reflected in the questions we’re asked during the initial consultation.
It’s a point which is brought out in the academic work undertaken by a team of researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, their report found rapport is an important factor in the hypnotherapist’s toolbox. They were keen to dispel any idea that hypnosis involved any type of ‘special powers.’
They found that ‘most people are sufficiently hypnotizable (sic) to reap substantial benefits from therapeutic suggestions.’ Their findings are certainly reflective of the results reported by many of our members.
The paper was completed with the help of a team at King’s College. Their findings reflected aspects of what we may explain to a potential client: hypnosis isn’t something whereby someone’s free will is removed from them.
Neuroscience News explained that the ‘authors clarify that people retain voluntary control during hypnosis.’ They add that during hypnosis even ‘the most highly suggestable individuals remain fully cognizant (sic) of their surroundings.’
The team concluded that hypnosis isn’t a ‘special state’ but should be ‘considered a procedure modulating awareness and cognition.’
They concluded that hypnosis has ‘many useful clinical applications, but that myths keep it from being utilized (sic) to its full potential.’
The idea of myths and special powers associated with hypnotism can be traced back to the Victorian Times. As the nights draw in then it’s a time to dust off some book jackets and delve into a spot of Gothic horror.
And who better to turn to than the Stoker who chills? Dark winter nights. A pot of hot tea. The log burner gently spluttering in the background whilst the pages of Dracula are eagerly devoured.
Bram Stoker’s graphic novel was shocking when first published in Victorian times. And much of it is still unsettling today.
Unsurprisingly, he dwells upon a lot of what we would consider to be the ‘hocus pocus’ aspects of Victorian life. Vampires. Werewolves. Ghosts.
The usage of hypnosis for medical purposes began to wane when Blighty turning to anaesthesia in the 1840s. And so the Victorians start to use it for entertainment. It quickly garners cult like status (literally) and a mysticism grows around its usage.
It’s a mysticism which is reflected within the pages of Dracula which did much to encourage the folklore around the usage of ‘mesmerism.’
Our brave band of heroes set out across foreign lands to track down their quarry in Transylvania. Dracula is well ahead of them. So, to track his journey they turn to trance so they can ‘project’ themselves towards his hiding place.
It’s all entertaining stuff which was eagerly devoured by Victorian audiences. And, with their consumption of these types of penny shockers then so the myth of mesmerism began to grow.
Fuelled by the dramatic build ups created by stage hypnotism then it’s perhaps not surprising that for some clients there can be a significant difference in expectations for what a session will be like.
In other words, the idea that someone can suddenly click their fingers and magically solve a client’s issue is, perhaps, best kept to the realm of fiction.
Equally, we know that the correct usage of the Miracle Question can be a powerful tool in helping someone to transform their life – and subdue their own Victorian styled demon.
Beating modern day monsters doesn’t require the magical touch of Val Helsing but it does require the discipline of thought and the drive to help to drive change forward.
And so, it’s back to the log burner, the page turner that is Dracula, the pitter patter of rain on the window and that all important pot of tea…
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