The Benefits of Hypnosis
There are many misconceptions surrounding hypnosis. Hypnosis is not magic nor does it produce miracles. It is a therapeutic modality that invites your sincere effort and encourages your investment in resolving your problem.
The word hypnosis comes from the Greek root hypnos, meaning sleep. Consequently, most people’s imaginations have framed hypnosis as a tool used only to bring suppressed traumatic subconscious materials to the foreground of the conscious mind.
Hypnosis is so much more.
Much of my inspiration for what hypnosis can mean comes from the genius of Dr. Milton Erickson. Back in the 1930’s, hypnosis was considered a controversial tool, and an element of the dark arts. Erickson was a psychiatrist who used hypnosis to help his patients and taught the method in secrecy in a basement to other doctors. He fought valiantly with the medical establishment to have hypnosis recognized as a valid and legitimate therapeutic modality.
At first sight, Erickson came across as an unlikely candidate for such an endeavor. He had a frail body that was stricken twice by polio. The first time he was about 17 years old and the doctor informed his parents that their son would die by early morning from the fever that had paralyzed his body. Erickson overheard the discussion and made a resolve to live. Relying on several trance phenomena, Erickson accessed his internal resources, and immersed himself in the learning of how babies learned to walk. Eventually, he regained control of his muscles and walked again.
A second bout with polio confined Erickson to a wheelchair. Yet he was undeterred. He continued to teach and practice hypnotherapy and lived every day of his life with purpose. He experienced dyslexia, tone deafness, and color blindness. We remember Erickson as a catalyst for many branches in the fields of psychotherapy, psychology and other cognitive sciences.
Erickson once wrote to one of his students and inspired him to focus on “the really important thing (which) is motivation for change and the fact that no human being ever fully knows his own capabilities.” Erickson functioned with the presupposition that each one of us already possesses internal resources to resolve our difficulties. Our perceived problems come from a limited map of our world.
Hypnosis is never about putting you to sleep. Hypnosis is about:
- Awakening you from the spell of your limited construct of your reality, and re-acquainting you to your internal resources.
- Having an Appreciation for uncertainty.
- Opening and discovering the field of possibilities by learning to doubt your perceived constraints and becoming certain about your dreams and aspirations.
- Realizing that what you are looking for is also looking for you.
- Developing a different way of thinking.
- Setting up new frames (the mental “stuff” that shape your thinking which influences the way you perceive the world, experience the world, and manifest behaviors that affect your reality.
- Seeing the game —- the game of life with new eyes, with a clarity that allows for the construct of higher level frames. Thus, when you see the game, the game has no claim on you.
- Becoming aware of your creative power and choices in order to weave with colorful threads new patterns in the wondrous tapestry of reality.
You transform – and most important – you become a beacon of light for others. The world wants You Now and welcomes your creative voice – today, more so than ever.
Are you in?
If you wish to further enhance your understanding of hypnosis, please click on this link.