Hypnotherapy – Scratching the Surface

           I visited the hypnotist two weeks ago.  I tried to follow her recommendations.  Twice a day, I attempt to “zone out” for a minute.  During this time, in accordance with her instructions, I observe all visual stimuli, all noises, and all sensations while focusing on none.  I listened to the CD for “Anxiety Release” given to me by the hypnotist.  The CD is a form of guided hypnosis and is very similar in content to the hypnosis session I described in last week’s blog.  As a result of these exercises, I do have periods of increased relaxation and contemplation.  Hypnotized?  I am not sure.  During my hypnosis session, the hypnotist suggested I would assume a state of deep relaxation triggered by closing my book each night.  This trigger has been quite effective.  In fact, I am wary of reading my book during the day for fear I will be overcome with a desire to sleep when I close the book.  Fortunately, the majority of my reading during daylight hours is on the computer, from magazines, and from newspapers.  I imagine myself reading a chapter from my book at lunch time and then waking up several hours later to find it is evening and I have skipped an afternoon of seeing patients.  I doubt my boss or my patients would be appreciative.

            The whole concept of hypnosis has piqued my interest.  The idea of tapping into one’s subconscious to affect change in one’s daily life is fascinating.  I need to know more.  I seek more information from my father-in law, Dr. T.S. Kim, a retired psychiatrist.  T.S. is one of the kindest, gentlest, and wisest men I have encountered.  I don’t tell my wife, but the real reason I married her was to have T.S. be my father-in-law.  The one catch to seeking T.S.’s counsel is that at 87 years old, he is very hard of hearing.  Rather than struggle to comprehend conversation, T.S. now favors recounting his prior experiences, particularly his Korean War experiences - fascinating, but not my current topic of interest.  During our most recent visit to Hickory, I pull up a chair next to T.S. and ask him to tell me about his use of hypnosis when he practiced psychiatry.  After a few misunderstandings - first, thinking I had asked about the Carolina Panthers, and then launching into a discussion of the conflict in the Ukraine - I get him to address his views on hypnotism.  He says, “Yes, hypnotism can be very effective.  I incorporated hypnotism into my practice in certain circumstances with good results.  I have a few books I can give you on the subject.”  Then, he began talking about his youth in North Korea during the times of Japanese occupation.  It appears this is all T.S. will be telling me today about hypnotism.  At the end of our visit, T.S. gives me a couple of circa 1950 books on hypnotism. 

            On arriving home, I take a look at the books T.S. gave me.  Hypnotism, by G.H. Estabrooks, “one of American’s leading psychologists” according to the book jacket, must have created quite a stir when it was published.  Dr. Estabrooks contends people can be hypnotized against their own will.  His book reviews hypnotic techniques and discusses the use of hypnosis, not only for medical conditions, but also for its possible use to perpetuate crime and in warfare.  Imagine hypnotizing a legion of soldiers to do your bidding without concern for their own wellbeing.  Surely Vladamir Putin is using this trick on his military. The second book, The Nature of Hypnosis, takes a more Freudian approach.  Its author, Dr. Paul Schilder, observes “hypnosis is also rooted in sexuality.”  My favorite quote from Dr. Schilder’s work is, “hypnosis represents the pleasure of surrender.”  Here, I think Dr. Schilder may have hit upon the truth.  One needs to surrender and put their skepticism aside to experience the benefits of hypnosis.  This has become my goal.  I strive to fully open my mind and delve into my own subconscious.  I want to be hypnotized.  I have made progress in the past two weeks, but I have much further to go.  I have experienced moments of serene calm that I have rarely experienced before.  Unfortunately, these moments have been fleeting.  In the coming weeks, I will attempt to lower the barriers I have erected around my subconscious in an effort to realize the full benefits of hypnotherapy.  

Next week . . . my return visit to the hypnotist.

The Hypnotist

            Today, I visit the hypnotist.  She is no ordinary hypnotist.  She has a PhD in neurosciences and a bevy of other degrees.  With such lofty titles, one might expect her office to be in a large hospital and filled with complex devices for measuring brain activity.  Contrary to my expectations, her office is not located in a large medical complex; instead, it is in a yoga studio.  After entering the studio, I am forced to sit by the yoga check-in desk while awaiting the doctor’s arrival.  I feel out of place in my tie and work clothes while scantily clad yogis file in for the noon yoga session.  The doctor arrives ten minutes late, reportedly having been caught up in Asheville’s notorious noon rush hour.  My first impression is she is not a stereotypical neuroscientist.  No white coat for her:  she wears a stylish tight dress and has short, cropped, dyed- black hair - think Joan Jett.  She is lithe, muscled, and adorned with numerous tattoos exposed along the margins of her dress.  She ushers me into her office which is small and spartan in appearance.  There are no pictures on the walls.  A 1940’s chaise longue is the prominent feature of the room.  Soothing music plays softly in the background.  The doctor motions for me to take my place on the chaise longue while she sits down in an upright chair at its head, the classic psychiatrist-patient position.

            The doctor asks what I hope to gain from hypnotherapy.  I mention my Type A personality, stress, and difficulty sleeping.  “How do you relax?” she asks.  “By exercising, having a beer after work, and chilling out while watching Netflix with my wife after the kids have gone to bed,” I reply.  She asks me to describe my image of total relaxation.  “Lying on the beach with a margarita in my hand,” I respond.  She smiles.  The doctor then gives me some relaxation exercises I should perform several times each day to escape the multiple demands placed on me and to clear my mind.  Basically, it is a thirty-second exercise with three steps:  first, one takes in all visual stimuli while focusing on none individually; second, one takes in all auditory stimuli while focusing on none individually; and, third, one takes in all tactile stimuli while focusing on none individually.  She mentions this is not a great exercise to do while driving.  “Probably not,” I concur.  Shifting gears back to the upcoming hypnosis session, she has me choose a trigger that will tell my body it is time to enter full relaxation.  I choose closing my book at night before I go to sleep. 

            We then begin the hypnotherapy session.  She says I will remember what happens.  She explains that similar to the Hollywood depiction of hypnotism, she has the ability to make me forget portions of the session, but that is not the goal of today’s session.  She asks me to fully let go and relax.  I lie back in the chaise longue and close my eyes.  She has me focus on relaxing my muscles from the top of my head to my toes in stepwise fashion.  I begin to wonder if I will fall asleep.  In a soothing voice, she leads me down a flight of ten stairs with an open door at the bottom leading to the beach.  With each step, she instructs me to double my relaxation.  Eventually, I make it to a tranquil beach where I lie in the sand with a margarita nearby.  She tells my worries to leave me in little bubbles that float away like clouds on a gentle breeze.  The sand is warm, and I have no cares.  After relaxing for several minutes on the beach, she instructs me to visualize a candle.  The flame is warm with an aura surrounding it.  As I stare into the flame, she guides me into an empty blackness.  I feel it.  My mind is blank.  She says I will achieve this state of total relaxation each evening when I close my book and place it on my bedside table.  She continues to reinforce that I am totally relaxed and free of worries.  After a while, she says she will count to three and with each count, I will be closer to awakening, and on three I will open my eyes.  I feel so relaxed I am unsure I will be able to open my eyes.  Somehow, I force my eyes to open on three.  That is it.  We are done. 

            I rise from the chaise longue.  I sheepishly pull out my Groupon and hand it to her.  We schedule a second session, and she gives me a CD I am to listen to on my own.  She also reminds me to practice “zoning out” as she had instructed.  As I drive back to work. I am totally relaxed.  I don’t turn on the radio for fear of losing my Zen state.  I contemplate whether or not I had been hypnotized.  I am not sure.  What does it mean to be hypnotized?  I am definitely relaxed.  I am eager to try the techniques she has shown me and to listen to her CD.  Will I fall instantly into a state of relaxation each night when I close my book?

Next week . . . Has hypnotherapy worked for me?

Can I be hypnotized?

I am intrigued by hypnosis.  I have always doubted I could be hypnotized.  My wife frequently points out that I am a Capricorn, or a goat.  Apparently, goats tend to be very practical, evidence based, and always skeptical.  Any reference to astrology elicits an eye roll from me; of course, she takes this as evidence further proving her point.  I admit I am innately skeptical of anything “spiritual” or requiring faith.  Needless to say, I do not regularly attend church.  There are similarities between some alternative therapies and religion.  Both require openness to ideas that might initially seem counterintuitive and a willingness to be healed.  I have always struggled with blind faith.  I want to know why things are the way they are.  “Just believe” is a hard pill for me to swallow.  

            Last week, my wife’s college roommate and her family spent a night at our house on their way to Alabama.  Both she and her husband are close friends and wonderful conversationalists.  At some point, the discussion turned to my explorations of alternative medicine and the next experience on my ledger:  hypnotherapy.  David regaled me with his experiences being hypnotized.  He recounted one episode at a local bar where my wife and his future spouse, Christina, were also present.  He and several others were chosen out of the crowd to be hypnotized on the stage.  The hypnotist realized David was the most susceptible to being hypnotized and gave him additional instructions.  The hypnotist had David fill his pockets with napkins and then planted the trigger that once David returned to his seat, he would feel the napkins burning his legs, and he would jump up and exclaim a particular phrase.  After being awakened, David returned to his seat.  Upon sitting down, he immediately leapt to his feet and exclaimed “I am Tarzan, King of the Monkeys” as he frantically tore the burning napkins from his pockets.  David had clearly been hypnotized.   Hearing this story made me wonder if I too can be hypnotized.  David will be the first to admit he is very receptive to otherworldly ideas.  His astrologic sign is Gemini, same as my wife, which they both claim make them more spiritual and open to new ideas.  Baah, I say.  Now, I really want to be hypnotized.  I may have been resistant to hypnotism three years ago, but I think it might work now.  My alternative medicine experiences have opened my eyes and hopefully made me more receptive to new approaches.  I decide it is time to book an appointment.

            There are a plethora of hypnotists in Asheville.  How will I choose one?  One word: Groupon.  I am an avid fan of Groupon.  Who knew there were so many things I needed, and all at half price?  Groupon has a half price deal for two hypnotherapy sessions with a CD to boot.  I check out the doctor’s web page, and I am impressed.  The doctor not only has a PhD, but a whole bunch of other letters in her title.  She even has a friendly picture of her and her horse.  What more can I ask for?  The website has a listing of common problems treated with hypnotism and supporting scientific literature for the claims.  Anxiety and insomnia are the reasons I seek help (as well as the general desire to see if I can be hypnotized).  The past several weeks have been very stressful.  Work has been busy, even though I work at a VA, and I have been racing against several looming deadlines.  As a result, I have felt like I have a hole in the pit of my stomach, and I have not been sleeping well.   Unlike the past when I had difficulty falling asleep, I am now waking up throughout the night and having difficulty falling back asleep.  My type A personality has been in overdrive.  I am eager to see if hypnotherapy will work for me.   I purchase the Groupon and schedule an appointment.

In two weeks . . . my visit to the hypnotist (next week I will be at the beach and there will be no blog post)