Today is my second
visit with the hypnotist. After two
weeks of research into the principles of hypnosis and my subsequent attempts to
apply this newly found knowledge, I have a host of questions to ask my
hypnotist. I am eager to harness the
untapped potential of my subconscious. Despite my eagerness, I have the nagging
feeling I am coming up short. Up to this
point, I am not sure I have been successfully hypnotized. The more I read and the more I experiment
with guided hypnosis, the more confused I am regarding what hypnosis really
means. This is one visit I am really looking forward to.
When I arrive, the receptionist immediately leads me to
the hypnotherapy room. The hypnotist
sits in an upright chair at the head of a chaise longue chair. She welcomes me and motions for me to take my
place in the chaise. After a few
pleasantries, I eagerly relate the events of the past two weeks. I then launch into my list of questions. Foremost among the questions are: “How do I
know if I am being successfully hypnotized?” and “What evidence is there that
hypnotism really works?” I hope I don’t offend her. She smiles knowingly. Apparently, I am not the first to express
these doubts. She reminds me that she
too has a strong scientific background; in fact, she spends the majority of her
day synthesizing neuropeptides for clinical and basic science research. She also refers me to her website which gives
examples of clinical studies substantiating the benefits of hypnotherapy. She
explains that humans, on average, only utilize twelve percent of their
brains. Hypnosis attempts to access a
much larger portion of the brain via the subconscious. She also relates two anecdotes to illustrate
the potential power of hypnosis. The
first has to do with her multiple tattoos which I commented on previously. She confides that getting a large tattoo can
be extremely painful. I nod in agreement
(as if I have multiple tats hiding under my shirt). She says when she got her first tattoos; she
would take multiple breaks during their application due to intolerable pain. Now, with the aid of self-hypnosis, she
sleeps while having the tattoos drawn. I
look at her incredulously. “But how do I
know if I am capable of being hypnotized?” I ask. She then tells me of a patient, similar to
myself, who seemed to derive benefit from the hypnosis sessions, but was unsure
whether she was truly being hypnotized.
By mutual consent, during the subsequent hypnosis session, the hypnotist
placed a subconscious trigger to confirm to the patient she had indeed been
hypnotized. The hypnotist planted the
suggestion that anytime the patient saw the color green, she would feel warm
and happy. When the patient returned for
the next visit, she was ecstatic. She
claimed to never have been so happy when sitting at a stop light and then
having it turn green. I am
impressed. Am I being fooled? Perhaps, but the hypnotist strikes me as very
professional and not prone to hyperbole.
Now, I am more excited than ever by the possibilities of
hypnotism, and I am ready to begin my second hypnosis session. The hypnotist
concocted a new guide specifically for insomnia, one of my original
complaints. I lie back in the chaise and
close my eyes. While background music
gently plays, the hypnotist has me focus on my breathing and then leads me
through progressive relaxation of all my muscle groups. She counts backward from ten, and I find
myself on a grassy knoll overlooking an idyllic beach. I am holding a balloon in my hand which
contains all my daily demands and worries.
I release the balloon, and it slowly floats over the horizon and out of
sight. She then leads me down the grassy
hill to a bed lying in the shade of a stand of trees along the beach’s
edge. I lie down in the bed which is
incredibly comfortable. Feeling relaxed
and carefree, I am instructed to visualize the dancing flame of a candle. I stare into the flame. The hypnotist implores me to sleep soundly
throughout each night, unperturbed by background noise, and if I am awakened, I
will be able to promptly fall back to sleep.
She mentions tapping into my subconscious mind and other instructions
which I am unable to recall. She then counts backward from three, and I am
awake.
Similar to my first session, I feel very relaxed. I struggle to stand up and reorient myself to
the wakened world. She gives me a new CD
which focuses on pain management. I
suppose this might be useful in coping with my lower back pain, recurring knee
pain, and occasional migraines. I
stumble out of the office. Once again,
as I drive back to work, I reflect on the hypnosis session. I feel like I am on the cusp of being
hypnotized, but have not yet reached nirvana.
Perhaps hypnosis is just a form of meditation; some people clearly
benefit while others less so. I harken
back to the psychiatrist Dr. Schilder who states in his book, “Hypnosis
represents the pleasure of surrender.”
Next week . . . Hypnotherapy-
a critical analysis
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