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Hypnotherapy Techniques
Because each hypnotherapist, subject, and situation are unique, each session of hypnosis is different. The best hypnotherapists are creative in how they work with their clients on any given day. Sessions of hypnosis are customized for a subject’s individual:
- Interests
- Life outlook
- Strengths
- Needs
For sessions of traditional hypnotherapy, the hypnotherapist will use a combination or variation of the basic forms of hypnosis:
- Suggestive hypnosis
- Regressive hypnosis
- Positive imagery
Suggestive Hypnosis
When a subject enters into a hypnotic state, he becomes more focused, and his subconscious mind becomes more active. Because the subconscious is more active, the messages communicated to a subject under hypnosis register at deep levels of the mind and can therefore—when
accepted—more strongly influence the subject’s thoughts and behaviors. This technique is called suggestive hypnosis, as the instructions a subject receives under hypnosis are called suggestions. In general, suggestions are helpful ideas for new ways to think or act. Examples of suggestions that a hypnotherapist might offer a subject include:
- “Allow yourself to relax completely in your whole body.”
- “You are now able to make healthy choices and to develop helpful habits.”
- “You are relaxed and able to let go of the past.”
- “As you awaken in the morning, you will happily remember your commitment to your new positive lifestyle.”
The last example demonstrates a posthypnotic suggestion—an instruction given to the subject for a way of thinking and/or acting after the session. Such suggestions, when successful, stay in the subconscious mind and resurface at the appropriate time. Suggestions can be very helpful in changing the ways that a person’s mind works.
Regressive Hypnosis
A person’s memory works better when she relaxes, as anxiety-related tension gets in the way of her ability to relax and access her memory. For example, people who get anxious when they take tests generally don’t do as well as those who stay calm. Because relaxation can be such a powerful memory aid, putting a subject into hypnosis can be a helpful way to enable her to retrieve memories that might otherwise be unavailable.
In regressive hypnosis, a hypnotherapist directs the subject to recall specific memories. The hypnotherapist then works with the subject’s memories therapeutically. Regressive hypnotherapy can help a subject to:
- Develop peace with a past trauma
- Discover new perspectives on past events
- Gain a sense of closure for unresolved conflicts
A subject may relive memories either by experiencing the memory over again (associated memory) or by viewing the memory from an outsider’s perspective (dissociated memory). The process of disassociating memories can help a subject to revisit her most difficult traumas without having to reexperience the pain firsthand.
Differing Opinions About Regressive Hypnosis
Some controversy remains over whether or not memories retrieved under hypnosis are always accurate and reliable. The best hypnotherapists never lead a subject by suggesting memories; instead, they have the subject simply describe what happened without adding to it. Whether or not the memory is 100% accurate, the information in the memory is often valuable for insight into the client’s thinking and can be used as part of the therapeutic process.
Positive Imagery
Every session of hypnosis includes some form of positive imagery—visualizations that the subject creates in his mind. These visualizations can be images that the person sees, words and/or sounds that he hears, or physical sensations that he feels. Because actions originate from ideas, the process of visualizing can be helpful in focusing a subject toward accomplishing a goal and fixing a difficulty. Examples of positive imagery used in hypnotherapy include:
- Imagining what it would look like to live for a full day free of a habit
- Visualizing the steps necessary to achieve a goal, such as getting a new job
- Sensing healing processes taking place within the body
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