About two weeks ago, I wrote a post in which I announced that I was planning to write a series about hypnosis and NLP, and about how this is used every day to manipulate. You can find this post here.
But first, I will tell you a little bit about my background and how I decided that I wanted to learn hypnosis.
When I was a child, I was already drawn to hypnosis and what it can do. I am not quite sure when this started, but possibly after seeing a film or two, or a documentary of some kind. But which child isn't mesmerized (pun intended) by these magicians who could just about get anyone do anything with the snap of a finger? I know I was. Later, I put it on the backburner for a long time and even forgot about it for a while, but sometimes something I'd see about hypnotists would again have that magical pull. How great would it be to be able to do something like that?
The history of hypnosis
“Behavioural” experiments under hypnosis at the Budapest clinic of the Department of Mental Health and Pathology in 1899.
(a) Hypnotic suggestion of praying. (b) Hypnotic suggestion of suicide. (c) Hypnotic suggestion of swearing an oath. (d) Hypnosis produced by the tuning-fork.
source
Hypnosis itself has been practiced for many, many years. It can be placed in one line with magic, ancient medicine, and sorcery. It was used by people who practiced either. Illusionists used (and use) a form of distraction that closely resembles hypnosis today, meaning they distracted people enough to create an illusion which the audience would interpret as magic.
A lot of the 'unexplained' show points can be explained by using hypnosis as a focus point. It is hard for the human mind, if not impossible, to focus on two subjects at the same time. So when one is drawn to look to the left, they can't also register what happens to the right. I won't go into this any further, but this gives a simple explanation for the work of illusionists and magicians.
The first person to put hypnosis on the map scientifically was Franz Mesmer, who used the word hypnosis, but rather used (animal) magnetism to treat his patients. The French doctor Liebeault founded the school of Nancy, or the school of suggestion, and he set the path for hypnotherapy as we know it today. A little more than 100 years later, the English physician James Braid used this hypnotherapy and advanced in it; he is often seen as "The Father of Modern Hypnotism". Even Sigmund Freud used hypnosis in some of his treatments but later dismissed it. Some people say that he just wasn't very good at it. I have my own theories about the subject.
The American psychologist Milton Erickson used hypnotherapy clinically in the 20th century and his books are very often used in study material today. He is also the first person to connect his name to NLP (Neuro-linguistic Programming), but more about that later.
What is hypnosis?
Have you ever been in a car, either driving or as a passenger, and thought: 'Hey, how does this car get behind me all of a sudden? It was just in front of me?' Chances are, you've been over-taking the car without even noticing. It doesn't mean you were stoned or drunk, but it does mean that you were in a hypnotic state, even if it was only for a little while. Some people will say that this is a dangerous thing to happen as one might not be aware of their surroundings and this could cause accidents. I will, however, argue, that our subconscious always has our best interest at heart. So even though we might not be conscious of those surroundings and not consciously see
the car we're overtaking, our subconscious 'sees' everything, and therefore, the action of overtaking that car was completely safe. I'd like to compare it with this 'gut feeling' one can have when something is just not right, like a road they walk that just seems to give off a bad vibe at that time. And then later, it turns out, there was a gas leak on that street and a big blast which could have injured the person. Or something similar (maybe less dramatic).
It is important to note that stage hypnotism and clinical or therapeutic hypnosis are two completely different things, however, the ways to induce hypnosis and the way the hypnotic suggestions are offered can be the same.
My story: The naughty doctor
There was a stage hypnotist in Las Vegas by the name of Doctor Naughty. His shows were adults only and of a 'naughty' nature, hence the name. At the time I worked at the casino where he had his shows and I would sometimes look in when he was at work. I was intrigued by what he could have people do. One night after work, some of my colleagues and I bumped into him at the bar and we ended up talking till the break of dawn.
He taught me a thing or two right there, and my interest in hypnosis was awakened once again.
Not only was he impressed by what he saw me do after only a lesson of 15 minutes, but also by the fact that however hard he tried: he could not hypnotize me.
The 'doctor' was offering classes for people who wanted to learn his trait, but for me, the price tag was a bit too steep. However, he seemed impressed by my knowledge on the subject and what I showed him that evening, that he offered these lessons to me for free. At the time, there were no female stage hypnotists in the US, and he saw an opportunity: he would teach me and become my manager. He was sure that it would be easy to market the first female stage hypnotist in Las Vegas, and he thought we could be quite successful. I thought it was a great idea and was all for it, but unfortunately, my then (ex) partner was too insecure to let me get lessons from a man with that name (even though it was just a stage name).
Stupidly enough, I didn't want the hassle of an argument and so I let go of the idea. Something I've regretted ever since. However, I never stopped reading everything I could find about the subject.
Years later, when I was pregnant with my daughter, I took a course called: Hypnobirthing by Marie Mongan. It did help me have an easier birth, however, I was not too impressed for several reasons: the 'teacher' was not a hypnotherapist, and the course was only 4 lessons long. Not a lot can be taught in that time.
However, it inspired me to take more courses later on, so I ended up studying (clinical) hypnotherapy and later regression therapy.
One thing that I had always remembered about Dr. Naughty was the following:
I said to him that some people make it seem like hypnosis could be used to make people do things they absolutely wouldn't do otherwise. Like rob a bank. His answer was:
"Oh, but sure it's possible. If it's in them, a good hypnotist can get it out."
"But sure, to rob a bank is not 'in' most people" And he said: "No, you wouldn't say so, but even if someone only even thought of robbing a bank, even just as a joke mentioned it because they were in financial problems, then it's in them, and a good hypnotist can get it out."
I will never forget those words. In fact, it made me study more and harder, just to figure out if what he said was true.
In the years that followed, I would discover just how much influence hypnosis can and does have on people.
Conclusion of part 1.
Hypnosis is basically a feeling of deep relaxation. Some call it a trance, some compare it to meditation. Personally, I don't feel this is correct, because in meditation the objective is to address the conscious mind, while hypnosis addresses the subconscious. Also, in meditation one has to let go of all thoughts, while hypnosis can be done while the person still has other thoughts. During this deep relaxation, the therapist gives suggestions to the subconscious.
Usually, a client who sees a hypnotherapist has already exhausted most other therapies, before he lands on the hypnotherapists chair. If only more people would take that step sooner, it would probably save them a lot of misery and money. Is hypnotherapy a magical thing? Absolutely not. However, it is absolutely possible to achieve magical results.
Next time, I will tell you about the positive about hypnosis and NLP and how it has truly helped people who otherwise couldn't have had any help. After that, I will go on to explain how both hypnosis and NLP can be used for other things. There's always two sides to every story. This is definitely true for hypnosis.
Thank you for reading!