Ready to kick a bad habit, increase your self-confidence or overcome an addiction? HYPNAE CENTER reveals how hypnotherapy can help, plus where to seek assistance in the Lion City.
Origins of hypnosis
Hypnotherapy is a powerful tool for making fast and lasting changes. Even though the terminology is derived from the Greek word Hypnos – which refers to the God of Sleep – hypnosis is not sleep, but rather a state of very deep relaxation. The “therapy” component refers to moving an individual towards complete health and wholeness. This is done by creating a deep level of relaxation, so the subconscious mind can accept new, empowering beliefs.
Emergence in Singapore
Hypnosis was first practiced in Singapore in the early 50s by doctors and dentists. Progress within the medical and dental fraternity was at a snail’s pace, even though it was already an acceptable form of practice in England and in America. In 1956, the British Medical Association accepted hypnosis and the American Medical Association (AMA) followed suit some three years later.
What to expect
For hypnosis to be successful, you usually have to express a desire to use it to help you with an issue – whether it’s smoking cessation or weight or stress management. A briefing with the hypnotherapist helps debunk any myths or misconceptions and they’ll then proceed to “induce” you, bringing you into hypnosis and then “deepening” the experience. The level of hypnotic depth required depends on your individual needs and is referred to as an Aron Scale. It may be a level of two or three for smoking cessation or level of five – also known as somnambulism – for clinical purposes, such as hypnoaesthesia.
Once the hypnotherapist has established the necessary depth, the session commences and typically lasts for 45 minutes to one hour. After therapy, the hypnotherapist will “emerge” you, bringing you out of hypnosis and restoring “status quo”.
Is hypnosis safe?
Hollywood has created many myths about hypnosis, but these fallacies are designed to sell movie tickets – not help people. Hypnotherapy has been safely practised by professionals in medicine and psychology for 200 years. Just about everyone can be hypnotised – with the exception of those with a mental illness – and there are no negative side effects. It’s a consensual state. You must want to be hypnotised for a hypnotist to even be able to work with you. And in order to continue to be in hypnosis, you have to allow yourself to follow instructions from the hypnotherapist – otherwise you will “emerge” of your own accord. Whether you believe you can or cannot emerge on your own – you will prove yourself right. So never give your power away by accepting the idea of being powerless when in hypnosis. You are always in control – unless you think otherwise.
Spontaneous hypnosis
In fact, hypnosis is a normal and frequent state of mind. We often experience spontaneous states of hypnosis while daydreaming, driving a car, reading a book or watching television. It’s something we do all the time – without even thinking about it. Examples include:
· Entering a lift and being so engrossed in your thoughts you exit when the door opens – only to discover you’ve not reached your desired floor.
· You watch a movie and begin to cry. You’ve hypnotised yourself into believing the situation is real, but it’s just a movie!
· You drive along a highway and completely miss your exit because your mind is “elsewhere”. Or, you get in the car, drive to work, arrive – but can’t specifically recall the journey.
Being engrossed in your thoughts – in a different state of consciousness – is spontaneous hypnosis.
A negative example of this is when someone continually says to themselves they “can’t” do something. By reinforcing this negative idea, they hypnotise themselves into achieving a self-fulfilling prophecy. But a positive example is an athlete who spurs his or herself on, to cross a finish line.
How hypnosis helps
Hypnosis can assist with any issue which is non-organic in cause. This means hypnosis is not the first therapeutic mode of choice for organic issues such as a disease or fractured body part. In such instances an appointment with a doctor would be more suitable. But behavioural and non-systematic inorganic issues are all responsive. And this is why hypnotism continues to be successful in treating addiction, restoring self-esteem, easing stress and helping with a host of other problems.
Lion City helpline…
Grey Matter Network Tel: 6325 4739, www.greymatternetwork.com
Hypnae Center Tel: 6333 6776, www.hypnae.com
Regional Hypnosis Center Tel: 6272 7118, www.hypnosiscenter.com.sg
Trans4mational Therapy Tel: 9891 0347, www.trans4mationaltherapy.com
Do you have a Singapore Secret you’d like to share? Send details (700 words) plus images to mjones-white@acpmagazines.com.sg and you could be published in an upcoming issue of The Finder!
Posted July 08
