by Tim Brunson, PhD
When the Esalen Institute's Michael Murphy wrote his classic The Future of the Body: Explorations into the Further Evolutions of Human Nature, he boldly stated that mankind can easily move in either the direction of Enlightenment or rapidly devolve into the dark morass of ignorance and evil. This should not have surprised anyone who has even a layman's appreciation of world history. Indeed, every Dark Age is preceded by a Renaissance. The opposite is also true. This applies not only to society as a whole. The state of an individual's happiness and fulfillment can easily move toward a better life or despair. This article explores the question of choice and the role that hypnotherapy may play.
What immediately comes to mind is the hierarchy of needs model first proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation. In it he states that we concern ourselves with five basic levels: physiological needs, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. He believed that we are only motivated to seek achievement at higher levels once we are fully satisfied that our needs are met regarding the subordinate ones.
Interesting deductions can be realized once my Pattern Theory is superimposed onto Maslow's hierarchy. If you accept that everything in us and around us is comprised of patterns with structure and encoding, and an be recalled, and that patterns are constantly adapting and harmonizing with each other, you can equate satisfaction of needs at a particular level with the idea that its patterns have been completely harmonized. Once that is done, our human nature has the unusual characteristic to actively seek a new sense of dissatisfaction that tends to drive us to seek new disharmonies (i.e. a different Maslow level) to resolve. This idea is very congruent with the mathematical concept of Chaos and my Unified Transformation Theory. Thus, out of harmony, which is a calm darkness, comes the desire to seek the light (i.e. Enlightenment) that can only be found in the next high level. Of course, as Murphy warned, there is always the possibility that we can look for solace by searching for satisfaction in a lower level. Just think of the decline of the Roman Empire as an example.
I would hope that individuals – and societies – would always seek fulfillment at higher levels. Using Maslow's model, it would appear that the epitome would clearly be self-actualization. (Of course, I would like to add a spiritual level on top of that.) Yes, there is a danger that a person can go in what I consider the wrong direction. However, once someone understands the possibilities, they then can make an informed choice. As obvious as this may seem, it is clear that many of my clients and patients have failed to realize that they have a choice as they are unaware that they have been making the one that leads to misery rather than happiness.
Once the choice is made – a decision that is synonymous with "selective thinking" – then the role of hypnotherapy should be fairly obvious. Hypnosis is a process that facilitates overcoming habituated behavior and the resistance that stands in the way of change. Therefore, it is very well suited to assisting a person empowering their ability to select their future. Moving toward a more moral, creative, spontaneous, and resourceful life then becomes a doable option.
There are many approaches that a hypnotherapist can use to facilitate a subject's journey toward self-actualization. The first involves thought-stopping. The subject must develop the ability to immunize themselves from self-doubt. Showing them that they have the ability to change their mental and physical states goes a long way toward establishing the requisite level of self-belief and self-confidence – which is the second approach. Thus, it is important that the hypnotic operator convince them that they have the power to change and to realize their choices. I generally call this empowerment. And lastly, hypnotherapy should include a mental rehearsal in which the desired end-state is clearly experienced as having already been achieved. This associative awareness must be sufficiently stimulating – or as I typically say, antithetical – to further assist in helping them overcome resistance and to induce an entraining adaptation of the mind and body.
I want to go a step further here. A competent ANNH-trained hypnotherapist will realize that they should also seek to develop the neural substrates associated with the desired state or skills. For instance, if the change implies increased abilities to imagine, exercises designed to enhance the right prefrontal cortex would be in order. Essentially, the therapist must look at the brain as a virtual "toolbox" containing valuable tools that must be optimized. Of course, this may happen as a side-effect of traditional hypnotherapeutic approaches. However, the effectiveness of the interventions can be most definitely enhanced once the operator's knowledge of neurophysiology and ability to affect it is at a sufficient level of proficiency.
The art and science of hypnotherapy is all about facilitating choice. I would like to hope that the choices that subjects make always move them upward to new more fulfilling levels. By understanding the role of our skills in helping a person achieve harmony and satisfaction at each level and assisting their transcendence to the next higher one, we provide a valuable service to the public.
The International Hypnosis Research Institute is a member supported project involving integrative health care specialists from around the world. We provide information and educational resources to clinicians. Dr. Brunson is the author of over 150 self-help and clinical CD's and MP3's.
Posted: 06/18/2010
