by Tim Brunson, PhD
Nothing is more symbolic to the field of hypnotherapy than the art of script writing. This documentation of the process and structure of an intervention represents the intent and thoughts of the clinical practitioner. While it may only imply some of the nuances of how it is ultimately delivered to a subject, it clearly reflects the essence of the theory and concepts and justifies the use of hypnosis for achieving a therapeutic goal.
I recently transmitted an Institute e-course in which I mentioned my assessment, hopes, and even disappointments regarding the current state of script writing within the realm hypnotherapy. In the article I used the terms "clichés" and "myths" to refer to the current prevailing state of script writing education offered by national and international associations of hypnotists. This has caused some puzzlement and calls for further explanation. Although I would think that my comments in the nearly 100 articles that I have written and made freely available through Internet would preclude the necessity for further clarification, perhaps for those who have not followed my writings closely I need to expound further.
Many ask why I would dare to criticize current script writing when I often admit to their almost universal success. Simply, it is because I see that there is a tremendous additional benefit to be had once a script is written and delivered at a much higher standard. This brings to mind a statement that David Elman once made to his medical and dental students. He said that anything that is believed to create a trance will do so if the operator has a sufficient level of confidence and there is an absence of fear on the part of the subject. This is largely a matter of expectation – which is pretty much the same thing as the Placebo Effect. A script written and delivered with such expectation is sure to have a positive effect. However, is this all there is to hypnotherapy? I hope not.
Let's relate this to the function of a talented surgeon. Certainly, a surgeon would want a patient to expect to successfully survive and recover from a surgical procedure. Indeed, it is well understood that a patient's morbid fears and expectations will often justify a delay or cancellation of the operation. However, although positive expectation is critical, success is also due to many other factors to include the knowledge and skills of the operator. Why should the practice of hypnotherapy be any different?
Unlike surgery, since hypnosis deals predominantly with suggestion and imagination, it stands to reason that expectation should play a very important role. However, if that is all hypnosis is about, then just maybe our critics are right that all we are doing is facilitating a placebo. Yet, as many applications of hypnosis have garnered results far exceeding the common 30% placebo standard, there must be something else to our talents than the use of expectation.
My exploration into the scientific justification and credibility of hypnotherapy led me to many epiphanies and revelations. Most of them surprisingly were contrary to the content of the years of training I had received. They also shed a significant light on the validity of the curriculum and standards that were and still are espoused by every major hypnotherapy trade organization – and to the pontifications of the established professional associations that largely govern the practice of medicine and psychology. My discoveries did not come from what I was learning through formal hypnotherapy training or by attending hypnotherapy conferences. Rather, they came from an extensive synoptic examination into mind/body integration, physiology, neurology and neurofeedback, and quantum theory. Once I began applying the implications of my study back to the tremendous volume of information in which I had been indoctrinated by the authorities in my field, I began to question the accuracy of many of their messages.
I overlaid this with my obsession concerning credibility. Even though hypnotherapy trade organizations do a wonderful job convincing their students and certificants of the value of their roles and knowledge, I saw that our acceptance and achievement of cultural authority rests not on our own self-perceptions. Rather, our credibility is largely a factor of how closely we approximate the standards of the other healing professions.
The key criterion involves scientific credibility. Essentially, the question is whether the theories and protocols of our field are supported by scientific methodology. On one hand, the over 11,000 relatively recent research studies documented by the National Institutes of Health clearly point out that the therapeutic use of hypnosis is scientifically valid. However, that alone does not verify that our concepts and methods are scientifically solid. At this point the documented research merely proposes heuristic correlations bereft of causal explanation. This is normally due to the fact that the therapeutic use of hypnosis focuses too much on expectation and ignores the deeper medical, neurological, and quantum implications of the hypnosis process. Therefore, the scientific supportability of the practitioner's concepts and protocols is vital. This is the first (of 12) criteria for minimal clinical hypnotherapy competency. Unfortunately, this is not recognized by any of the major hypnotherapy associations – yet! So, as practiced today hypnosis is centered predominantly on the use of expectation. Any value that is created in the physical and neurological realm is rarely understood or appreciated. I look at a competent clinical hypnotherapist as a practitioner with the knowledge and skills similar to those of a surgeon rather than as a person who only espouses the idealism of a snake-oil salesman. (I recognize that that may not be a politically correct term. However, the reader must realize that without a scientifically-justified mantel, this is how too many healing professionals – and much of the general public – view us.)
Relating this back to the art of script writing, a script that does not have a firm basis in physiology, neurology, and quantum theory is indeed limited to clichés and myths. A cliché is something with which we are overly familiar and take for granted. Indeed, the attempts to define hypnosis in terms of trance or altered states and the over-reliance on relaxation are clearly indicative of our use of clichés in our practices. Likewise, a myth is an unfounded or false notion that is embodied in the ideals and institutions of a group. For instance, the compulsive clinging to the unscientific concept of a subconscious mind clearly fits this contention – and leads to the obsolescence of any practitioner or association that still promotes it. When I stated that the current dogma of all hypnotherapy trade organizations – to include those whose elitism limits their membership to professionals and licensees of other fields – promotes scripts that are based upon clichés and myths, this is what I mean. Although I know that it is politically popular to agree the that the emperor is still wearing a fine set of clothes and that the world is indeed flat, I wrote that comment with the hope that my lone voice would serve as a spark to move our field toward a more scientifically credible endeavor. Nevertheless, I recognize that moving glaciers is a slow process at best. Frankly, I would like to see all hypnotherapy organizations as catalysts for scientific credibility.
I am a true believer in the value of the profession of clinical hypnotherapy as a vital and transcendent field that can and will provide a wealth of healing and transformational benefits to the public. However, we first must realize that we have a need to change our self-perceptions and move from idealism, charisma, and expectation-based practices to a more scientifically-credible orientation. I dream of a day that clinical hypnotherapy is truly recognized as a profession, that major universities offer credible hypnotherapy programs, and that all significant hypnotherapy organizations endorse the 12 competency criteria proposed by this Institute. For now, I must show patience and look forward to the day that practitioners can look into their mirrors without the limitations of indoctrination, will begin questioning their clichés and myths, and start the journey to becoming credible and competent healers and transformers of others.
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: 01/05/2015
