by Jon Rhodes
Professors and lay people alike have all pondered the question of how hypnosis works. This has been going on for close to 200 years. How does hypnosis work? Does hypnosis even work for that matter? The various theories and myths continue, with skeptics and fanatics alike. Despite all this rhetoric, no one has even so far managed to come up with an accepted definition of exactly what hypnosis is.
So we don't know what it is and we don't know how it works. Not a great start really. This may be why there is so much misinformation about the subject. There is room to maneuver the facts.
Perhaps we need to see the bigger picture. To understand exactly how hypnosis works, we need to ultimately discover how the human mind works. Due to the immense power and complexity of the human mind, this is practically impossible right now, leaving many of the workings of hypnosis a mystery.
Psychiatrists do understand the general characteristics of hypnosis, and they have some model of how it works. It is commonly accepted that it is a trance state that is characterised by greater suggestibility, relaxation and increased imagination. It is a natural state of mind rather like daydreaming. You are fully conscious, but you become consciously unaware of most of the stimuli around you. This is rather like when you are deeply absorbed in a book or film, and cannot hear someone trying to talk to you.
The problems of explaining how hypnosis works are compounded by the fact that everyone's experience of hypnosis is unique, and the readiness and ability of patients to be hypnotised varies considerably. However modern technology is beginning to allow us to take a deeper look, and almost peer inside the mind at what is actually happening to the brain whilst in hypnosis. Recently the University of Geneva published a study in the journal 'Neuron' using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for a series of hypnotic studies. They noted that there were differences in the activity of the brain when a subject was placed in a hypnotic trance.
The researchers used fMRI to scan brains of 12 people who were tested on hand movement before and after being hypnotised for left hand paralysis.
Despite the paralysis, neurons in the motor cortex region were still firing in preparation for the task. However the cortex appeared to be ignoring parts of the brain that it normally communicates with for controlling movement.
These results suggest that hypnosis does not inhibit the motor cortex and directly stop the hand from moving. It seems like the hypnotic suggestions allow the individual to choose to have left arm paralysis.
This makes sense from my observations of being a clinical hypnotherapist for many years. It is commonly accepted in hypnosis that a hypnotherapist cannot actually make a subject change. They can only facilitate it. For example a clinical hypnotherapist could do a very good and professional job with a quit smoking session. However the subject can choose to ignore this and immediately light up after the session. They can (and sometimes do) take the attitude "I'll show them that I can still smoke".
And I think it's good that the subject can ultimately choose. What if their nagging spouse sent them to see me when they did not really want to quite smoking? They could ultimately exercise a choice. After the session they may on reflection decide their spouse was indeed right and quit, or they may wave to them with a two cigarette salute and continue. I'm very comfortable with this. I don't personally want to be part of 'making' someone change.
This runs counter to some popular myths of hypnosis that are sometimes portrayed in the media. For example the classic clucking like a chicken when the doorbell sounds. In reality the person has a choice, and if they don't want to, then they can easily resist any poultry related urges. If an emergency should break out whilst a subject is in hypnosis, then they can easily snap out and deal with it in an appropriate way.
This is rather like what is commonly termed 'highway hypnosis'. This is where a person can drive a distance of many miles without remembering the journey. Does this sound familiar? They are literally in a natural hypnotic trance whilst driving. If during that journey something happens where the driver needs to react, then this is no problem. The driver will immediately snap out of the trance and respond accordingly.
There are still many questions regarding hypnotherapy and how it actually works. It would seem that hypnosis can help us make changes, but ultimately it is up to use to choose whether to accept these changes. Modern technology is beginning to help us to uncover more of the answers, but there is still a long way to go. A stronger scientific foundation for hypnotherapy can only help people realise what a powerful and effective form of therapy it really is, and dispel some of the myths that are plainly untrue.
For more information visit: www.HypnoBusters.com.
Posted: 08/24/2009
