Hypnosis - How Effective Can It Be? Article

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Hypnosis - How Effective Can It Be?

Hypnosis was accepted by the AMA in 1958 as an effective technology for treating nervous strain, and stress related symptoms. But does it really work, and what should a person look for when seeking a therapist, or procuring hypnosis tapes & CDs?

Author: Alan B. Densky Ch

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There are many noteworthy hypnotic techniques that are used to reach the unconscious mind to invoke change. Each method has its pros and its cons. We are all different, so it stands to reason that the best results will be gotten by utilizing the methods that each individual will react favorably to.

Most companies that sell hypnosis tapes offer tapes that consist of standard traditional hypnosis techniques. A few sellers offer much more up-to-date and effective Ericksonian Hypnosis techniques. And fewer still offer NLP or Neuro-Linguistic Programming techniques.

The newest and by far the most powerful technology is video hypnosis. Video hypnosis uses the latest Neuro-linguistic programming thought strategies to trigger instant change in a subject. Video hypnosis methods are not subliminal in nature.

With "Traditional Hypnosis," we simply command to the subconscious mind. In case you are wondering, as far as I'm concerned, the term unconscious, and subconscious are equal -- they refer to the same part of the mind. This type of hypnotherapy works well for a hypnotic subject who generally accepts what they are told without doing a lot of questioning.

Most hypnosis tapes sold today are based on "Traditional Hypnosis" techniques. This is because it doesn't take much schooling to write a script and just command an individual to do something. Unfortunately Traditional Suggestion therapy is not very effective for people who are analytical in their thinking processes.

By contrast, Ericksonian Hypnosis and NLP methods work far more effectively for most individuals today! This is because today people are taught to analyze and question everything, rather than just follow the flock. So these technologies do work very well on people who are critical in their thinking processes.

While it's true that these methods have a much greater success rate at reaching and affecting the unconscious, it's also true that it can take years of training, study, and most of all experience to learn how to apply these methods effectively. So this is a task taken on only by dedicated hypno-therapists.

With "Ericksonian Hypnosis," we use little stories; called metaphors, to introduce new ideas to the subconscious mind. This is a compelling system, because it usually eliminates the resistance to suggestions that is often caused by the conscious mind. There are two types of metaphors, "Isomorphic," and those of the imbedded command or "interspersal" nature.

Isomorphic metaphors offer direction to the unconscious by telling a story with a moral. The unconscious draws a one-on-one relationship between parts of the story and elements of a bad behavior. For example, if a child is telling a lot of lies, the hypnotherapist might tell the child the story about the "Boy who cried wolf." The subconscious would draw a parallel between the boy in the story and the child, and realize that telling lies could lead to disaster, so the child would probably stop lying.

With the Embedded Command technique, the hypno-technician tells a story that engages the conscious mind. It includes covert suggestions that are usually accepted by the subconscious. For example: During the time the client is in hypnosis, he will usually hear the hypnotist say something like: I'm going to tell you a story about a [beach that has feelings. Isn't that] strange to [you]? It's a warm summer's day, and the beach [feels great].

The hypnotist pauses, shifts his voice tonality, and emphasizes the bracketed text. The subconscious recognizes a "Selectional restriction violation." Beaches can't have feelings. So it's like the unconscious says to itself: "Wait a minute, a beach can't feel anything, so that must mean that I'm supposed to feel something, and I'm supposed to [feel great]." Since the suggestions are embedded in a story that is misdirecting the conscious mind, its unlikely that the conscious will realize that it has just received a suggestion, so it won't block it or resist it.

"Process Instructions" direct the subconscious to remember the experience of an appropriate learning experience from the past, and then apply that learning to making a change in the present.

With "Neuro-Linguistic Programming" (NLP), rather than using hypnotic commands, we use the same thought processes that are creating a problem, like nail biting or stress, to do away with the problem. NLP in the hands of an experienced NLP'er can be very effective.

NLP Anchoring: Have you ever heard some old music and had it recreate feelings from the past? When you originally heard the song, you were feeling those feelings, and they subconsciously became attached to the melody of the music. So the song became an Anchor for the feelings. Now when you hear the song, it triggers the same feelings again.

Anchoring can be a very effective methodology. Suppose that you have a memory of being commended for having a great accomplishment in the past. If you get inside of that memory, you'll be able to recall the feeling of self-esteem that you had at that time. If you touch two fingers together while you re-experience those feelings of self-esteem, that touch will become an anchor for the feelings of self-esteem.

Now suppose that you want to create motivation to stick to a diet and lose weight. If you make a mental image of yourself with a thin, sexy body, and simultaneously trigger the anchor - (press the two fingers together again), your unconscious will associate together the feelings of self-esteem to the mental image of you with the thin body and your level of motivation to lose weight will grow exponentially.

NLP Flash: This is a very effective Neuro-linguistic programming method that can be used to "flip" things around in the unconscious, so that thoughts and experiences that used to trigger feelings of stress actually trigger relaxation instead.

The NLP Flash technique is also a fast way to erase a conditioned response. For example: If a smoker has a cigarette while drinking coffee, his/her unconscious will associate the two behaviors together so that he/she automatically gets a craving for a cigarette anytime he/she has a cup of coffee. The Flash will cause the smoker's mind to disconnect the image of a cigarette from the cup of coffee so that he/she does NOT get an urge to smoke just because he/she is drinking coffee.

With "subliminal" programs, the recording has double tracks. One track contains a cover sound that is heard by the conscious mind. The cover sound could be anything from music to the sound of a running brook. The other track contains ideas that are listened to by the subconscious mind. These post-hypnotic suggestions are repeated over and over during a session.

Subliminal programs can be played in the background while you are working, or watching TV. You don't have to stop what you are doing and relax like you do with hypnosis or NLP. Subliminals can be used in addition to hypnotic programs. But Subliminals will never replace Suggestion therapy or Neuro-linguistic programming because they are not as effective! They don't even come close!! Some experts claim that it can take up to 80 hours of listening to a subliminal CD before it will have any effect on many people.

The last form of hypnosis that we're going to talk about is "Video Hypnosis." Video Hypnosis is the most compelling form of hypnosis! The methods used in video hypnosis are based on the NLP technology, which works based on the utilization of a person's existing way of thinking instead of hypnotic commands.

Over 70% of the people on the planet learn more quickly by seeing, rather then by hearing. Think about it. If you feel an urge to smoke or eat when watching TV, it's because your unconscious recorded the video image of either food in your hand, or a cigarette in your hand, and then incorporated that image with the visualization of the TV. You never spoke to yourself and told yourself in words to associate them together, am I correct?

And that's why the Video Hypnosis methodology is so useful. Video Hypnosis is not hypnotic in the traditional sense, relying on the spoken word. But if you've ever cried when watching a depressing film, then you know how compelling Video Hypnosis can be at reaching the subconscious mind. With this technology, results usually start with the very first viewing!

About Author

Alan B. Densky, CH is an NLP Practitioner who is also certified by the National Guild of Hypnotists. He opened his practice in 1978. He is the author of 4 published books and dozens of articles on hypnosis and NLP, and the creator of the Neuro-VISION Video Hypnosis Technology. Visit http://www.neuro-vision.us/ for access to his free hypnosis articles and MP3 downloads.

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