TIME TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT HYPNOSIS
Thanks to the antics of performers pulling audience tricks and turning the therapy into entertainment, it has caused an underlying fear in people of saying and doing humiliating things when in a hypnotic state. This isn’t the case, however, says Julia Lorent.
MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA — Hypnosis is a genuine therapy and should be given the respect it deserves. However, when dealing with the public’s and Hollywood’s misconceptions (see the recent runaway film Get Out, a psychological thriller), many fear the practice and therapists have a lot of frustration to contend with.
Films such as Get Out and Trance, as well as novelty performers, make a mockery and spectacle from a very respected science, and that’s important for people to understand. These contribute to the collective myth that hypnosis is something to be feared and avoided, when in actuality, it’s an immensely beneficial practice.
Two main types of therapeutic hypnosis exist: Suggestion Therapy and Patient Analysis. Both are merely guided relaxation techniques and are aids to psychotherapy. Suggestion Therapy uses the relaxed state in order to allow a patient to be more open to suggestions, like weight loss, pain control, or to kick a bad habit such as smoking or nail biting. Patient Analysis employs a relaxed state to delved deep into their subconscious and find the underlying psychological root cause of a disorder or symptom.
Practitioners should be formally qualified and registered with an industry body in order to administer hypnosis. As long as a therapist has been properly trained, there’s nothing at all to fear from hypnotherapy, only benefits to be gained. We promise no self-respecting professional will make you dance like a chicken or bark like a dog—or become an art thief. That being said, hypnosis should always be avoided by someone with psychotic or schizophrenic tendencies, such as hallucinations and delusions.