Download Dealing Daily Life Hassles` with Hypnotherapy

Dr. Shruti Khare
Regardless of the efforts of researchers, doctors and therapists,
hypnosis has been wearing a cloak of mysticism for centuries. The
way hypnosis helps in therapy makes this phenomenon an
immensely important instrument, despite the fact that erroneous
beliefs continually hinder its use.
 There is a difference between Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy.
Hypnosis is a mental state of heightened suggestibility,
characterized by trance. Hypnotherapy is basically the use of
hypnosis as a medium for psychotherapy.
 Hypnotizability is ability to enter a state of hypnosis regardless of
depth.
 Trance is a deeply relaxed and focused state with increased
suggestibility and lower critical abilities.


The concepts like black magic and necromancy also spoil the perceptions
of hypnosis in common people. The myths pertaining to hypnosis are
clarified here:
 Hypnosis is Not Sleep.
 A hypnotized person hears everything that is going on and is capable
of responding to their surroundings appropriately.
 No one can be hypnotized against his/her will.
 A hypnotized individual is not paralyzed, incapable of taking care of
him or herself, or incapable of refusing to carry out the hypnotist’s
suggestions or commands.
 Hypnosis is not a truth serum.
 Hypnosis is NOT like alcohol or drugs that lessen some one’s
inhibitions to the point where they might be more likely to do
something fanatical.

Hypnotherapy is an excellent tool to deal with problems whether
independently or along with other therapeutic methods. Hypnosis
cannot be explained by any single factor (e.g., hyper-suggestibility,
atavism, regression, death-feint, dissociation, goal striving, roleplaying, regression, or transference) because, like any behavioral
process, it cross-fertilizes with many areas of human thinking.

In meta-analysis of hypnosis as an additional treatment to cognitivebehavioral psychotherapies (Kirschet al.,1995) found that the
addition of hypnosis substantially enhanced treatment outcomes in
clients.

In fact, the average client receiving hypnosis as an adjunctive
treatment showed greater improvement than at least 70% of clients
that did not receive hypnosis with cognitive-behavioral treatment.

Presently everybody is living in a world that creates evidently increasing
stress and anxiety for individuals. Several people suffer symptoms of
stress evidencing in a kind of physical symptoms, of diverse levels of
severity, e.g.. headaches, bodily aches and pains, anxiety, and incapability
to cope with life generally (Jackson, 1993).

Contemporary definitions of stress regard the external environmental
stress as a stressor (e.g.., work or school, family conflicts, commuting), the
response to the stressor as stress, and the notion of stress as a thing that
involves psychological, physiological behavioral and biochemical changes.

The fundamental element in any therapy aimed at reducing stress is
relaxation. Relaxation has been shown to be beneficial for a various
symptoms and health problems such as reduction of nervousness;
promotion of performance; promotion of self-control/self-actualization
and reductions in psychosomatic complaints (Krampen, 1996; Carter,
2006).

The relaxation process is generally considered to counter
balance the stress and anxiety process. As ongoing stress
and states of anxiety and tension are associated with
health problems, many methods have been developed and
practiced to promote relaxation that often is used in stress
management programs and to treat medical conditions
(Eisenberg et al., 1998).

Hypnotherapy can be the most accurate choice induces
genuine relaxation in mind. The paper presents two case
examples where the patients / subjects profited from
treatment of daily life stress and exam anxiety with two
different techniques of hypnotherapy: Use of Hypnotic
Script and Creative Visualization.

Hypnosis Scripts are a written transcription of the
verbatim hypnotherapist uses during a therapy. It contains
every specification needed to be suggested to the subject.
These hypnotic scripts are very useful for the subjects for
ensuring that subject gets detailed and every suggestion.

However, Creative Visualization empowers patients by
encouraging them to develop their own strategies for
managing stress. it is the course of utilizing thinking
power to deliberately imagine, create and attract that
whatever one intend to experience.

Before initiating hypnotherapy session, it is important for the
therapist to take detailed information of clinical history and spot
the essential aspects of the patient’s behaviors.

Establishing rapport with the patient is of crucial importance.

After establishing rapport with the patient, it is important to
educate and reassure the patient about these misconceptions.

After debunking the myths and misconceptions of hypnosis, it is
advisable to provide your patient with ‘facilitative information’
about hypnotherapy.

Patient’s hypnotic suggestibility can be screened.

Then comes induction of the trance.

Inducing the trance into the subject, trance ‘Deepeners’ are
provided. A deepener is used to intensify trance depth.

Further subjects were tested on Arons Depth Scale of the depth of
trance. And the therapeutic suggestions were given.
Case I
 Hypnotherapy for Exam Anxiety Using Script
 Female, age 17.5 years, studying in school, described herself
as “normal, studious girl, but get scared and uncomfortable
around exams and tests”.
 Subject was reported to have anxiety and fear, with loss of
confidence because of performance apprehension prior her
educational tests.
 Hypnotic Script was used to comfort her from anxiety. Follow
up with similar sessions were given to her in every 7-10 days
for two months. Later, the sessions were given at every 20
days for three and a half month.
Case II

Hypnotherapy
Visualization.
for
Stress
Relaxation
Using
Creative

Male, age 42 years, teacher in high school, married, two
kids; described himself as cool minded, hardworking
fellow” on asking the purpose of the visit, the response was
stress due to work, unable to manage things due to work
load. On asked last time when he was out with family for
vacation, response was 5 years ago.

Subject experienced Creative visualization in trance state
and reported an imaginative scene, which was relaxing to
him.

Sapp (1990) noted that there are two major features of
hypnosis: the first is a cognitive component; and the second
is a relaxation component. It is a combination of these two
components that may make hypnosis effective in reducing
exam anxiety.

Now days with the increasing competitiveness and fast
paced life, most people remain tensed and keep on
complaining about some problems or the other.

Hypnotherapy is a very good therapeutic option which is
practical, safe and successful. This paper attempts to clarify
the vague idea of hypnotherapy so as to make its presence
even stronger in the coming times.
I can be reached at:
Dr. Shruti Khare
Agra, Uttar Pradesh
Email: [email protected]
Skype ID: dr.shruti.in