Extracts from this document...

Introduction

WHAT IS HYPNOSIS 2,147 words Hypnosis as it is practised refers to an interaction between two people, one of whom is identified as the hypnotist, the other as the subject/client, (P2 Hypnotherapy handbook, by Heap and Dryden). Hypnosis is a process in which psychological, mental emotions, reactions and behaviour are changed to improve health and positive wellbeing. During this essay I will talk about the history and what the psychological and physical aspects of hypnosis are. Further to that I will be discussing the role of relaxation in hypnotherapy, why some of us are more susceptible and how hypnosis has been used in medicine, as well as the comparisons to hypnosis today. We have all been in a hypnotic state however most do not notice it because, at the time, it seemed a natural state of mind. However, the hypnotic state is natural for all humans and many animals. Neurologists believe that the left side of the brain is where the logical control centre of the brain exists (conscious mind), and the right side of the brain controls creativity (subconscious mind)(.website ,Hynosis.me.uk, hypnosis how does it work, clinical hypnosis and memory: guidelines for clinicians and forensic hypnosis by D. ...read more.

Middle

Theta waves are associated with our subconscious mind where we hold all our past experiences, thought and behaviour patterns. When we are in Theta we can experience deep relaxation and deep hypnosis. Delta waves have 1 -4 cycles per second and are produced in our subconscious mind when we are in the deepest state of rest, detached awareness and sleep. When we sleep we go from Beta through to Delta and when we wake we reverse the process. Research has shown that one type of wave will predominate depending on the individual. Alpha and Theta are most commonly seen in hypnotised clients enabling the therapist to access the subconscious mind. Most people can be hypnotized; however some of us are more susceptible to suggestion than others. We need to believe in hypnoses, however, I do not think this is necessary to benefit from hypnosis. We need to trust our therapist, feel safe and have the ability to concentrate and focus our mind. If we are conformist in life we are more likely to be more susceptible to suggestions in hypnosis than non-conformist. This is because if you are conformist, you will conform to rules or groups as studies ? by Solomon Asch in 1951, who performed experiments on seven participants. ...read more.

Conclusion

Hypnosis is a very deep state of relaxation, where your mind is more focused and the connection between your thoughts, emotions and behaviours are clearer. The hypnotherapist will lead the client through the relaxation process by focusing the mind by suggestion. Even though I have never had hypnosis, I have used relaxation/ meditation myself when doing a workshop on spiritual awareness. I can see how the techniques are very similar as I experienced similar feelings of relaxation when we practiced PMR in the first class with Chrysalis. Hypnosis can be a remarkable tool for mental and physical healing on the body and our emotions- psychological and physical. Hypnosis can often be directly responsible for change and improve our health and positive wellbeing; however, it must be stressed that it is not a guaranteed method of changing private demons. Furthermore, if hypnotherapy was more widely used and accepted by the health service, the benefits in reducing costs and improving patient care could be considerable. When working as a practitioner we should always be aware of the client?s individual needs, the influence we have, the duty of care and our professional conduct. We must at all times treat the client within the code of ethics set out by the Hypnotherapy Society. ...read more.

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our AS and A Level Physiological Psychology section.