Examining various approaches in which hypnosis can contribute to the therapeutic process can be favorable for attending to the needs of clients in helping them find deeper understanding and inner knowledge. To understand what hypnosis entails, first it can be suitable to understand the basic functioning of the mind and body connection.
Understanding the Mind-Body Connection
The brain has a natural physiological defense response system that involves what is called the fight, flight or freeze responses, which are activated for warning the body to prepare for a potential perceived threat; creating physical responses(sweating, increased, heart, palpitations, shallow breathing); psychological responses(fear, anxiety, anger, nervousness) and behavioral responses(isolation, emotionally distant, verbally/physically aggressive, dismissive).
This protective reaction’s sole purpose is to keep the person safe; however, when it becomes overly activated by physiological or environmental factors, by a history of trauma, or from exposure to negative event, it can bring about an array of mental health disorders; such as, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Depression, Anxiety; causing significant areas of an individual’s life to be negatively impacted including physical, occupational, social, interpersonal, physiological, psychological and emotional health.
Supporting Mental Health Holistically
For this reason, having regular visits with primary care to determine the best course of action to take regarding the presence of any mental health symptoms that may require close monitoring and seeking additional support through psychological treatment in therapy is crucial. Alongside with keeping a healthy routine of nutritious eating habits, sleep hygiene, keeping regular exercise, and participation in a relaxing or calming activity for reducing stress.
Relaxation as a Therapeutic Tool
According to Jiggins (2017) from the article Hypnosis and the Counseling Profession explains that “Relaxation is the process of slowing down the autonomic nervous system response to stress and activating the parasympathetic nervous system response(which is responsible for bringing the body to a state of calm/rest/slow down)”(Jiggins, 2017). Relaxing the mind and allowing the current stream of thoughts to slow down may often not come as easy for everyone; thus, gathering support from nature, getting some fresh air, or taking a small time out of a busy schedule to stop and appreciate the simplicity and small good things can be useful.
Calming activities may involve walking, listening to nature when walking outdoors, listening to relaxation or instrumental music, drawing, quiet reflection, or simply closing the eyes and taking a deep breath for 1-3 breaths can greatly decrease stress related symptoms on a daily basis. Some people may choose to use guided meditations or guided relaxations offered on calming and relaxation applications as a self-guide for taking a mindful moment, which comes in handy.
Making Relaxation a Daily Priority
Relaxation should be part of a daily priority regimen; nonetheless, when trying to keep up with the highly demands of life there seems to be less time spent on breathing and relaxation and more time on getting lost in the monotony of life. This is where hypnosis comes into play in the therapeutic setting, its role is to assist and guide the client into accessing a natural state of relaxation by attempting to strengthen the connection between body and mind.
Defining Hypnosis
Jiggins (2017) describes how the definition of hypnosis by the American psychological Association states that “Hypnosis is a natural state of deep focus and heightened attention, where the mind becomes more receptive to positive suggestions”(Jiggins, 2017). An important concept in hypnosis, is relaxation; it serves as a procedure for guiding the individual into a transformed state of perception of self, others/the world, in order to aid in being more receptive to situations, change, transitions, having more positive insight and gaining self-confidence throughout the therapeutic process.
Hypnosis and Mindfulness
Hypnosis is a form of mindfulness, relaxation and meditation where the client is relaxed enough to listen and also be attentive enough to determine what he or she would like to choose at a specific moment in time during the session. The client is always in control of where and which thoughts to have. Take the example of a time where wanting to color in, or paint into a drawing, the person is deciding which colors to use, or how to fill in the colors; all meanwhile centering all the attention solely on each inch of the drawing with intricate detail; the same goes for hypnosis. In hypnosis, the client is the artist who decides what to color,hypnosis is only but a tool to guide the paint brush or the color pencils to provide an instrument for the artist to make the perfect canvas with each color.
Techniques Used in Hypnosis
Relaxation includes self awareness of subtle changes in breathing, noticing the natural rhythm of the inhale and the exhale, considering slower body movements to bring comfort throughout the body, which is done by internal observation through a technique called a body scan; and tension and relaxation of specific area muscles called progressive muscle relaxation.
Integrating Hypnosis with Traditional Therapy
In the counseling setting working both with psychological therapeutic theories and obtaining support from hypnosis methodology may offer fulfilling and promising results to best support the client on achieving optimal and sustainable outcomes all throughout the course of psychological treatment. Hypnosis presents similar philosophies described in many of the evidence based therapeutic treatment practices(Jiggins, 2017). In hypnosis the objective is to assist both the conscious and the subconscious mind be in synchronicity for promoting a sense of balance, vitality, well-being and positivity through a series of relaxation strategies. Just as in psychodynamic model that serves to analyze past memories, stories, ideas and beliefs, to discover what may be creating unhealthy patterns and behaviors.
A Strengths-Based Approach
Hypnosis is person centered and strengths-based, allowing the client to feel open to sharing and expressing thoughts, feelings, and emotions by offering an environment filled with empathy, non-judgment, unconditional positive regard, self determination, self-efficiency, transparency, diversity, and cultural competency. The therapeutic alliance incorporating hypnosis is also similarly composed of skills, including building rapport; reflective listening; such as in Motivational Interviewing, where the individual is guided to establish attainable and measurable goals; helping the client on assessing and preparation for various challenges, developing concrete steps to navigate through difficulties for finding helpful options and solutions, helping the individual believe in his on her self and in the potential to achieve set goals; learn how to recognize positive aspects of change and underline individual strengths and the natural innate ability to overcome adversity.
Overlap with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
In addition, in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy model which is one of the most widely used treatments for depression and anxiety; as it looks at the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behavior. CBT uses techniques which hypnosis is also very familiarized with; including, identification of realistic versus unrealistic expectations, thought stopping, imagination, cognitive reframing and relaxation(Jiggins, 2017). The use of positive affirmations is also embedded in the hypnosis process which is like positive self-talk.
The Role of Mindfulness and Visualization
Moreover, one of hypnosis key component is mindfulness. Mindfulness which means being centered and grounded, by observation of present moment stance using the five senses, as a compass for reaching a connecting with a more peaceful part of the mind. Also, using visualization, breathing and relaxation for emotional regulation. Furthermore, Dialectical behavioral therapy(DBT) has a concept called wise mind. The reasoning behind wise mind is to aid the person in a journey to search for his or her inner wisdom, inner courage and inner power which hypnosis aims to enhance and strengthen within the meditative and inner reflection state.
Positive Psychology and Inner Strength
Like in positive psychology; in hypnosis, the meaning of gratitude, fostering self-compassion, finding fulfillment and purpose in personal growth and establishing a healthy mindset to foresee a more positive future are valuable elements to cultivate inner peace and wellness. Building resiliency by staying connected to inner and outer resources, such as in social psychology forms an additional strong source for making hypnosis a part of the therapeutic setting; for linking the individual to self-discovery of empowerment through different transitions and life cycles.
Physical Health and the Biopsychosocial Model
Furthermore, In conjunction with regular medical health treatments, hypnosis has also been demonstrated to be a powerful tool as it pertains to aiding in alleviating physical health symptoms, including chronic pain, sleep issues. The biopsychosocial model depicts the connections between physical, psychological, and social aspects for the purpose of providing clients a more holistic approach to wellness(Jiggins, 2017).
Final Thoughts: Hypnosis as a Complementary Approach
Finally, Jiggins(2017) emphasizes how hypnosis whether used as a stand-alone intervention or combined with techniques like CBT, has the potential to develop new evidence-based approaches that can be adapted to various ages, cultures, disorders, and settings(Jiggins, 2017). As a result, working together in collaboration with primary care, neurology, nutrition, psychiatry, psychology and other specialized medical services is proven to be fundamental in order to address each client’s presentation of symptoms the best way possible(Jiggins, 2017).
