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What makes Hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming
provided by a therapist different from what we see on
the television?
Advertisements tend to provide either advantageous or
damaging PR for alternative therapists. There have been
a number of advertisements on the TV lately involving
hypnosis, some of them using real hypnotherapists – I
know this because professional organisations often
notify their members if a peer is used in such an
advert. So why am I highlighting this now?
Firstly, I thought a change of approach in my editorials
was called for and perhaps it was time to write about
real concerns that people have regarding alternative
therapies and to answer some questions. If you have any
questions please phone, or email me. Secondly, there is
a certain amount of recent media interest given to
Hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming within the
entertainment industry.
If you are of a certain age I’m sure that you are aware
of the power of subliminal messages (a form of hypnosis)
within advertising and the reason that they were banned?
Briefly in the 1950’s cinemas used subliminal messages –
the duration were nano seconds ie less than one
twentieth of a second to improve the sales of a well
known brand of cola and it was found that the sales in
cinemas increased by more than 50%. The result of the
experiment (which was performed in 1957, by James
Vickery) highlighted that a proportion of the population
could under certain conditions be influenced by messages
that were repeated so quickly as to be imperceptible to
the conscious mind. The practice was outlawed in much of
the Western world for advertising purposes, however,
although subliminal messages were banned advertisers
found new ways of attracting attention to their hidden
messages have you noticed, increased volume amended
intonation of voice, and changes of colours and emphasis
on words used in advertisements, to issue instructions?
Methods of mind control are still alive and well and are
frequently used for a variety of purposes, and reasons,
including increasing sales, politicial gain and for
entertainment.
Many people quite rightly treat hypnosis with caution –
however there are huge differences between hypnotists
and hypnotherapists. Yes its correct to summise that
both entertainers and therapists hypnotise. One major
difference is that therapists are honest and work with
their client’s agreement to facilitate change, within a
previously agreed treatment framework; whereas if you
participate in a stage show, you would be aware that you
are going to entertain, through the possibility of being
hypnotised.
Anyone can be hypnotised if they want to be. A therapist
will use sufficient depth of trance to achieve their
goal, and the individual can choose to bring themselves
out of hypnosis at any time they want to. An entertainer
will use a much deeper level of trance, the
somnambulistic – or sleepwalking level, where people
have all of their senses but no recall of the episode.
If you were to attend a theatre and choose to
participate in a show, you would be pre-selected to see
how suggestible you are - how easily you could be
induced into the somnambulistic state – only a small
percentage of the population can quickly and
effortlessly be induced into that really deep state. You
would be aware that the purpose of the interaction is to
entertain and then you would choose whether to
participate. A further issue with hypnosis in the
entertainment industry where hypnotic induction has
taken place on the stage, or television has been the
unintentional hypnosis of members of the audience, where
individuals are programmed to perform certain tasks on a
given signal – audiences, particularly in their homes
may not be deprogrammed.
I would argue that all hypnosis is self hypnosis,
because you and you alone, choose whether to follow
instructions. I can lead anyone into hypnosis if they
wish to be hypnotised… I am just a facilitator – yes a
highly trained one, having studied psychology for six
years and undertaken a further year’s study in
hypnotherapy, plus continued professional development -
but I am just a facilitator who follows a code of ethics
and has learned how to help individuals to use the power
of their mind, to achieve their goals.
Due to repeated exposure in the media there is much
acceptance that hypnosis can be used positively to help
with personal problems; but, and it is a big but
potential clients often ask, how do I know that you
won’t make me cluck and walk like a duck in other words
how do I know I can trust you? The simple answer is I am
a professional therapist and my qualifications have been
checked by the General Hypnotherapy Standards Council;
following which I have been certificated and included in
their General Hypnotherapy Register
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