Studies show that hypnosis can treat everythingfrom chronic pain to
poor study habits. Chances are, it can work for you.
Nancy Jordan sat down in my office and lit a cigarette--a deadly
habit, given her severe asthma and tobacco allergies. Jonathan Hunter,
M.D.--my supervisor, her psychotherapist--was also in the room. He wanted
to attend Nancy's first hypnotherapy session to put the shy college
sophomore at ease. I knew he was also eager to observe hypnosis.
"Hunter," as he was known, was supervising my graduate school
psychotherapy program. Although Hunter was no hypnotist, I had taken a
hypnosis course and had been practicing on volunteers for a semester. We
agreed that he would direct me on general psychological aspects of
Nancy's treatment, my first hypnotherapy case.
I positioned my chair at a 90-degree angle to the recliner in which
my young patient sat. I asked Nancy to look up at the ceiling, where four
porous tiles intersected in a neat point. (I have yet to encounter a
hypnotist who uses a swinging gold pocket watch. Instead, we ask clients
to gaze at a steady object to block distracting visual stimuli.)
"Stare at the point on the ceiling and let your breathing become
slow and deep. Let your body begin to relax, starting with the muscles of
your feet and toes. Let your thighs relax; let all tension flow out of
your legs." I gradually slowed my voice as I spoke to subliminally cue
her breathing to slow down. "As you continue to stare at the point on the
ceiling, your eyelids become heavier, as if a weight were attached,
pulling them gently down. You may notice the point starting to move or
change color; that will be a sign that you are beginning to go into
hypnosis. Each time you blink, it gets harder to open your eyes. Soon
they will close completely, and you will sink into a peaceful, sleeplike
state." Nancy looked drowsy, and her eyes began to droop.
At that point I glanced over at Hunter to see what he thought of
the induction. The worst reaction my insecure imagination could conjure
was mild disapproval, but what I saw was infinitely more dismaying: My
big, rangy supervisor sat slumped in his chair. His eyes were closed,
muscles lax, breathing barely detectable.
I stalled as I wondered what to do next. I could just proceed. But
I had no idea how Hunter, a nonsmoker, would respond to my commands about
Nancy's smoking. What if he woke, thinking he did smoke? I decided to
bring both Nancy and Hunter out of the trance. She gradually opened her
eyes as his popped open. After a moment of confusion, he quickly affected
a look of exaggerated nonchalance. I made another appointment with Nancy,
and she went on her way.
"You were out cold!" I announced to Hunter the instant the door
closed behind her.
He looked perplexed again. "I think I dozed off. I remember you
saying my eyes would close--er, I mean, her eyes would close. Maybe I was
hypnotized."
Can you be hypnotized? Most people like to think that they can't.
There is often the suspicion that being hypnotized could label them as
being weak-willed, naive or unintelligent. But in fact, modern research
shows that hypnotizability is correlated with intelligence, concentration
and focus. Hypnosis is not an all-or-nothing phenomenon, but rather a
continuum. Most people can be hypnotized to some degree--the only
question is how far.
A hypnotic trance is not therapeutic in and of itself, but specific
suggestions and images fed to clients in a trance can profoundly alter
their behavior. As they rehearse the new ways they want to think and
feel, they lay the groundwork for powerful changes in their future
actions. For example, in hypnosis, I often tell people who are trying to
quit smoking that they will go hours without even thinking of a
cigarette, that if they should light up, the cigarette will taste
terrible and they'll want to put it out immediately. I'll talk them
through the imagery of being a nonsmoker--some combination of finding
themselves breathing easier, having more energy for exercise, enjoying
subtle tastes and smells again, having fresh breath and clean-smelling
closing, feeling good about their health, even saving money on cigarettes
or whatever motivates that person to quit. The deep relaxation of a
hypnotic trance is also broadly beneficial as many illnesses, both
psychological or physical, are aggravated by anxiety and muscle
tension.
Research over the last 40 years shows that such hypnotic techniques
are safe and effective. Furthermore, a growing number of studies show
that hypnotherapy can treat headaches, ease the pain of childbirth, aid
in quitting smoking, improve concentration and study habits, relieve
minor phobias, and serve as anesthesia--all without drugs or side effects
(see "Hypnosis Heals," page 62).
