Peter J. Hawkins

Hypnosis (hypnos is the Greek word for sleep) is not sleep but rather a shift in attention that can occur in a matter of seconds, either with guidance or spontaneously.  The popular view of hypnosis is that it is a specially induced 'trance' state in which the individual loses, to a greater or lesser degree, his or her logical faculty and experiences changes in sensations, perceptions, thoughts or behaviour.. This state can occur naturally or may be formally induced by the therapist, in cooperation with the client, or by clients themselves (as in self-hypnosis).  Although there are many different hypnotic inductions, most include suggestions for relaxation, calmness, and well-being.  Instructions to imagine or think about pleasant experiences are also commonly included in hypnotic inductions.  Although people respond to hypnosis in different ways and to different degrees, most describe their experience as very pleasant.  A person's ability to experience hypnotic suggestions can be inhibited by fears and concerns often arising from some common misconceptions obtained from the media.  They typically remain aware of who they are and where they are and they usually remember what happened during the hypnosis.  It is important to note that hypnosis is a secondary strategy, or an adjunctive procedure, with respect to the primary intervention strategy, for example behaviour therapy, cognitive therapy, transactional analysis, counselling, etc.  In other words those practising hypnosis are first trained counsellors or psychotherapists for whom the utilization of hypnosis can enhance their intervention skills.  The relationship between hypnosis (secondary strategy) and the psychotherapeutic interventions (primary strategy) can be shown along with other contextual factors such as core conditions.  The view of human nature of therapists who practise hypnosis will of course depend on the type of therapy that they practise, that is whether it is based on behavioural psychodynamic or humanistic principles.  However, many hypnotherapists believe that individuals have an unconscious mind which has resources for healing and self-realization, and that they are able to engage in a process known as 'unconscious search' to 'recover' these unconscious resources in order to find solutions to their problems.

Further information about this therapeutic approach written by the authors, can be found in "Introduction to Counselling and Psychotherapy: The Essential Guide", edited by Professor Stephen Palmer and published by Sage, London.  Price £18.99.

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