The Rituals of Hypnosis

By Daniel F Cleary

 Think about what you do when you first awaken. Perhaps you lie quietly and listen to the sensations of which you are aware or see yourself succeeding in the activities of the day ahead. Now, some people get right out of bed and become active immediately. I don’t know which is your way, nor do I suggest that you change any little thing. But we do change little things all the time and sometimes we overlook other little  things.

Rituals can be little things: the way we celebrate our beliefs, the way we greet our loved ones or even the way we approach our choices and challenges of life. Rituals are tools we use to deal with the
experience of life. We may assign special meaning to the word or create rituals to place greater significance upon events in our lives. A ritual may be as simple or complex as needed. So how do we create a ritual and how important is it in our lives? The answer is simple: I don’t know. You do.

And you may wonder what Rituals have to do with Hypnosis. Here again, you already have some idea in mind. Consider that the way we listen may involve a ritual we use toward awareness of others as a method of enhancing rapport. We all have our rituals and they are all important.

Now when we become more aware of our perceptions, influences and rituals we can more easily recognize those of others. In this way we may begin to discover that by using the simple rituals of learning that are already a part of our lives, we can learn new things in ways which are familiar.

Consider that every thought, idea and experience has had an effect on the way that we perceive our lives. Remember a time when you were successful. A time when everything that you had done to succeed worked just the way you imagined and you realized your goal. You may have received recognition from others or just the inner awareness of satisfaction not only in the event but of the unlimited potential within.

Even if we consider the simple rituals in life as habits, we can begin to notice that these are patterns we use to succeed in certain ways. These patterns allow us to repeat certain tasks without having to
learn anew HOW we accomplish the set outcome. There may be certain rituals that we employ to open our inner communication allowing a greater awareness of inspiration. We may have rituals that we use to permit the conscious mind to explore while we are involved in repeated activities; some feel a conscious elevation when jogging, playing music or praying. Others, like myself, enjoy the ritual of entering trance when we assist clients in order to be more aware of the energies which may guide us, perhaps it is an empathic connection we establish. How do you enter trance? What is your ritual?

Notice the similarities of actions and perceptions in different contexts and notice the ways we can use them in assisting change. A weight management client once told me that she was frustrated by the time
it was taking to achieve her goal: she believed she had no patience and worse, that when she was thus frustrated she ate inappropriately. She was ready to consider failure. I knew from our discussions that her passion was gardening and asked her to tell me about that, saying that I supposed that you would put a seed in the ground, cover and water it, then in the morning, ala Jack of beanstalk fame, there would be a great huge plant. She shook her head in the way one would at the inaccuracy of a small
child. “No” she said, and proceeded to tell me in great detail of germination, fertilization, pruning and more that I do not recall. When she paused long enough for me to speak, I said “Growing plants must
require a lot of patience. I wonder how long you will take to grow your body to the size you choose.”

 Over the years I have found that my clients always know more about healing and transformation than I could ever suppose. It is my job to assist them in accessing that vast awareness and utilizing it their lives. Some clients will respond to metaphors and they will provide clues to the best of them. Others will give us the script for the direct transformation they can accept. All of us can create transformation in an
instant, the words and methods that we require to allow ourselves permission to accept the transformation is the ritual.

When working with clients, I believe that my best is accomplished when I do the least in terms of “deciding” what to do. I instigate, encourage and assist them to identify their resources and access the
ritual to realize transformation. I utilize the trance they bring into the office (because they already do that one well) and help them to discover a compelling understanding which convinces them of immediate and
continued success.

 Daniel F Cleary is the chief cook and bottle washer at Hypnosis for Health Learning Center.  He is a frequent presenter at hypnosis conferences and workshops across the country and abroad.  We are honored to have his contribution here which is used with permission. For more info about Dan and his work, be sure to visit his website at danclearyhypnosis.com or send him some email at info@danclearyhypnosis.com

Myths and Misconceptions
about Hypnosis

By Michael Watson, CHt

One of the first things that a therapeutic hypnotist must do in order to establish rapport and trust is to clear up some of these misconceptions. Included here is a list of several false ideas that some clients may hold and which must be addressed.

• It is the power of the hypnotist that causes hypnosis to occur

Many unethical hypnotists like to capitalize on this idea, yet hypnosis is a collaborate process that arises as the natural result of a special communication between two people. The idea that the hypnotist has some mystical “power” that causes hypnosis is disempowering to the client and contrary to the therapeutic process. Some would say that “all hypnosis is self-hypnosis” and that the hypnotist is simply a facilitator of the natural process.

• Some people can be hypnotized and others cannot

Because hypnosis is a naturally occurring phenomena and we all go in and out of trance throughout the day, we know that it can be experienced by anyone. The issue is more a matter of working cooperatively with the client and training them in hypnotic process. If the client is willing to participate in the hypnotic experience, it is not a matter of whether the client can be hypnotized or not, but rather a question of how to best facilitate it.

• You can be hypnotized to do things against your will

This is a commonly held idea that has it’s source in stage shows and other venues that capitalize on the “power” of the hypnotist. It’s worth noting that occasionally a similar issue is raised – “Can someone be hypnotized to do things they wouldn’t normally do?” Of course, the answer to that question is “Yes” when you consider that the purpose of hypnosis is often to do things differently than we have done in the past. However it’s notable that these changes are not against the client’s Hilgard’s (1977) work at Stanford demonstrated a principle known as “The Hidden Observer” which indicates that there is part of the client which monitors the hypnotic process and which will protect them from responding in a manner that violates their ethical and moral standards.

• You could get “stuck” in hypnosis

On rare occasions, a client may not choose to emerge from hypnosis as quickly as the hypnotist request emergence, and as a result this misconception has developed, but the hypnotized client always has the ability to come out of trance. If, for example, the hypnotist simply left the room without completing the process, the client would wait for a while and then just naturally return to waking consciousness.

• Under hypnosis you will always tell the truth and could even reveal personal secrets

You can lie under hypnosis just as easily as in the waking state. In fact, as hypnosis gives you greater access to unconscious resources, you may even be able to tell more creative lies when in trance.

• Highly intelligent people cannot be hypnotized

Studies have indicated that more intelligent individuals can enter hypnosis more easily and can make even better use of their trance experiences.

• You will be unconscious if you are hypnotized

Much therapeutic hypnosis is performed interactively with the client and the conscious attention is often involved. On other occasions, a client may tend to “drift” away from time to time, but always retains the ability to pull the attention back. This misconception is a statement of the fear that clients have of being out of control and as such it is unfounded. Once again, the “hidden observer” is aware and can attend to anything that might arise during the hypnotic session.

• You will be relaxed if you are hypnotized

While in clinical practice relaxation is generally in integral part of the hypnotic experience, it is by no means a requirement of the trance state. Hypnosis has been defined as a state of concentrated, focused attention and can be thought about in the same way as the experience of being “captivated” by a movie or a good book …. If these stories are stimulating (as in an involving action film or a compelling mystery), one might not be relaxed, yet the focused involvement could easily be described as a naturally occurring hypnotic state.

• Hypnosis is therapy

This is a very common misconception. The fact that one is in hypnosis, does not necessarily mean that the trance in therapeutic. Hypnosis is a powerful tool that can be used as an adjunct to therapy. Many hypnotists are capable of facilitating good trances, but with no therapeutic results. When you are doing hypnotherapy, it’s important to remember that after the induction, something of therapeutic value needs top be done. I often encounter lay hypnotists who seek additional training because, as they say, “I know how to perform an induction, but don’t know what to do next.”

• Hypnosis can be used to recall historical events with great accuracy

There is a phenomena in hypnosis referred to as “hypermnesia” which implies an increased capacity to remember things that have happened in the past. While there seems to be an increase in the vividness of the memory, the accuracy of the details are still open to question. There has been great debate, especially in the forensic community about hypnotic memory and it’s use has been banned form legal proceedings in several states. In therapy, however, the information recovered in age regression (revivification) or simply by asking the client to remember an event continues to be useful information as it reflect the client’s understanding of the situation being recalled.

Visit Michael’s  website at www.phoenix-services.org