Barbara Ford-Hammond Have you ever been mesmerized, maybe by music, a film, book or just people watching? The word comes from Franz Anton Mesmer: a cape-wearing showman who, in the late eighteenth century, believed people slipped into an altered state by way of what he called animal magnetism. He had named it animal magnetism and would host huge performances whereby he used iron rods in a wand-like way or had people hold the rods that were attached to huge containers. The whole extravaganza would cause many attendants to convulse or slip into catalepsy. Throughout the demonstration Mesmer would speak in hushed tones delivering suggestions for recovery or release from pain.
James Braid, a nineteenth century Scottish doctor, coined the word ‘hypnosis’ from abbreviating neuro-hypnotism, meaning sleep of the nerves. After he became fascinated by oriental meditation he reasoned that it was the same as a self-induced ‘nervous sleep’; nerves sleeping rather than a state of shock and shutdown. He also saw, first-hand, a demonstration of mesmerism by the French man Charles Lafontaine. Braid recognized that it was possible to induce this state, sometimes called rapture, in oneself without the need to be mesmerized. Braid is known nowadays as the father of modern hypnotism for his work, research and use of suggestion treatments to help his patients. The actual word ‘hypnosis’ is derived from Hypnos the Greek God of sleep who had the ability to bewitch people into ‘sleep with eyes open’, which is what we now refer to as trance. Throughout history there has been a crossover of healing techniques, as the power of dreaming has long been known about. In Ancient Greece and Egypt, for example, sleep temples were built. It was believed that dreams were, and by many still are, the link to our soul, and that problems can be identified and healed through analysis and treatment. As dreams are created and played through subconsciously, hypnotic techniques have been regarded in much the same way with the only difference being wakefulness. During sleep, our mind is free to sort and file the events and happenings of the day or the past, and the slight awareness we have during this time is occupied by dreams. I think this is so we don’t interfere by saying things, such as, ‘Don’t put that thought there’, or ‘I’d rather forget that; please put in the bin’. During trance-work (sometimes referred to as controlled daydreaming, waking sleep or creative visualization) the filing and organizing is done in a more systematic way Psychotherapy has traditionally been a long on-going process, as it was felt that everything should be analyzed and dissected to make sure the reasoning behind behavior or actions was understood. This was believed necessary to facilitate a cure or release. Nowadays, we are schooled in much quicker techniques that might include therapy during trance and rapid change techniques, such as EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) or TFT (Thought Field Therapy). We know that problems can be resolved, in some cases, instantaneously when the time is right. Self-hypnosis and meditation, as stand-alone tools, are widely used by many people for sport, stress management, child-birth, healing and change-work with an ever-growing number of people learning or using various hypnotic techniques as tools for self-improvement or to alleviate issues or difficulties. Hypnotic meditation is something everyone can do, as the trance state is a natural occurrence that we all slip in and out of frequently throughout each day. Can you think of a time when you were in your car and, on arrival at your destination, realized that you had ‘forgotten’ parts of the journey? Have you ever been so completely absorbed in a book or a task that you became unaware of your surroundings? Have you ever totally lost yourself in lovemaking? Think about how easy it is to become so deeply engrossed in your own thoughts that you don’t notice what is happening or if someone is speaking to you. Breathing Count This is lovely and really helps with focus; plus, it will show you how easy it is for your mind to wander. Be comfortable and take a few still breaths. When you are ready, consciously slow your breathing very slightly and begin counting, but only on the outbreath. In, out, one. In, out, two. In, out, three, and so on. If you can get to ten the first time you are doing very well. I know as you read this it seems easy, as surely it’s just counting, but when you actually try it, it is a different matter. Don’t put a number in your head to get to as it is best to work to time or until you reach a natural stop. If you say I’m going to try and reach fifty it might add stress. The first few times I did this exercise I lost count or forgot after three or four, but now I find it much easier and sometimes use the technique to go to sleep. Meditating in this way helps people who are left-brain dominant to relax, because it answers the need to be logical or sequential. When you are ready to awaken, bring yourself gently alert. Barbara Ford-Hammond has been running her own hypnotherapy practice and training school for over twenty years. She works with an international clientele as a therapist, coach and healer and is the publisher of 6th Books. Barbara's desire is to inspire, motivate and share in a fun fluff-free way through writing and teaching. www.barbaraford-hammond.com The Psychic Way is published by 6th Books, ISBN: 978-1-84694-721-6 (Paperback) £11.99 $19.95. |
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