DR NAVEED AKHTAR DELVES INTO THE HISTORY OF HYPNOSIS AND EXPLAINS HOW IT CAN HELP US TODAY
THE AUTHOR Dr Naveed Akhtar is a Master NLP Trainer and Clinical Hypnotherapist. He also co-organises The Integrative Health Convention.
Most people’s experience or knowledge of hypnosis comes from movies or magic shows, where the magician is able to ‘instruct’ their subject to do weird and wonderful tasks, making the audience believe that the subject gives all control to the magician. People fear that their mind might be taken over or they may reveal some deep, dark secret.
In actual fact, people in a hypnotic state often seem zoned out but are actually in a state of hyper-awareness, fully in control and able to choose to follow the instructions of the hypnotist or not. People cannot do anything in hypnosis they do not want to do.
Hypnosis has been used as a healing tool for thousands of years. Ancient Sanskrit writings from India and Egyptian papyrus scrolls describe the use of trance to heal people with all sorts of problems, both physical and mental – most of which today would be classed as psychological problems. And in the 1700s, Franz Anton Mesmer would use a magic wand and long flowing robes whilst inducing a trance-like state (which he termed ‘mesmerism’) to treat emotional illness.
History is full of pioneers who have understood the power and benefits of hypnosis in health and healing. In the 1800s, Scottish surgeon James Esdaillea used hypnosis pain relief techniques to successfully operate on hundreds of patients without the need for any anaesthesia, and found that many patients healed more rapidly than the normal recovery time. In the 1800s, French physician Dr Ambroise-Auguste Liebeault treated thousands of patients using trance, who had various conditions ranging from neuropathies to menstrual disorders.
Neurologist Professor Jean-Martin Charcot used hypnotism for the treatment of hysteria and Dr Josef Breuer was the first to use hypnosis to ‘uncover’ past traumatic events. Throughout the American Civil War, hypnosis was used by field doctors to remove pain in those suffering with battle wounds and who needed emergency treatment.
All in the mind
Hypnosis is not a treatment, but rather a mental state that can facilitate a variety of treatment strategies. There are many theories about how and why hypnosis works, but what we do understand about hypnosis is that it taps into the body’s own ability to self-heal, working on an unconscious level.
Hypnosis uses the ability of us all to imagine and concentrate – somet
