Hypnotic Relaxation[three Different Programmes]

HYPNOTIC RELAXATION

**************************** Hypnotic psychotherapy is the oldest of all psychotherapies. People who even not hear the name of hypnotism may be well versed with the name “hypnotism”. This is because of the visual medias, which presented hypnotic seen. We should say that the concept of hypnotic therapy and hypnotizing are most misunderstood among all other psychotherapies because of the afore said reason; but it is very effective way to remove problems in the subconscious and I would like to mention here what is the effect of hypnotic suggestions. Two cases of hypnotic induction in my clinic and different methods people use under this broad connotation of hypnotism are also mentioned.

What is hypnotism?

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We know that man has given special inherent qualities than all other living beings, which are, intellectual ability, morality and will power. These qualities help man to aim at and to work for the betterment of others, for the betterment of living beings, and for the nature in which we live. To join together for the common welfare, give suggestions for that and act according to a direction for more goodness. In this we have said, give suggestions, wishfully at for the betterment and join together, all these are in a way foundations of hypnotism. Bernheim says”[Bernheim(1957),Suggestive therapies, Westport.] “I define hypnotism as the introduction of a peculiar physical condition which increases the susceptibility to suggestion”. The hypnotic form is again called alternative form of consciousness. This alternate form of consciousness is very similar to sleep. So we call it as hypnotic sleep.

Imagine a small child sleep when she hears her mother singing. In the song of the mother the child get a suggestion to sleep. In the song of the mother the child get a suggestion to sleep. And this suggestion may not be that much effective in the child while she hears other person singing. Imagine a situation while you go to church. There the preacher is delivering a monotonous and dull message. You may start sleeping. Why you are sleeping? You may tell that one may sleep while he is tired. This is not applicable to a person who hears a message in the church. Here the person who sleeps is a passive hearer only. He has no involvement and this makes him feel boring. So he tells himself that you have nothing to do and the message is boring so you sleep. This is self hypnosis. You may have experienced that you have to go to a distant place early in the morning. You will adjust alarm of the clock and sleep, but before you hear the sound of alarm you may rise up. Here in all this we see the effect of self-hypnosis.

In a hypnotic treatment session the therapist and the client enters in to a deep and special kind of relationship. In psychotherapy this kind of relationship is called the therapeutic relationship.

We need sleep and at the time of our sleep our body and mind are relaxed. The rapid eve movement stage [REM sleep] or the dream stage is the time when our mind is being relaxed. At the time of dream feelings in our subconscious moves to the conscious. This is done not as the direct image. Thing is that in that way our emotions are relaxed and that is what happening in the hypnotic relaxation too.

There may be people who suspect that this is against to the Christian faith. The work of Jesus Christ can be divided as, preaching, teaching and healing. Those who came with physical problems to Christ went back healed not only physically but psychologically and spiritually too. Jesus taught, “Everything is possible to those who believe”.



Before going deep into the concept of hypnotism I should narrate one or two examples and this will help you to understand the therapy. Names and situations I tell here are different.



Case1: -

Saji 23 years old was bright in his high school class but he failed in BSC[degree class]. His parents scolded him for the same reason. Once one of his friends ridiculed him and for this they quarreled each other. When his parents’ heard about this they questioned. Saji wanted to have a job, but he couldn’t find. Once his father had a quarrel with his neighbor and this ended in physical aggression. Saji intervened in the fight. So he became guilty of the act that made a change in his behavior. Aggressive nature and sudden retaliation, all gave him a bad name. Slowly he lost his sleep. Once he felt as if his right arm and leg paralyzed. He couldn’t walk or do anything without the help of others. Treatment in different places made no good. Then his parents brought him for a prayer meeting that a minister prays for him. I was there and they requested me to talk to him. We talked and gave him a hypnotic relaxation. As O. Anna patient of J. Bruer and S. Freud said, “this was a talking cure” Saji also got a talking cure from the same conversion hysteria. Even in the first session we got a sign of cure.

Case2: -

Emily 27 years is unmarried and sometimes she feels difference in her body and mind. When this occurs she forgets everything even her name. It happened that a long time back a women who was neighbor of her expired and Emily says in her trance that she is the died person. Amnesia problem makes her forget certain things. Her neighbors told that this is because of evil spirit and this worsens her problem. Her marriage proposals are cancelled. By hypnotism she got above the problems and cured.



We can say that people under go hypnotism can be categorized in to three groups 1. The first group remembers everything that happened in the session. Every suggestion is remembered. 2. The second group does not remember everything but they will say that they heard the therapists talk. 3. The third group may no5t be able to remember what is happened in the session. In my experience some clients express indifference at the first stage and then go in to the sleep. We cannot hypnotize 100% people. To my understanding there are three kind of hypnotic relaxation programme.

1. Mental Relaxation Programme[Mass Relaxation]

In prayer, meditation, or mass hypnotism therapists, religious leaders or experienced persons do this. They give suggestion to one person or a group of people to boost mental energy and or spiritual energy. In different religions people use it in different way.

2. Hypnotic Treatment.

Here a therapist comes to an agreement with a client to help him in his discomfort, adopt techniques of personal hypnotism for the betterment of the client. Mostly this is treatment based.

3. Past Life Regression Therapy.

This is in the style of hypnotic therapy, but most religions do not agree with this practice. In this, a therapist act as a medium and he leads the client to arouse his psychic level to enter into a mind vibration of a person lived long ago. Then the client identifies himself with that person to find answer to his questions of maladjustment. The therapist explains that the maladjustment is because of those person’s vibrations. This is not advisable as far as I understand this therapy. This is based on the “karma” theory of Hinduism.



Hypnotism has immense potentials. So we can use it and develop it, by continuous research. Systematic mass relaxation programme is very good and it can be used by different religions for spiritual and mental awakening.

Article by: Revd.Chacko.P.George.

Email: revchacko@gmail.com