Hypnosis

Authors

Physiological Psychology

Student Research on

Date

Christina Sutt

Nicole Bruce

Joey Babbitt

Hypnosis

11-18-04

History of Hypnosis

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                    Hypnotism is more common then most people think.   It is defined as the state of extreme relaxation and heightened suggestibility .

*The word hypnosis comes from the Greek term "hypnos" meaning sleep.

Group types of Hypnosis started in ancient civilizations. Such examples are

Rituals:

-chanting

-meditation to drum

Early Hypnotists would put people in cataleptic states using eye fixation. Snake charmers for example could perform unusual feats by eliminating pain and the use of eye fixation with the snake. It was once considered witch craft so it was condemned by Christians.

Franz Anton Mesmer

He lived from 1734-1815.

Known as the father of hypnotism or "the wizard from Vienna".

He was a physician from Austria who made famous the word Mesmerism, later known as hypnotism.

He believed that there was a magnetic flow in the body. Working off the idea of "Animal Magnetism"

"If the flow of force was blocked in a person, it could lead to illness, and healing resulted from restoring the proper flow."(25)

Defined as: A fluid mineral that pulsated throughout the person's body. He treated patients with Hysteria by use of magnets. (4)

The French Government later investigated his practices and pronounced him a fraud. The case was dismissed because it wasn't worthy of further research. When asked what it hypnotism was he danced around the question giving no good logic to it.

He published a book on hypnotism in 1779.

Father Gassner 1810 Sibly - Key to Physic

A Catholic Clergyman who believed that ill patients were possessed by devil.

He used Hypnosis to cast the devil out of the body. Saying that when in the trance the patients were dead, having the demons leave. Then restore them.

Marquis de Puysegur

Student of Mesmer.

He defined the three major features of hypnosis:

- Concentration of the senses

-Being open minded

-Not recalling events that happened in trance

Dr. James Esdaile

(1805-1859) He performed over 300 operations using hypnosis as pain control. (26)

Jean Charcot

1825-1893 A neurologist. He legitimized hypnosis, saying it could help some psychological disorders.

Endorsing hypnotism as a treatment of hysteria.

Sigmund Freud was his student.

James Braid

Renamed mesmerizing to hypnotism in 1842.

He was going to change it again to "monoideism" because it's not really sleep but a concentration of the mind.

But by that time it was already well known as hypnosis.

Josef Breuer

1842-1925 Worked with Freud.

He put patients under hypnosis and asked questions about how they felt.

Did not remember process that was undergone.

John Elliotson

In 1846 he established the first journal to deal and talk about hypnotism, called Zoist.

Dr. Ambroise-Auguste Liebeault

Father of modern hypnotism. Concluding that hypnotism is subjective.

Sigmund Freud

Freud started hypnosis in 1887

Freud used hypnosis for a period of time to create his Psychoanalytic Theory, but abandoned it later. It was said that cocaine had ruined his gums so he could not easily use his words to put patients into hypnosis. Freud ended up claiming that all hypnosis was self hypnosis, creating the idea of “free association”.

This badly hurt the reliability of hypnosis.(24)

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Myths

1. Only weak simple minded people can be hypnotized.

2. Hypnotist have complete power over you.

3. If you can hear the hypnotist, you are not hypnotized.

4. You can remain permanently stuck in hypnosis!

Truth:

1. Everyone can be hypnotized in some way.

2. Things that you have strong beliefs in can not be affected by hypnotist.

3. You'll be less aware of your surroundings but still be in contact with hypnotist.

4. No one has ever stayed under hypnosis permanently. But some don't want to come out of state. (6)

How it Works

Hypnosis is not just induced from a man in a black coat with a gold watch. It happens everyday, for example when you day dream in class.

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Hypnosis is a trance state, that is characterized by heightened suggestibility, increased imagination capabilities and relaxation. During hypnosis the subject can only be told to do what they want and still have free will. That means that the hypnotist cannot take over the subjects mind and force them to do something that they don't want them to do. When you are hypnotized you approach the suggestions of the hypnotist as reality. While hypnotized you feel uninhibited and relaxed. This is because you tune out the worries and doubts that inhibit or stress you out.

There are 4 different ways to hypnotize someone:

Fixed Gaze Induction
This is the method of having the subject focus on the object and then having the hypnotist talk to them in a lull tone, relaxing the subject. This doesn't work on a large amount of the population.

Rapid
This method overloads the subject with sudden firm commands. If the commands are forceful enough the subject will submit conscious control over the situation.

Loss of Balance
This is like rocking a baby to sleep. (1)

Progressive Relaxation and Imagery
The hypnotist speaks to the subject in a slow, clear voice and eases the subject into full hypnosis. It is used in multiple ways to combat addictions like alcohol and tobacco or to combat anxiety. This is primarily used in 2 ways.

Clinical: Therapists will use this type of relaxation to induce hypnosis. They will then use the resulting hypnosis to help to solve problems that the patient has. Clinical use of hypnosis is very effective and can be used to combat many different types of problems.
Taped Hypnosis: There are mass produced hypnosis tapes available to supposedly solve many addictions and disorders such as anxiety. This treatment is often ineffective because it is not tailored to the subject and it is very rapid. (1) However, it is very popular for people who either don't have the time or resources to see a therapist.
For example, Glenn Harold sells his hypnosis tapes at www.hypnosistapes.com. He is the UK's most popular hypnosis tape seller and is 7th on their best seller list (12).

Part of his Catalog:
Deep Sleep, Complete Relaxation, Develop Your Self Confidence,

Learn How To Think Positively Stop Smoking Forever

,Lose Weight Now, Build Your Self Esteem,

Create Financial Abundance, Successful Relationships
He also has more than 10 other tapes in his catalog. (12)

Self-Hypnosis: You can also use self hypnosis and hypnotize yourself through Fixed Gaze Induction or Progressive Relaxation. It can be ,ore helpful than using tapes, but it is recommended that you use a therapist if you have access to one. You will usually get better results. (14)

Levels Of Hypnotism:

There are known to be three levels of hypnotism:
1. Light trance-eyelid catalepsy
2. Medium trance- pain control
3. Deep trance- amnesia and or positive/negative hallucinations

There are ways that you can test the effectiveness of hypnosis on a person by doing some tests.
You can tell the patient to close there eyes or a catalepsy test. Tell them that they are heavy and hard to open. To relax the eye lids. Then tell them to look at the top of there head. It should be difficult for them to open there eyes. (8)

Treatment:

It can treat a whole bunch of physical and behavioral problems such as-

*Back pain *Stop smoking

*Pain from burns or cancer *Over eating

*Pain from childbirth *Insomnia

The benefits from Hypnosis are sometimes thought to be better then a "Placebo"*. But not many use it in there practices. But psychiatrists think that psychiatric illnesses should be treated while under normal state.(5)

*Placebo-" The Placebo effect is the measurable observable or felt improvement in health no from a treatment. Sugar pills or starch pills. A fake surgery."

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Anatomy

Research of hypnosis has shown that it has some effect on the Cerebral Cortex. There is a increase in activity in the right hemisphere. And little but some activity in the left hemisphere.(1)

Through an EEG recording there are four types of Awareness.

1. Full Awareness which has shown a Beta range of (14-35Hz)

2. Hypnosis with a Alpha range of (8-13Hz)

3. Dream with a Theta range of ( 4-7Hz)

4. Sleep with a Delta range of ( .5-3Hz)

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Researchers Thompson and Kosslyn Color test

In a study by Stephen Kosslyn and William Thompson at Harvard they found that the brain acts differently when under hypnosis. They conducted a color test were they suggested they see grey.

The people that were not hypnotized only showed activity in the right Hemisphere. Those who were under hypnosis, when asked to see grey had activity in both Hemisphere. They believe that this may be related to how people under hypnosis can reduce pain.(2)

(Color perception was changed by hypnosis in "highly hypnotizable" people as determined by positron emission tomography (PET) scans.)

The Cingulate Gyrus shows more activity with people who are more suggestible

then those who are not. This area is known to be related to attention and emotion.(2)

Some other researchers found activity in the frontal lobe, dealing with motor functions.

Surprising since the people under hypnosis are in a relaxed state of low movement. (3)

Researcher John Gruzelier says that people with high susceptibility of hypnosis

had more brain activity in the left side of the prefrontal cortex while hypnotized.

This is associated with cognitive processing and behavior.

Gruzelier also concludes that certain areas of the brain have to work much harder to do the same cognitive task. (15)

Some research found that:

"Regression analyses between regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and self-ratings confirm the hypothesized involvement of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), the thalamus, and the ponto-mesencephalic brainstem in the production of hypnotic states.

Hypnotic relaxation further involved an increase in occipital rCBF that is consistent with our previous interpretation that hypnotic states are characterized by a decrease in cortical arousal and a reduction in cross-modality suppression

(disinhibition)."(16)

With the use of a PET Scan and a CT scan. We can have a better image of what goes on in the body and the activity in the brain. As seen below: