Autumn is a special time of the year. The leaves are starting to turn a wonderful shade of bronze and the air starts to become a little more bracing during those early morning strolls.
The nights start to draw in. The days become shorter. Things seem to become more atmospheric as we head into the winter months. For me, it’s a time to dust off some book jackets and delve into a spot of Gothic horror.
And who better to turn to than the Stoker who chills? Dark winter nights. A pot of hot tea. The log burner gently spluttering in the background whilst the pages of Dracula are eagerly devoured.
Bram Stoker’s graphic novel was shocking when first published in Victorian times. And much of it is still unsettling today.
Unsurprisingly, he dwells upon a lot of what we would consider to be the ‘hocus pocus’ aspects of Victorian life. Vampires. Werewolves. Ghosts.
The usage of hypnosis for medical purposes began to wane when Blighty turned to anaesthesia in the 1840s. And so the Victorians start to use it for entertainment. It quickly garnered cult like status (literally) and a mysticism grew around its usage.
It’s a mysticism which is reflected within the pages of Dracula which did much to encourage the folklore around the usage of ‘mesmerism.’
Our brave band of heroes set out across foreign lands to track down their quarry in Transylvania. Dracula is well ahead of them. So, to track his journey they turn to trance so they can ‘project’ themselves towards his hiding place.
It’s all entertaining stuff which was eagerly devoured by Victorian audiences. Gothic horror books became known as ‘penny shockers.’ Not the stuff for erudite society but certainly something which could happily entertain – and scare – the chattering classes.
Removing the mysticism surrounding hypnosis
Some of the mysticism (sadly) remains with us today. It means a key role of our work is to remove the abracadabra notions of stage work.
And that neatly brings me to Neuroscience News. Specifically, an article published in July this year. It focuses on a recent paper which set out to dispel a lot of common misconceptions about our work.
It’s worth a read as it touches on a lot of commonly asked questions which we may hear when we undertake the initial consultation.
The team at Binghamton University, State University of New York, concluded that hypnosis has ‘many useful clinical applications, but that myths keep it from being utilized (sic) to its full potential.’
The paper was completed with the help of a team at King’s College. Their findings reflected aspects of what we may explain to a potential client: hypnosis isn’t something whereby someone’s free will is removed from them.
Neuroscience News explained the ‘authors clarify that people retain voluntary control during hypnosis.’ It adds that during hypnosis even ‘the most highly suggestable individuals remain fully cognizant (sic) of their surroundings.’
Perhaps unsurprisingly, their report found rapport is an important factor in the hypnotherapist’s toolbox. They were keen to dispel any idea that hypnosis involved any type of ‘special powers.’
They found that ‘most people are sufficiently hypnotizable (sic) to reap substantial benefits from therapeutic suggestions.’ Their findings are certainly reflective of the results reported by many of our members.
Transforming lives in the therapy room
Think about the wonderful success stories which your clients mention to you when they finish their therapy sessions. Lives are literally transformed in our therapy rooms.
Metaphorical monsters are successfully slain. No more smoking. No more sleepless nights. No more panicky thoughts about presentations to colleagues.
Clients find they’re becoming more organised in their thinking. Business starts to pick up for them. Relationships start to improve.
And it’s not just one or two qualitative pieces of data which support the assertion. Many of you record your results as part of the ongoing CORP programme. We believe it’s the largest study of its kind in the UK.
The data shows consistent, and significant, improvements for clients who come to see us for help in managing, or overcoming, a number of conditions, including stress reduction.
CORP may be comprised of a number of different perimeters to the study carried out in New York – but the findings highlight how important our work can be for our clients and their families.
The team concluded that hypnosis isn’t a ‘special state’ but should be ‘considered a procedure modulating awareness and cognition.’
As we head into darker nights then so we often see people reach out to us for help in adjusting to the changing season. Afterall, the UK has suddenly gone from a 30 degree mini heatwave to a deluge of rain (and cold) in a single week!
Beating modern day monsters doesn’t require the magical touch of Val Helsing but it does require the discipline of thought and the drive to help to drive change forward.
Our work provides change through the use of mirror neurons, alongside our positive approach to help create transformation for our clients as they go on to live the lives that they realistically wanted to live when they first came to see us.
