Hypnosis

Hypnosis
Nidia Lozada
Oxnard College
October 26th, 2012

Hypnosis
A. Introduction
B. Definition of hypnosis
1. Definition according to American Psychological Association (APA’s) Division of Psychological Hypnosis
2. Definition from other sources
C. Important concepts to understand Hypnosis
1. Hypnotic induction
2. Hypnotic suggestion
I. Types of hypnoticsuggestion
i. Ideomotor suggestions
ii. Challenge suggestions
iii. Cognitive suggestions
3. Post-hypnotic suggestion
D. Important Theories
1. Psychoanalytic approach
2. Neodissociation approach
I. Dissociative state definition
II. Dissociative state and multiple personality
III. The hidden observer
i. Definition
ii. Hypnotic pain reduction
iii.Hypnotic age regression
3. Socio-cognitive approach
4. Transpersonal approach
E. Hypnotic suggestibility
1. Definition
2. Can every person be hypnotized?
3. Chevreul Pendulum
F. Uses of Hypnosis
G. Description of the feelings and experience of hypnosis
I. Feelings
II. Count down, count up
III. Examples of scripts that can induce to hypnosis
H. Hypnosismyths
N. The Society of Psychological Hypnosis, Division 30
O. Conclusion


There are many things that human beings can understand, but many others that are still a mystery. Actually, most of the things human beings do not understand lay right above the people, in one’s head. The brain is a never stopping machine which still bears many unsolved mysteries ready to be discovered. ManyPhysicians, Psychologist, Neurologist and Psychiatrist have studied for more than 100 years a concept that for a long time has been underestimated. Nevertheless, Hypnosis today is considered an exciting process that allows humans to explore the unconscious; furthermore, hypnosis is an open window that offers the new revelations of the amazing powers of the brain.
According to the ExuctiveCommittee of the American Psychological Association (APA)’s Division of Psychological Hypnosis (2005), hypnosis is defined as follows:
“Hypnosis typically involves an introduction to the procedure during which subject is told that suggestions for imaginative experiences will be presented. The hypnotic induction is an extended initial suggestion for using one’s imagination, and may contain furtherelaborations of the introduction. A hypnotic procedure is used to encourage and evaluate responses to suggestions. When using hypnosis, one person (the subject) is guided by another (the hypnotist) to respond to suggestions for changes in subjective experience, alterations in perception, sensation, emotion, thought or behavior” (Green, Barabasz, Barrett, & Montgomery, 2005).
“Hypnosis is aprocedure involving cognitive processes (like imagination) in which a subject is guided by a hypnotist to respond to suggesti” (The Society of Psychological Hypnosis- APA Division 30, 2005, Defining Hypnosis section). Hypnosis is not psychotherapy or a treatment; it is rather a procedure by which therapies and treatments can be facilitated (APA, 2012).
Three phases constitute the process of hypnosis:the hypnotic induction, the hypnotic suggestion, and the post hypnotic induction. The hypnotic induction is the first phase of the hypnosis process in which the subjects are persuaded to relax and to focus their attention in a specific object; consequently, their state of consciousness is altered and hypnotic conducts are adopted (The Society of Psychological Hypnosis- APA Division 30, 2005,Hypnotic Induction section). During the hypnotic suggestion, “the subject is guided to undergo changes in experience”, such as: making a motor movement (ideomotor suggestion), changing the subject’s sensations, perceptions, feelings or thoughts (cognitive suggestion), prohibiting the performance of a particular behavior or action (challenge suggestion) (The Society of Psychological Hypnosis- APA...