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Hypnosis - An Introduction

Hypnosis has been used - under various names such as mesmerism - for centuries now yet still remains a source of much controversy. There is much debate about not only the power of hypnosis but also of its method of operation, physiological impact and even its reality as a distinct phenomenon!

What Is Hypnosis?

Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness. Hypnosis is simply deep relaxation. Hypnosis is auto-suggestion. Hypnosis is simply a descriptive name for a set of perfectly ordinary physiological and psychological states. Take your pick...

Whatever the mechanism of hypnosis there is no denying that for some people in some circumstances it is very real. It works. Millions of people buy self-hypnosis recordings or visit professional hypnotherapists. Many find the process an effective form of self help.

Theories

The main theories of hypnosis split roughly along the question of "state". Is the hypnotic state a truly distinct state, an altered state of consciousness? Or is it simply a combination of other physiological and psychological effects?

There is an obvious problem of distinguishing between the two situations. If consiousness is viewed as a subjective phenomenon then the term "altered state of consiousness" becomes one of internal assessment. To obtain any external validation it must be measurable. Such measurements can be performed by EEG - however they still dodge the issue of whether or not consciousness and conscious states are purely a result of physical activity (the "explanatory completeness of physiology" question).

Another issue is that of predisposition, learned behaviour and social pressure. Nicholas Spanos summed up this view, saying:

"hypnotic procedures influence behavior indirectly by altering subjects' motivations, expectations and interpretations"

Take the example of a stage hypnosis show. Someone who has bought tickets to such a show and then volunteers to go on stage must know what they are letting themselves in for. It can be argued that this basically pre-selects people who - even if they don't know it - have a desire to be the centre of attention and are thus more likely to comply with the hypnotist's ridiculous suggestions. Note that this does not necessarily mean they are "faking", simply that they desire the process to work and hence it does. If the hypnotist says "quack like a duck" and you do, then the process - whatever it is - has worked on some level.

This view has led some people to assert that "all hypnosis is self-hypnosis". Does that really matter? At the end of the day if it works and helps people then the nature of the mechanism is of interest but not overly important.