Hypnosis: The induction of a state of consciousness in which a person apparently loses the power of voluntary action and is highly responsive to suggestion or direction. Its use in therapy, typically to recover suppressed memories or to allow modification of behavior by suggestion, has been revived but is still controversial. Origin: late 19th century, from Greek hupnos (sleep)+-osis.(New Oxford American Dictionary)

I returned to college Monday morning, just before my Psych 101 class was to begin. I was 1 of 100 students in a lecture hall with stadium seating. I rushed in and quietly took an aisle seat. My professor stood behind a podium and cleared his throat, “Good morning class.” He looked around the room, “Hypnosis is a subject that is often associated with the strange and occult. It has been celebrated in science fiction, with magicians, mystery novels, and spy stories: everything from The Manchurian Candidate to detective comics.” He paused and continued, “This morning I will use a demonstration to dispel some of the common myths and explore with you, in-depth, the process and implications of hypnosis in the field of psychology. Only 5 to 10 percent of the population are highly susceptible to hypnotic suggestion, 60 – 79 percent are moderately susceptible, and the remaining 25-30 percent are minimally susceptible to hypnosis according to Lynn Pontin, MD (My college experience happened in 1982. I included updated statistics from article published on May 17,2016 and medically reviewed by Scientific Advisory Board.) Lynn Pontin wrote ‘Hypnotism puts you into a state of ‘focused concentration’ during which you’re vaguely aware of your surroundings-you just don’t care about them.’ I would be interested to see the breakdown in this class. Do you think the percentages will be different with a group of university students interested in psychology? Let’s find out.”

He dimmed the lights and in a softer voice said, “Everyone takes a deep breath and gets comfortable in your chair. Close your eyes, relax and focus on the sound of my voice. I am going to start counting backward starting at 50, and with each number, you will feel your body become more relaxed….”

Suddenly, I noticed my arm began to rise, following his exact instruction. Then I was overcome by a strong smell of ammonia merely because of his suggestion. I remember looking around the room, noticing about a third of the class having the same experience. It was so strange that my body was doing exactly what the professor told us to do. Even conscious of my surroundings, I don’t try to stop, even when I want to.

I can’t help but wonder if my tendency to blindly follow what I am told or what I feel is expected, is part of the reason why I have succumbed to the “suggestions” of others without much of a thought. I have always trusted people, have a strong desire to please them, and wonder if that suggestibility also makes me more likely to believe them and more prone to gaslighting. There must be a point where I decided, although my motivation is often unconscious, to allow myself to follow. Sometimes, it I actually feel like my body is acting on its own as my mind watches. A similar feeling to how I felt hypnotized.

Then there are times this vulnerability helps me. As I got older, and the meaning of life and my mortality became more of my focus, I went to a past life regression therapist and was hypnotized. She put me into a hypnotic state and guided my journey by asking me questions. All was recorded. After I was in a hypnotic state she began. “You are a 10-year-old child. Look around and tell me what you see. Look down at your body. What are you wearing? How do you feel?” I will never know if I was recalling one of my past lives or if it was memories created by my subconscious mind using imagination, forgotten information I have stored, and suggestions from the therapist. This is called cryptomnesia. It is believed that “memories created under hypnosis are indistinguishable from actual memories.” (Spanos NP, Burgess CA, Burgess MF, October 1994.) Either way, I did recount, in vivid detail, what came to me. I felt like I was watching a movie that I was staring in. I described my surroundings in vivid detail as well as my feelings. I described myself as a child, as a teenager, as an adult, on the day I died, my death, and what happened after I died.

When I listened to the recording, there did not seem to be anything to suggest the therapist influenced me. Either way, if it was a true memory or something I subconsciously created, I was able to learn about myself. During my regression, I saw myself as an independent woman, who relied only on herself. It was not until the actual day of my death did I have help from someone else and at the moment of my death, I was greeted by an enormous white energy that surrounded me like a warm blanket of pure unconditional love. I felt loved and safe. I felt I understood death more and why working with hospice patients and their families felt like home.

There are many applications that a trained hypnotist can use to help people. Hypnotherapy is one example that I have not tried but I have been told it has helped many. It is used to treat phobias, anxiety, substance abuse, sexual dysfunction, improve sleep, learning disorders, and relationship issues. It can also aide with medical issues such as pain management, digestive disorders, and skin issues to name a few. The hypnotherapist guides the patient in a relaxed, calm trance-like state to focus on the issue presented and make suggestions for the patient to use to help themselves. It is still up to the patient to decide to act on these suggestions.

I have gently touched on various forms of hypnosis. If curious there is much more to read. Have a tranquil week.

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