WHAT IS HYPNOSIS AND “HYPNOTHERAPY?
The word ‘Hypnosis’ was first coined by Dr James Braid in 1841 to describe the state that ensued when his patients became fixated, or deeply concentrated on an object. The word hypnosis was taken from the Greek god named ‘Hypnos’ the god of sleep and dreams. Later Braid would try to rename the science he helped birth because he realised that hypnosis was not really a relative of the sleep state but it was too late and the term passed into public use. He actually preferred the term ‘monoideism’. In 1842 he published “Neurypnology or The Rationale of Nervous Sleep Considered In Relation With Animal Magnetism.” Even though the naturally occurring state represented by the word hypnosis has been around since mankind has had a mind it wasn’t until Braid’s studies of the state that it achieved a form of respectability. Up to this point it was the domain of magicians, priests, magnetisers and charmers, etc. Along with Dr Braid two other medical men took up his work and performed many surgeries
Hypnosis is physical and mental relaxation (to clear away distractions) and a focusing on words, phrases, and ideas that we want to get into our mind. Many of our thoughts are habits, and habits can be changed. It’s an effective way to communicate with the “back of the mind,” the subconscious, or the unconscious, whichever term you prefer, and it is a way of “delivering therapy.” When our words are directed to the very deepest part of our mind, we are going right to the heart of where our problem lives, and where our unused resources lie. Hypnosis is not by itself therapy, it’s an educational or communication process to get all parts of our mind working in the same direction.
