Hypnosis is generally understood to be a psychological procedure by which an individual may be induced into exhibiting apparent changes in behaviour or thought patterns - in particular an increase in suggestibility and subjective feelings of relaxation. Methods that have been referred to as hypnosis have been practiced for thousands of years and the cause and nature of the hypnotic effect continues to be part of a scientific controversy. There is evidence that healing trances were used in the healing temples of Ancient India. Ancient Egyptian scrolls tell of the use of sleeping temples and the use of hypnotic inductions for healing. Throughout history, hypnosis has periodically been in favor with health professionals and has fallen out of favor as many times.
One of the problems that creates controversy is the wide variety of theories on hypnosis. The definitions of hypnosis are as varied as the definers. Dr. William S. Kroger states:
"Like the nature of human behavior, there will be different theories about hypnosis since all hypnotic phenomena have their counterpart in the various aspects of human behavior." (1977)
The applications of hypnosis vary widely. Currently, two distinct applications of hypnosis include its use in entertainment and in health applications. The popular perception of the hypnotic experience is that of the entertainment version. The stage hypnotist uses a variety of methods to relax and focus the subjects eventually making it appear to the audience that the subject is asleep or, popularly termed, in trance. During the performance, the subjects seem to obey the commands of the hypnotist to engage in behaviors they might not normally choose to perform.
On the other hand, hypnosis applications in the medical and health-related fields are often experienced very differently. Clinical hypnosis has been used in attempts to increase the ability to recall memories, assist with dieting, smoking cessation, pain reduction or elimination, eliminating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as well as resolving mental disorders such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression. |
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