Hypnosis!

Well I had a very interesting experience today with Hypnosis.

I went to a class given by a local Psychiatrist that taught the basics of hypnosis - including myths, theories, notable personalities who contributed to Hypnosis. At the end of the lecture the Psychiatrist facilitated hypnosis for the whole group of people (consisting of 4, including myself) just so that we could get experience feeling what it was like.

Hypnosis became very real for me as soon as I was given a suggestion to go a place where I felt most comfortable. The most comfortable place for me wasn't even really a place, but a feeling. I started to picture myself being propelled all over the place without a care in the world. It was at once stimulating and comforting. Once I got myself into this mindset I was able to dissociate from my surroundings and go into a trance.

The purpose of today's session was not to teach us how to engage in therapy as a person is under hypnosis, but just to stimulate our skills in inducing it.

And induced it I did! I got the chance to induce a trance state in 2 of the participants in today's session. I - and the others who got to try inducing trance states in others - read from a "Hypnosis Scripts" book which provided a number of monologues to use in different stages of hypnosis. Since this trial was only about inducing people into a trance, I only had to select from a small array of induction scripts.

The induction really doesn't involve anything magical. You first need a monologue to use, then a relaxing voice, and some attentiveness to the subjects around you. The scripts are very thematic. They seem to center around making the person(s) comfortable, relaxed, taking them to some serene place, and locating the power in them so that they can use it effectively.

At first I was going too fast (as the Psychiatrist came in for a couple of moments and told me so), so I slowed down and started to get myself into a state of trance preparation. Hovering between a state of alertness, and trance like relaxation, I found that my performance was much better. At the end I fed the suggestion that either person could come out of their trance when they felt like it. One person was able to come out with few difficulties, but the second person didn't seem to be responding. That's when I toughened up just a little and fed her the suggestion that at the count of ten she would wake up, taking with her the feeling of refreshment and relaxation. So, she came out of it and the session was over. :)

It was a really interesting experience and it seems like something that will prove useful for me in my student years and beyond. I hope to learn more about it and get more chances to practice it on other people (in a safe and trusting way!).