Path: cent.gla.ac.uk!8736191m Date: 17 Apr 95 10:42:46 GMT Message-ID: <8736191m.798115366@cent.gla.ac.uk> Newsgroups: alt.hypnosis Subject: Re: Limitations of Self-Hypnosis? References: <98695153wnr@kano.demon.co.uk> In <98695153wnr@kano.demon.co.uk> KL@kano.demon.co.uk (KL Wong) writes: Thanks for posing IMO a very interesting question; Here are my rather subjective opinions:- Comments & feedback would be most welcome. >Surely the deeper one is in trance the more effective a suggestion >would be. >Since there is a limit as to how deep into a trance one can go to in >self-hypnosis (cf hypnosis induced by another when the subject can be so deep in trance >that he loses consious control and/or experiences amnesia with regard >that session), then surely suggestions made during self-hypnosis would be less effective? Yes, I think so [though I'm no expert] - but there are different forms of self-hypnosis, e.g. using a tape you don't need to maintain conscious control. What I do is to use a computer program called 'HELPER'; this performs an induction & then flashes up ten user-defined suggestions repeatedly. I've been able to get into a deep trance using it and the effectiveness of the suggestions has been very marked; [I did have a problem with my eyes closing, but I managed to solve that with a post-hypnotic suggestion that my eyes would clear as I went deeper into trance. I also put in one that makes me go in deeper as I blink [necessary if you're staring at a screen for a while.] >Also, isnt it true it is sometimes better/more effective for the subject not to >remember the contents of the hypnosis session? In self hypnosis, you >can hardly suggest to yourself that once you wake up you will forget >everything that happened during trance! (or can you?) Yes, you can - I sometimes tell my subconscious to remember and work on it's own without my conscious mind's knowledge; I also find that several sessions in succession with the program means that I dont remember the first or second ones even though the effectiveness is still very high from them.[ Using a post-hypnotic suggestion I can get into a deep trance in 5 minutes with it now rather than the original 30 , so three sessions in a row is quite feasible without getting eye strain.] >Further, since in self hypnosis the consious mind is effectively the >hypnotist, isn't it much harder to relax mentally and "let go" when you >have to think about what to suggest to yourself, what imagery to >imagine etc? Yep, but if you've pre-programmed the program not only is this not a problem but you can let go completely since you don't need to worry about a hypnotist having different presuppositions, paradigms & internal representations of the things (s)he's suggesting to you; and since the hypnotist is you, you can address all the real , deep problems you might not be able to verbalise properly [or can't quite put your finger on well enough] to communicate to a therapist sufficiently that they can effectively construct the right suggestions. Of course you need to know how to do this & so the best of both worlds would be for you to know as much as a good hypnotherapist does about how it all works - IMO everyone who learns self-hypnosis should go the full hog & learn hypnotherapy to get the most out of it. >Please comment. OK You asked for it.. :-) >What are the advantages/disadvantages of self hypnosis when compared to >hypnosis by another in general anyway? (Again these are just my opinions )- - It's free [which is important to a lot of people, especially us academics :-) ] - but then you miss out on a therapist's experience which can make all the difference. I suggest to people they get hypnotised properly by a good therapist at first so that they know what hypnosis feels like, and get him or her to implant a post-hypnotic suggestion they can use themselves to make their self-hypnosis more effective. That way you get the best of both worlds. - You have complete freedom to do whatever you need to, as often as you want, and are not limited by the set patterns a therapist has to impose to run his or her business. There are areas which therapists don't go into for ethical reasons but which it's perfectly OK for the individual to use self-hypnosis on, e.g. romantic difficulties ; Also if someone has a set of beliefs which are held to be erroneous generally but which they sincerely believe in, a therapist may not be able to give them the suggestions and benefits of hypnosis they want if they can't see the clients' views and wishes as sensible and acceptable to maintain. The downside of this is that if a therapist refuses to do something, it's usually because it's not a good idea to do it. Knowing what to do if things go wrong & being able to apply wide experience to a clients' problems with hypnosis is worth it's weight in gold. Hence I suggest to people that they have a mix of self-hypnosis and proper guidance from a good therapist. I think the confidence and willingness to comply arising from giving one's own suggestions is very beneficial also & makes self-hypnosis [especially using the computer program] more powerful in the long run than therapy on it's own; I use the program every few days whenever I feel less than amazingly good & every time it gets me back to feeling great. But I don't think it would have been nearly as effective if I hadnt learned hypnotherapy & read a lot of hypnosis & self-hypnosis books to find out exactly what's going on - the knowledge of exactly what I'm doing is crucial IMO to my confidence and willingness to comply with my own suggestions. I'd recommend the following books to anyone interested in self-hypnosis since they give one this confidence & knowledge of what's going on IMO. The Hypnotic World of Paul McKenna, Paul McKenna Hypno-Health, Robert Farrago Autohypnosis, Ronald Shone I also have the 'HELPER' program for the PC - it's shareware & if anyone wants it, let me know & I can mail it.