What is Hypnotherapy?

Hello and welcome.  I’m Gavin Bowtell a hypnotherapist in Chigwell, Essex.
My interest in hypnosis goes back as far as childhood pretending to hypnotise an aunt who played along so well I believed I’d actually done it. Hypnosis seemed to me like some mysterious power when I was small, but the adult me hardly thought about it at all until it changed my life. Until then I always thought stage hypnosis was fake.

In this blog post I want to look at some of the questions I’m frequently asked, and see if I can make hypnosis and hypnotherapy a bit more approachable.

What is Hypnosis?

The word has a Greek origin, as so many interesting words do. The Greek root of hypnosis is hypnos (ὑπνος),meaning sleep.   But although hypnosis can look like sleep, it is not sleep. And although the origin is Greek, the word is not ancient.  The phrase “hypnosis” is said to have been coined by James Braid (1795 – 1860). He was a Scottish surgeon and scientist famous for his research with hypnosis.   He thought about hypnotism as a “mono-ideo-dynamic” or as “monoideism”.  To keep this simple we could say that monodiesm is the effect of the mind completely dominated by a single idea so that everything else is disregarded.
In such a state of mind a person might become much more suggestible than in any other ordinary state.

What does this mean in terms we can understand?

Suppose you were in a queue in a bank when a band of masked men walked in? Now imagine that in your horror you find yourself staring at one of the masked robbers so that he approaches you, pointing the barrel of a gun in your face. It is a pretty good bet that you will find yourself focussed on the gun, the trigger, the trigger finger, or the person holding it.  Your mind might be full of fear, wondering if you are about to die.  This single thought would be monoideism.  When you obediently lay face down on the floor after handing over all your valuables – this is suggestion.   Arguably at this point you are in a state of hypnosis.

Similarly, you might have been looking at a magazine and see a photograph of a holiday destination or a car, and in no time at all, your attention has completely drifted. You are “miles away” immersed in thoughts of sun, sea, sand, and sightseeing.   Or maybe you have the “new car smell” in your nostrils, the roar of an engine ringing in your ears, as you imagine the speedo flicker in moments from 0 – 60 mph.  You see yourself relaxed and confident behind the wheel, looking good and feeling great as you expertly handle the car through country lanes, mountain roads, or city streets, whilst others admire your vehicle and motoring skill.
You and I know this familiar, common experience as a day dream.  But that all consuming idea of the holiday or the car is monoideism.  But in this case the photograph has acted as a suggestion that triggers hypnosis, whilst the details of your day dream might actually provide post-hypnotic suggestions which in practical terms means you find yourself seeking out opportunities to save, to plan for that holiday or one like it, or to think about what is involved in making that dream car your conscious reality.

How Does it Work?

So now you know that hypnosis can be described as fixed or sustained concentration on a single idea, but how does it work?  Well, in the therapeutic setting, in hypnotherapy, we often use suggestion.  Though suggestion is only a tiny part of the work we do. That does not mean that suggestion is not powerful – think of advertising!  In America in the 20’s it was felt unbecoming for women to smoke. As time passed and women came to do more of the work men did, especially during war time, so the fight for women’s rights gathered pace.  Smoking as a habit mostly reserved for men became desirable as a sign of equality for women.  Some women called them “torches for freedom”.  This phrase was devised solely with the purpose of making smoking attractive to women.  It was a very powerful suggestion which was given more power by the propagandist Edward Bernays who paid good looking women to march in an Easter parade and to be seen smoking!!  You can read more below about hypnotic suggestion in the treatment or burns. You will be amazed.

Supposing a friend asked you to do something you had never done before, like rock climbing, sky diving, scuba diving or something that seems like fun but really makes you anxious. You would more than like take the “yes, but” line.  “Yes, that sounds fund, but I can’t because……”    No matter how much your fired tries to persuasively argue round your anxiety you simply can’t budge. The ideas don’t get through like the photograph did because your mind’s “firewall” is in place.  We call this “firewall” the conscious critical faculty.  The conscious critical faculty allows into our mind the things we consciously or unconsciously believe or have been taught.  It allows through only what fits through our filter. Sometimes were are not aware of certain believes or lessons learned.  By using hypnosis we distract the conscious critical faculty long enough for an idea of suggestion to make its way into the mind.

If, for some reason, you believed that you were not worthy of a new car or holiday, but you were not consciously aware of this belief, it would be called an unconscious belief. Behaviour that acted in a way without you knowing the cause might be terms “unconscious behaviour”.  Because you have conscious and unconscious thoughts, and conscious and unconscious behaviour we talk about the conscious and the unconscious mind. Some people talk as if these are two opposing forces, whilst others think of the unconscious mind as the “back of the mind” or a different level of awareness.  Unconscious thoughts and behaviours are very difficult to change because you are not aware of them.  And therefore any problem in your life due to an unconscious thought, or belief will be difficult for you to change with conscious thought.

When we by-pass the conscious critical faculty we do so to work with the unconscious mind.  We do this because it brings about change much more rapidly, and can bring unconscious ideas into conscious awareness. Once an unconscious ideas is experienced in the cold light of day, often it ceases to have any effect and become a simple historical relic, often passing altogether out of mind.

Greek Myth
You might have heard of the Greek myth about Orpheus and Eurydice. When Eurydice died she went to Hades – the underworld.  Orpheus was so distraught that he decided to enter the underworld and bring his wife back form death. However. Orpheus faced a great problem.  Hades was guarded by Cerberus – the hound of Hades. Cerberus was fearsome to behold with three heads with eyes that flashed fire, acute hearing,  and a serpent for a tail.  He guarded the gates of the Underworld so that the dead could never leave. But as the saying goes “love conquers all” and Orpheus descended to Hades. Once there Orpheus used his legendary skill in song to lull the monstrous gatekeeper to sleep.  By stealth he entered Hades, and by his sweet voice and moving words caused the King of Hades to have a change of heart allowing Orpheus to take his wife back to the land of the living…..

In this story you might consciously or unconsciously begin to draw associations between the story and my previous explanation of hypnosis. You might have understood Orpheus to be a bit like the hypnotherapist who lulls the conscious critical faculty with words, so that new ideas can go into the mind, or to release old unhelpful ones up into the light of day.

Story telling and metaphor are also ways in which hypnosis is used in therapy, and for two reasons.  First of all in a good story our conscious critical faculty is occupied at one level whilst the therapist gives suggestions to the unconscious mind.  Secondly being told a story can bring about an earlier state of mind. That is it can cause regression to an earlier state of mind. Since problem thoughts and behaviours often began in the past, a hypnotherapist might very well use regression to “take the person” back to the first cause and resolve that issue from the past, so that the problem thoughts and behaviour are resolved in the now.

Hypnosis can be a kind of verbal sleight of hand.   You’ve seen those tricks with a ball and a three cups.  The illusionist seemingly hides the ball under one cup and you have to keep your eyes fixed on it to tell which it is when moving of the cups has stopped.   The fast patter of the illusionists and his artistic flushes prevent you from seeing the balls vanish into the palm of his hand. Similie and metaphor are the tools of a hypnotherapist to help bring about the change the clients wants.

Salt & Vinegar
You might have heard about hypnotherapists helping people with physical problems like hayfever for example, or pain and high blood pressure.  How do they do this?  You’ve heard people talk about mind over matter, or the mind and body, as though they are two separate things. Many hypnotherapists, but not all, believe that the mind and body are the same thing.  What is true however is that the mind is a very powerful thing.

If I were to talk to you about a nice bag of hot chips, sprinkled with salt and splashed with aromatic vinegar, your mouth might very well begin to water. Here you have an example of something you are thinking of (fish and chips) creating a physical response (salivation) and an urge to eat.   If someone talks to you about nits and fleas you might being to itch and scratch, whilst erotic thoughts can also lead to physical arousal and sexual behaviour. Hypnotherapy can therefore by used to create a physiological response.

Hypnotherapy can be used in an amazing healing way.  Dabney Ewin MD is an American Surgeon from New Orleans. His is also Clinical Professor of Surgery & Psychiatry at Tulane University Medical School in New Orleans, Louisiana.
His first case using hypnosis was in 1968 when a man was burned in an alcohol explosion, burning the man’s face and burning off his eyebrows.  In the ordinary course of such a burn he would have taken 6 weeks to heal.   But following hypnosis ½ an hour after the burn.  After just 14 days he returned to work!  In 1978 he was on duty in hospital.  An accident had taken place in a metal factory. A man had slipped and fallen unto his knees into a vat of molten aluminium heated to a temperature of 950 degrees!  Normally such burns would be devastating, requiring multiple surgeries, many months in hospital, and powerful drugs.  With such injuries swelling can require amputation and shock can lead to death. Dr Ewin used hypnosis so that the man felt “cool and comfortable”. The patient left hospital in just 18 days without a single skin graft.

Amazing isn’t it.  And do you remember, who earlier I mentioned that the photograph in magazine could act as a suggestion that triggers hypnosis?  Well, this is also another example of how a hypnotherapists might work. You see, if you find your knees knocking every time you have to give a presentation, sit an exam, chair a board meeting, or go on a date – what you are experiencing is anxiety.  Nor anxiety has a positive purpose.  It plays a part in keeping your alive in fact, but in these few examples it is an unresourceful state of mind.  But what if every time you found yourself in one or other of these situations you felt calm and confident instead?  What if you you simply felt OK? Wouldn’t that be great?  So whereas the photograph was a trigger for a day dream and all the feelings you had then, so a hypnotherapist can take the anxiety trigger and instead turn it into one to brings about feelings of calm instead. This is called a post-hypnotic suggestion. In other words, a suggestion that takes effect in a given situation when you are out and about in your normal conscious life.

Dabney Ewin on Hypnosis and Burns

Why Use Hypnosis?

We have had tiny look at how hypnosis works, but why use it in the first place?
Hypnotherapy is very versatile. Which means that you could visit someone who chooses only to work with helping people to stop smoking with hypnosis.  Or you might choose to visit someone who uses hypnotherapy for anxiety and depressions, who could also help with stopping smoking. Hypnosis is very adaptable and therefore it is possible to find a hypnotherapist who could help you with a specific problem or with a list if issue.

Hypnotherapy can help you will, stress, anxiety, depression, grief, guilt, shame, erectile dysfunction, exam nerves, driving tests, phobias, smoking cessation, pain, hypertension (high blood pressure) , relaxation, confidence, self-esteem, procrastination, premature ejaculation, teeth grinding, insomnia, nail biting, fears, vaginismus, weight loss, relationship problems and more.

For many of the problems above there are a variety of solutions. For example, with a fear, phobia, or social anxiety people often avoid the people, places, thing or activity that triggers the feelings.  For erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation there are pill and sprays. For weight loss and high blood pressure there are tablets, exercise and diets. There are also many other approaches like CBT, DBT, Counselling, etc.

Hypnotherapy is not to be used instead of conventional medication.  But there are many people who do not want to have unpleasant side effects or who do not like taking drug, who prefer natal more holistic approaches to well-being who will choose hypnotherapy.   There are many who have tried the drugs for anxiety and depression but without complete satisfaction and who need more time than their GP can give them to think things through  – these might choose hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy is relatively free of side effects. By comparison to many other approaches it can bring about positive change in a relatively short space of time.  For example the author Ed McBain saw a psychiatrist three times per week for 9 years and then decided that is wasn’t working for him!  It would be extremely rare for a hypnotherapist to see a client that frequently and for that length go time.
Hypnotherapy is often deeply relaxing for a client and therefore represents time out from many of the stresses and strains of daily living that allows a new and clearer perspective to be found. And since many hypnotherapists are trained in a variety of techniques and ways of working you are likely to be able to find someone that you want to work with to achieve goals or overcome difficulties or blocks.  I often work with something called WSN of Warriors, Settler and Nomads which many of my clients find immense fun and incredibly interesting and useful.

Avoidance and pill-popping are not an investment.  They do not enrich your life.
Hypnotherapy is an investment in yourself and your wellbeing. It can help you become a more relaxed and resourceful person.  It can enhance your understanding of who you are, and how your personality works.  It can help you develop a greater understanding and skill with other people. Hypnotherapy can help you take control of your life and live with the symptoms of illness with greater ease.  Hypnotherapy can help you to uncover and resolve the emotional and psychological driver for bad habits and unresourceful behaviours. Hypnotherapy can help you reclaim your birthright – those natural resources that enhance life.

Hypnotherapy can help you be the best you that you can be.

To find out more about how hypnotherapy could help you email me: hello@essexmindcoach.co.uk.

Gavin Bowtell is a registered hypnotherapist in Chigwell, East London.   Hypnotherapy appointments are available face to face, and sometimes via Skype.  Gavin’s Essex Hypnotherapy practice is within easy reach of Hainault, Grange Hill, Loughton, Buckhurst Hill and Epping.
Many clients come for hypnotherapy from Enfield, Hertfordshire, Kent and further afield – Scottland the USA and even Brazil!

Gavin is registered with the Central Register of Stop Smoking Therapists as an Accredited Practitioner of Stop Smoking Methods. 

As a professional hypnotherapist dedicated to obtaining the change you want and need, Gavin also makes use of other tried and tested techniques.   Besides hypnotherapy Gavin also uses NLP, EFT and WSN Counselling & Coaching.
Gavin is a certified practitioner of OldPain2Go and Slim via Hypnosis, an IEMT Practitioner, and an advanced practitioner of BWRT® – BrainWorking Recursive Therapy.