Evoking the Skills and States They Need: Using Imagination, Hypnosis & Metaphor to Increase Resilience

Shelly Lear & Mary Wake With slides by Michael Cammarata

CCNY 2012 – intro to hypnotherapy and a request for more

NOT hypnosis training – you have to find your own workshops or training for that if you want to practice

Understand the ways most of us already do some trance work – guided imagery work;

Context for today’s workshop

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Introductions

Who are we?

Experience with Hypnosis Training Use in therapy

Who are you?

Professional experience with hypnosis or hypnotherapy?

Personal experience with hypnosis or hypnotherapy?

What is hypnosis?

Definitions Myths Everyday examples The phenomenology of

trance Time distortion Suggestibility/openness Common physiological

aspects

“Hypnosis is a procedure during which a health professional or researcher suggests that a client, patient, or subject experience changes in sensations, perceptions, thoughts or behavior.”

APA, Div.30, Society of Psychological Hypnosis

2003 Definition of Hypnosis

People in hypnosis lose control and can be made to say or do whatever the hypnotist wants.

People may not be able to come out of hypnosis.

Hypnosis only affects weak-willed or gullible people.

Hypnosis reliably enhances the accuracy of memory.

Hypnosis enables people to re-experience a past life.

Hypnosis depends primarily on the skill of the hypnotist.

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II. Common Myths about Hypnosis

* From APA Div 30 slides on Hypnosis* From APA Div 30 slides on Hypnosis

NONE OF THESE ARE TRUE

A few practice experiences for fun

Some simple practice

Traditional models of therapy vs. hypnotherapy frame

Old paradigm

“Pathology” oriented Looking for historical

causes – Dx Insight or behavior change

is the cure Cure comes from “peeling

back the onion”

Solution-oriented paradigm

• Resources, resilience oriented - “it’s in there!”

• Focused on solutions not causes

• Doesn’t matter if you understand why it works

• Change comes through creating flexibility and options – • Opening up possibilities

Example

Proprioceptive anxiety symptoms – rapid heart beat

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Both/and (rather than either/or) Creating possibilities (“and maybe you will

decide to feel…”) Dialectics/paradox – “you can be exactly

where you should be and still need to change”

Story telling and metaphor as indirection techniques

  

Trance language:

Hypnotherapy

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The Tx Planning Model - Ericksonian - Bill O’Hanlon

Opposite

Hypnosis is great with the flight/fight/freeze symptoms

We can change the “unchangeable” if we can think of an example

The Autonomic Nervous System

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Autonomic nervous system andphysiological arousal

Sympatheticdivision (arousing)

Pupils dilate

Decreases

Perspires

Increases

Accelerates

Inhibits

Secrete stresshormones

Parasympatheticdivision (calming)

Pupils contract

Increases

Dries

Decreases

Slows

Activates

Decreasessecretion of

stress hormones

EYES

SALIVATION

SKIN

RESPIRATION

HEART

DIGESTION

ADRENALGLANDS

What is going on in your head- Bill O’Hanlon

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When does the problem NOT happen?

What would need to change in his/her attitudes & beliefs for things to improve?

What abilities do you want them to recognize that they have that they may not be aware of?

What is the class of solution for anxiety problems? What are some interventions

we could use?

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• Metaphors?• Stories?• Experiences we

could evoke?• “anchors”? • Real life examples?• Task assignments?• Trance phenomena?

Try one together…

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The Tx Planning Model - Ericksonian - Bill O’Hanlon

Opposite

STEP 1

What is going on in the your head?

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Methods/interventions

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STEP 2

When does the problem NOT happen?

What would need to change in his/her attitudes & beliefs for things to improve?

What abilities do you want them to recognize that they have that they may not be aware of?

What is the class of solution for anxiety problems? What are some interventions

we could use?

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• Metaphors?• Stories?• Experiences we

could evoke?• “anchors”? • Real life examples?• Task assignments?• Trance phenomena?

Group experience with induction and trance – for anxiety or depression

Invitation to trance experience

Pros/Cons of Hypnotherapy

Suggestions to the unconscious mind vs. the conscious mind

Ego-strengthening techniques with people who believe they can’t do something

Giving clients autonomic control they didn’t know they had – e.g., heart rate

Strengthening the belief in “regular” therapy through hypnotic experiments

Relaxation It’s fun for the therapist, too Resistant, defended clients

Contraindications:

Very dissociative clients, or psychotic, those who have trouble with grasp on reality

Very cognitively, intellectually inclined if they aren’t willing to suspend their control a little

Those who are too afraid

Pros:

Questions and discussion