Hypnosis: The Power of Suggestion
In This Chapter
- A brief history of hypnosis
- Common myths about hypnosis
- Different types of hypnosis sessions
- ASMR and hypnosis: are they one and the same?
When you think about hypnosis, what images come to mind? Do you picture a kitschy nightclub act in which the headlining performer waves a gold pocket watch at an audience volunteer until his head slumps in slumber and is compelled to perform a variety embarrassing stunts for the amusement of the crowd?
If so, you may be surprised to learn that in reality, hypnosis bears little resemblance to its theatrical counterpart. It is not a magic trick or mind control, and contrary to popular belief, the person isn’t even asleep. Hypnosis is a trance-induced state of relaxation in which an individual is highly susceptible to suggestion. This is very similar to ASMR because just as you have to be open to hypnosis for the suggestions to work, you have to be open to the ASMR experience in order for the tingly sensation to occur.
In this chapter, we delve into this fascinating aspect of the human mind. We go over what causes people to go “under,” learn why hypnosis is such a misunderstood methodology, and look into why it is so intrinsically tied to the ASMR experience.
Hypnosis is an organic, if altered, state of selective focus and attention whose roots go back to antiquity but which became more popular in the 1700s through the faith healings of Father Gassner, a Catholic priest from Switzerland. Father Gassner exorcised the “demons” (read: mental illnesses) of his parishioners through elaborate rituals that included soft-spoken Latin and techniques that induced a sleeplike state.
DEFINITION
Hypnosis is the induction of a state of consciousness in which a person apparently loses the power of voluntary action and is highly responsive to suggestion or direction.
Getting “Mesmerized”
Viennese physician Franz Anton Mesmer became enamored with Father Gassner’s work and concluded that the human body must have magnetic poles with magnetic fluid running between them. He decided that an individual’s illness must be the result of an interruption in this flow, which could only be fixed by someone in possession of animal magnetism, an invisible force exerted from animals that could be used to promote healing in the body.
Mesmer replicated the process Father Gassner had been using, and as his fame spread, his practice took on a more theatrical feel. He used strange mechanisms in his rituals. He incorporated music and created a séancelike atmosphere in order to increase his chances of inducing a trance. Those who witnessed his cures were “mesmerized” by the practice and his ability, which led to its first name, Mesmerism. However, the Vienna Medical Council was less than impressed by his work. When they could find no logical reason for his methods, they exposed him as a fraud.
Although Mesmer was the first person to make a connection between the mind and body as a way to improve people’s health, the lack of scientific understanding and Mesmer’s over-the-top productions caused the process to be ignored by the medical community. It was relegated to illusionists and faux spiritualists, who used the technique primarily for entertainment purposes.
Moving Into Medicine
In the 1840s, English physician James Braid began examining Mesmer’s work and concluded that the process was some form of specialized sleep. He coined the term hypnosis after the Greek word hypnos, meaning “sleep.” Later in his research, Braid realized that the practice had nothing to do with sleep and that it was actually a conscious state of selective focus.
After Braid, other scientists continued the study of the hypnotic process in order to assess its use in the clinical setting. French neurologist Jean-Martin Chartcot looked into hypnosis as a potential treatment for hysteria. Josef Breuer and Sigmund Freud also examined the practice from a psychological standpoint to determine whether communication with the subconscious could lend insight to a person’s inner thoughts and desires.
In 1958, the American Medical Association formally recognized hypnosis as a treatment and authorized its use in the medical and dental settings; however, it was not easy for the practice to shake its sideshow reputation and skepticism remained.
In 1974, hypnosis earned even more legitimacy when the American Academy of Hypnoanalysts was formed. All of the founding members were trained under William Bryan, MD, a physician who took Breuer’s work in the field of hypnosis and developed it further. He is credited with turning hypnosis into the modern, highly effective treatment technique it is today.
You Are (Not) Getting Sleepy
In order to understand what hypnosis is, it’s important to understand what it’s not. There is a huge misconception that hypnosis is some form of mind control and despite what you may have seen in the movies, on TV, or even on stage, nothing could be further from the truth. Hypnosis is not something that someone is forced into, and it will not work on the unwilling. It is a consensual state. In order for the process to occur and to have the appropriate results, the individual must give his permission (either verbal or mental) and understand that he is in control at all times.
Secondly, hypnosis is not a state that is achieved only in a therapist’s office. Truth be told, you are in and out of hypnosis several times a day, every day of your life. Because it is a state of mental relaxation, you can be in a state of hypnosis while driving a car, mowing the grass, watching a movie, reading a book, or even listening to a favorite ASMRtist. This is called everyday hypnosis.
There are a number of examples of everyday hypnosis we could relate here, but one of the best may be the example of trying to read a book in a busy store: You walk in and select a book you are interested in and sit down in hopes of reading a few pages to see if it is something you want to buy. You look around and hear the coffee machine spitting out lattes, kids squealing over the latest installment of the hot new series, the overhead sound system blaring an old Elvis tune, someone asking for customer assistance in the mystery section, and nearby patrons rustling their packages and flipping through pages of their own.
Although it seems an impossible task to shut out all of the noise, you open the book and begin to read. Suddenly you no longer hear the kids or the music or even the guy slurping his coffee next to you. You know they are still there and if you turned your attention to them you would see them, but your subconscious mind has turned the volume down and allowed you to enter a hypnotic trance in which you can channel all of your focus on the text in front of you.
DID YOU KNOW?
You can’t get stuck in hypnosis. Although there are some people who do not want to leave their relaxed and comfortable state, it is impossible for someone to remain in a trance forever.
Finally, the biggest misconception of all about hypnosis is that an individual goes to sleep during the hypnotic state and performs some kind of sleep-walking routine. With terms such as going under, this is a natural assumption, but it isn’t true. Hypnosis is a waking state of selective attention and one in which you will hear the hypnotist’s voice and be able to respond to his suggestions. In fact, you may even become more aware that you are in your normal waking state.
Cindy Locher, a board-certified hypnotherapist at the ChangeWorks Hypnosis Center in Apple Valley, MN, says that many of her clients assume they did not undergo the hypnotic process during the session because they could hear her voice the entire time. While on occasion someone will go into a very deep trance, it’s pretty rare. “It rarely happens on a first visit. It’s all new to you and you are trying to decide if you trust this … person—am I comfortable with the experience and I don’t know what is expected of me,” she says. “(I tell them) you will hear my voice. You will be aware. You will have thoughts in your conscious mind … It’s the subconscious mind that I am concerned about.”
Delving Into the Past
Just as in ASMR, there are a number of triggers and cues that help you slip into a hypnotic state. As for what happens when you do, it is not unlike sleep and meditation in which your brain waves decrease from their conscious beta state to waves that are more relaxed and open to suggestion. It is these states that enable you to regress to the days of your impressionable childhood and may offer insight into the ASMR phenomenon as well.
Locher says that individuals do not begin producing beta brain waves until they are between the ages of 10 and 13. Until that time, they are highly impressionable because they operate from the following different brain wave states that do not have the capacity to reject various suggestions:
- Theta brain wave state: From ages 0 to 4, people operate in this state, which is associated with dreaming, meditation, subconscious, and “zoning out.”
- Alpha brain wave state: At the age of 5, people transition into this state, which is associated with hypnosis, daydreaming, and creativity. They remain in this state for about four or five years before they begin producing their beta waves; however, even as adults, people segue back into these alpha phases when they go to sleep and when they have hypnotic moments.
It is during these theta and alpha periods of life in which people also produce heavier levels of oxytocin, which as you learned in Chapter 1 is the hormone that plays a huge role in relaxation, trust, and the bonding process. It is believed that during the hypnotic state, people’s oxytocin levels are stimulated, which enables them to relax and connect with the therapist. It is during this deep moment of trust that they re-engage with the past and open themselves up to suggestibility.
So what does this have to do with ASMR? If you have the ability to reach into that childlike state through hypnosis and slow down your brain waves in order to reprogram your mind of old beliefs and behaviors, it is entirely possible that during an ASMR episode you can do something similar. You can use the memories, experiences, and sounds of the past that you know to be soothing and calming to stimulate your endorphins, causing your brain waves to regress to a phase in which you are more open to suggestion.
The different types of brain waves. Through ASMR, you may be able to get to the theta and alpha brain wave states where you’re calmer and more open to suggestion.
Over the years, hypnosis has been used as a treatment option for a variety of conditions. Not only has hypnotic technique been used to help individuals cope with pain, stress, anxiety, and phobias, but it has also been used to modify behaviors, eliminate mental barriers, treat PTSD, bolster weight loss, and assist with smoking cessation.
DID YOU KNOW?
The success rate for smoking cessation with the help of multiple-session hypnosisis 67 percent effective, as opposed to the “cold turkey” approach, which is only 5 percent effective, and nicotine replacement, which is 15 percent effective. Even a single hypnosis session increased a person’s chances of eliminating the habit to about 25 percent.
Of course, no two clients are the same, and the hypnosis experience is different for every individual. Some people may have a good idea of how hypnosis will affect them and be able to offer their hypnotist some insight that will be helpful, while others may have to seek out a qualified hypnosis professional who will take the time to find out how their brain best processes information. In the end, it’s about the hypnotist tailoring a program to his client’s needs.
A Typical Hypnosis Session
When you arrive for a hypnosis session, you are led into your therapist’s office, where he gets to know you a little better, reviews your goals for hypnosis, and explains what is about to occur. Throughout this entire exchange, your therapist probably speaks in low, gentle tones in order to prepare your brain for what lies ahead. Once you are reasonably comfortable in your surroundings and the therapist obtains your verbal permission to proceed, he begins the hypnosis session.
Hypnosis usually begins with some deep-breathing exercises similar to the ones that are used in meditation techniques. These slow, regulated breaths help relieve surface tension in the body and enable you to be more receptive to the guided meditation that follows. While this varies from practice to practice, it might include a mental body scan to detect any “missed” areas of stress, or it might include some descriptive energy in order to give you a pleasurable state of mind where you can feel safe and secure.
Once you are completely relaxed and in a receptive state, the hypnotist will begin to offer suggestions for how you can achieve your goals regardless of whether you have sought help for losing weight, smoking cessation, phobias, or a better night’s sleep. The hypnotist may also offer you detailed and vivid images of you attaining your goals so you can focus on this idea whenever you feel discouraged. A hypnotist may also offer you a posthypnotic suggestion, which can be activated long after the session is over.
DEFINITION
A posthypnotic suggestion is a suggestion made to a hypnotized person that specifies an action to be performed after returning to a normal state of consciousness, often in response to a trigger or cue. For example, if a hypnotist is helping someone get a more restful sleep, he might say “You will sleep peacefully with pleasant dreams.”
When it is time to return to a normal state of consciousness, the hypnotist brings you out of the trancelike state and you are be able to go about your day, with no interruption to your daily routine.
Self-Hypnosis
It is possible for you to achieve the same level of relaxation without the need for professional assistance by employing a self-hypnosis technique. Self-hypnosis is something that is often used to modify everyday behaviors; change attitudes; or deal with the problems, stress, and anxiety of everyday life.
In order to get the most out of this experience, you are encouraged to set some goals for self-hypnosis and give those goals a high priority on your to-do list. You can write them down, if necessary, being very specific about what you want to accomplish. You then formulate the suggestions you want to use during your session. These should be positive and something that you want to work toward rather than away from (for example, “I will lose 10 pounds,” as opposed to, “I will not gain another ounce”). This involves avoiding weak words such as “try,” as that implies a struggle with no real intention.
One of the most popular and effective self-hypnosis techniques is called the eye fixation. This begins with a deep relaxation exercise, which should be practiced first before the imagery is added. In order for this technique to have the best chance for success, it should be performed in a room where there will not be any distractions and where it is unlikely that you will be disturbed. The following walks you through a sample eye fixation self-hypnosis session:
- Sit in a comfortable chair with your feet on the floor. You may loosen or remove your shoes, but do not cross your legs.
- Tilt your head back, stare at the ceiling, and take a deep breath. Hold it and then exhale, thinking to yourself that you are tired and you want to go to sleep.
- Allow your body to become relaxed and limp like a rag doll.
- Silently count backward from 5 to 0, telling yourself that you are becoming more and more relaxed with each count.
- Stay in this period of relaxation for a few minutes and focus on your breathing.
- When you are ready to return to your normal state, count up from 1 to 5 in an energetic manner.
- Open your eyes.
Typically, as you master this practice, you are encouraged to add your own suggestions during the fifth step. These silent intentions must be made with purpose. They must be simple, realistic, and stated with enthusiasm and in the present tense. If desired, you are also free to add imagery to the practice. For example, if the goal of the session is relaxation, choose a landscape that represents that for you. It can be a beach, a mountain, a quiet forest, or anywhere you can allow yourself to give into the experience. This can enhance the overall experience and add a new dimension to the self-hypnosis process.
Transpersonal Hypnotherapy
Transpersonal hypnotherapy is an offshoot of transpersonal psychology, a branch of science first introduced in the 1960s as a way to integrate the traditional components of the field with the spiritual and transcendent aspects of human life. There are a lot of meditative and psychological aspects to this particular field of study. Transpersonal psychology focuses primarily on expanding your mind and going beyond your body in order to reach an expanded state of consciousness and fulfill your full potential. Although it may sound ethereal, the field has made important contributions to the research community, including new theories on perception, self-identity, and intuition.
In transpersonal psychology, therapists are not seen as experts who give answers to your personal issues. Rather, they serve as a facilitator who assists you in finding your own truth and your own path to fulfillment. One technique they use to do that is transpersonal hypnotherapy, which helps to clear the clutter from the conscious mind so the subconscious mind is more open and receptive to change. Transpersonal hypnotherapy focuses on four approaches in its methodology, including the following:
- Underlying cause: Reviewing the root cause of the issue
- Habit change: Disrupting the pattern so the habit can’t continue
- Personal mastery: Achieving the goals you set for yourself
- Spiritual potential: The most important facet to transpersonal psychology, which helps you wake up to who you really are and is another form of mindfulness or consciousness raising
People react to the hypnosis state in a number of different ways, according to Locher. She says there are those who feel extremely heavy during hypnosis and can’t seem to raise their arms (if only to scratch their nose); there are also those who feel extremely light, as if they are hanging on to a cloud. Some people also experience something known as disassociation. In this phenomenon, the individual loses contact with his hands and feet as if they are not attached to his body.
Another side effect, and the one that occurs most often, is time distortion. Locher says the subconscious mind processes time differently than the conscious mind does, so it’s not unusual for her clients to report that 30 minutes in meditation feels like 10.
TINGLE TIP
The other side effect of hypnosis is amnesia of the actual session, but generally speaking, professional hypnotists do not want their clients to forget their session and often include the suggestion, “You will not forget about this session” in order to ensure that the memory of the event remains.
The Mayo Clinic says there are also some adverse reactions to hypnosis, such as headaches, drowsiness or dizziness, anxiety or distress, and the creation of imprecise memories, but for the most part, these are very rare phenomena and not something the average person should be concerned with.
Is ASMR a Form of Hypnosis?
Because science has yet to determine exactly what is going on during an ASMR experience, it is impossible to know for certain whether ASMR is the little sibling of hypnosis. However, in light of the fact that ASMR is an experience that can be triggered by a variety of cues, can be entered into involuntarily as well as on purpose, probably operates on the same brain wave state as hypnosis or meditation, and may also rely on oxytocin, it is a pretty safe bet that hypnosis and ASMR are at least first cousins.
It is believed by many ASMR experiencers that, like hypnosis and meditation, ASMR is something that can be practiced for more effectiveness. Because most people’s first experience with ASMR happened without awareness, it may take them a while to identify the triggers that cue them into the state. But once they are discovered, they become the go-to “suggestions” that have a powerful impact on the overall relaxation process and open the door for a wide variety of suggestions and impressions in the future.
The format of an ASMR video has a lot of similarities to a hypnosis session, even if the content appears to be very different. Let’s take a basic salon role-play as an example. In a salon role-play, the ASMRtist greets you, asks if you have an appointment, and possibly obtains a small amount of intake information from you. (For example... “What is your name?”, “Are you here for a haircut? Highlights?”, and so on.) The ASMRtist then offers you a general overview of what you can expect from the experience. He may start by telling you he is going to give you a scalp massage in order to help you relax or brush out your hair before washing and cutting it. When you are amenable to the procedure he has planned, the ASMRtist proceeds with the technique.
Up to this point, the methodology is identical. However, this is where the two practices can deviate from one another. In traditional hypnosis, the therapist simply talks you through the imagery and meditation exercises he wants you to focus on, while the ASMRtist complements their words with actual sounds and actions to help your mind re-create a familiar experience and trigger the tingly sensation that (for reasons unknown) causes you to relax faster and more deeply.
Instead of merely imagining the sounds and tools associated with a salon visit, you see and hear them. (If the ASMRtist is particularly good, your brain just might even “feel” them.) In the salon role-play, the ASMRtist may hold up the shampoo bottle and tap on its side. You may also hear the sound of the cap being flipped up, the slap of the water, and the sounds of the suds as the liquid is gently massaged into your hair. While hypnosis invites you to create a calming place where you can relax and rejuvenate, in an ASMR video, you don’t have to do that. You are placed in a setting that your mind already knows and accepts to be relaxing, making it much easier for you to succumb to the experience.
If you would like to try some ASMR hypnosis videos in hopes that they help you relax, here are a few that might help:
- MassageASMR: ASMR Role-Play by Dr. Dimitri Stress Relief Therapy and Hypnotic Session (youtube.com/watch?v=fJ_83deKTSI)
- Heather Feather: Binaural (3D) Hypnosis and Guided Relaxation/Meditation for Self-Worth and Letting Go (ASMR) (youtube.com/watch?v=8nWihEWBRAY)
- adreambeam: Sleep Hypnosis Role-Play ASMR (Soft Spoken) (youtube.com/watch?v=4fkBZY6B1bE)
- MissBunnyWhispers: ASMR Hypnosis Video Mega Request (youtube.com/watch?v=32T4vpx4658)
It is safe to say that a large number of ASMRtists on the internet are not trained in hypnotherapy, and few would immediately equate their work to a traditional hypnosis session. While there has been no evidence of anyone being negatively affected by an ASMR video or any negative side effects as a result of watching ASMR content, there are those in the medical community who see enough of a correlation between the two that it is important to approach ASMR content videos in the same way you might a self-hypnosis session. Some individuals are more prone to suggestion than others, no two ASMR videos are exactly alike, and it is important to screen the content of ASMR videos in order to eliminate any possible concerns before using them as a way to achieve a state of relaxation.
The Least You Need to Know
- Hypnosis is not a magic trick. Because it’s a state of mental relaxation, you can actually be in and out of hypnosis several times a day, every day of your life.
- During hypnosis, the brain waves slow and you regress into alpha and theta brain wave states.
- ASMR episodes can happen during hypnosis sessions because the therapist uses many of the same suggestions that can trigger a more relaxed state for the individual.