The earliest application of hypnosis as a therapeutic method was in 1775 by F.A.messmer of Austria. He used magnets as hypnotic tools and explained the mechanism of hypnosis with mysterious animal magnetism theory. Until 184 1, British surgeon james braid made a scientific explanation of hypnosis. It is believed that the therapist caused a passive, sleep-like state. The word "hypnos" (meaning sleep) was borrowed from Greek and changed to "hypnopsis", a term that has been used ever since.
The specific practice of this therapy is as follows:
1. Before treatment, explain the nature of hypnosis to patients, and make clear the purpose and steps of treatment, so as to obtain patients' consent and full cooperation. Secondly, testing the suggestibility of people is the key to the success of hypnotherapy. There are many ways to test suggestibility. Here are four simple ways to tell the patient to test his nervous system before the test:
(1) Test the sensitivity of the sense of smell: Use three test tubes filled with clear water prepared in advance, so that patients can tell which one contains water and which one contains light vinegar or alcohol. If you can't distinguish, you will get 0; If you choose one of the latter two, you get1; If you choose two, you will get 2.
(2) Check the balance function: let the patient stand with his face against the wall, close his eyes lightly and breathe quietly for two minutes. Then the therapist said slowly in a low voice, "Do you feel a little shaky? Are you starting to feel a little wobbly? You should pay attention and try your best to understand your feelings. Is it a little swaying back and forth (or left and right)? " Pause for 30 seconds.
(3) Memory test: Show the patient a color picture of a room with windows, blue curtains and two chairs. Finish the color painting in 30 seconds. Q: ① Are there three or four chairs in the room? What color are the curtains, light green or light yellow? Is there 2 windows or 3 windows in the room? "If the answer is consistent with the question, it is suggestive, and each question gets 1 point; If the answer is consistent with the picture, you will get 0 points, and this survey will get 0 ~ 3 points.
(4) Measurement of visual resolution: Draw two equal circles with a diameter of 4cm and an interval of 8cm on white paper, and write two numbers in the middle (12 and 14 (or 14 ~ 15). Ask the patient to answer which circle is bigger. If you answer the same question, you will get 0 points, and if you answer one of them, you will get 1 point.
Through these four tests, patients can get 0 ~ 8 points. The higher the score, the stronger the suggestion to the patient and the greater the possibility of being hypnotized.
2. During the treatment, the indoor light should be elegant and quiet, and the room temperature should be moderate. Let the patient sit on a comfortable sofa. First, adjust your breathing to make it calm and regular, and then relax your muscles. Therapists generally use direct or indirect methods when hypnotizing nearby. The direct method is to gently touch the head with short, clear and authoritative words or with the authority of the therapist, even if the patient enters a hypnotic state. The indirect method is to use the bright lights on the opposite wall or the monotonous and low "clapping sound" and other "hypnotics". Generally speaking, hypnotherapy uses indirect methods. Let the patient stare at or listen to the hypnotic substance, while the therapist gives oral hints and repeats them in monotonous, low, affirmative and soft words. The patient is getting more and more tired, his eyelids are tight, his eyelids are heavy, and he can't open them ... Then he hints that his upper limbs, lower limbs and whole body muscles are slack, and the patient enters a hypnotic state under the hint of the therapist.
The depth of hypnosis is generally divided into three categories: mild, moderate and deep.
Mild hypnotic state: the patient closes his eyes, his whole body muscles are relaxed, his eyelids are stiff, and his thinking activities are reduced. He can't follow the therapist's suggestion. For example, when he opens his eyes, he can only raise his eyebrows and sometimes have automatic activities. Afterwards, the patient told him that he was not asleep and everything around him was heard. He knew he just couldn't and didn't want to open his eyes, but he only felt heavy and comfortable.
Moderate hypnotic state: the patient's drowsiness deepens, his skin feels dull, his pain threshold increases, and he is obedient. Afterwards, the patient said that he began to fall asleep suddenly, and then woke up and asked him: What did the therapist tell him? What did you do? The patient can only remember the words and actions of the therapist in the early stage of hypnosis.
Deep hypnosis: the patient's feeling is obviously reduced and there is no response to acupuncture. Afterwards, he couldn't remember his words and deeds under hypnosis, but in fact, the patient answered and acted in full accordance with the therapist's instructions, so it was also called sleepwalking.
3. The indications of this therapy are mainly neurosis and some psychosomatic diseases, such as hysterical amnesia, hysterical aphonia or paralysis, phobia, nocturia, chronic asthma, spastic colon, spastic torticollis, stuttering, etc. It is better to eliminate some psychosomatic obstacles and stubborn bad habits. Generally, mild hypnosis is used to eliminate various symptoms. Under hypnosis, give the patient a verbal hint directly to confirm that the related symptoms will disappear after waking up. Hypnotic analysis can be carried out when hypnosis deepens. Patients can easily tell the repressed and forgotten mental trauma, find out the psychological factors that cause it, and also carry out hypnotic anesthesia and smooth surgery. In addition, this therapy can also be used for group hypnosis to treat alcoholism or narcotic addiction.
4. Do it 2-3 times a week at the initial stage of treatment, and then 1 time per week, generally no more than1time. At the end of each treatment, the patient will be prompted by words to continue sleeping, and then go into natural sleep. Either tell the patient to wake up when the count of 10 counts down to 1, or ask the patient to repeat the therapist's count and tell him to wake up when he counts to 5 until he counts to 1. The hypnotic state should not be released too quickly, and the patient should wake up slowly.
According to the statistics of experienced hypnotherapists, about 70 ~ 90% people can enter hypnosis, and only 25% people can achieve deep hypnosis. Under the guidance of experienced therapists, mild hypnosis or arousal suggestion can often get better curative effect. Because the implementation of this therapy is a serious matter, the selection of patients should be strict, and generally must be held by trained psychiatrists or other clinicians and psychologists.