Hypnosis as the Natural Condition of Selective Focused Concentration - Essay Example

Topic) Psychology Psychology is the learning of how the human mind works and human behaviour. Wilhelm Wundt towards the end of 1800 created the first laboratory which was dedicated for psychological experiments. This was an official start to the study of psychology and started the trend of psychology as a discipline. Psychology is a source to learn and understand other people. It can improve one’s communication skills and leadership qualities. Psychology investigates into nearly every feature of how the human mind works and how people behave. There are three main headings under which psychologists can be categorized; Applied psychologists, Mental Health psychologists and Research psychologists. (Cherry, 2014)1 What is Hypnosis? Hypnosis is the natural condition of selective focused concentration, it is 100 percent normal however it still is considered to be most mesmerizing phenomena while talking about the human mind. While entering this exceptional state of consciousness one opens the options for curing, exploring one’s own mental state and for changing. (Bechterew, 1906)2 When one enters the soaked up condition of hypnosis, they can use their ideas, talents and knowledge in ways that are not frequently accessible to them. Hypnosis is used to cure pain, depression, anxiety and other psychological and health issues. However hypnosis might not always work for all patients suffering psychological problems. (3Wagstaff, 1997) During hypnosis one’s body reacts physically to notions, if one is thinking about something that might frighten them they will experience a boost in their heart beat or they might start losing breath etc. Likely if one is thinking about something that will make them happy they will feel their muscles relaxing etc. These reactions are automatic, but can be used to improve health. (NCSCH, 2009)4 Is Everyone Hypnotisable to the Same Extent? Possibly the most vital thing to recognize about hypnosis is that not every person will have the same reaction to hypnosis. Numerous research show that every person differs in their receptiveness. Majority people can go through the experience that they might feel their arm is heavier or lighter than normal, a small number of people can feel that their body movement is being stopped by someone and merely a few numbers of people go through a change in how their perception, memory and mind works. (Weitzenhoffer, 1962)5 For those people who can’t be hypnotised to a large extent, being hypnotised is like listening to someone talk softly which helps a person in relaxing. However for those who can be hypnotised to a large extent it feels like they are being compelled. One does not if they have the propensity of being hypnotised, but this is partially genetic and is controlled by specific genes. Hypnosis if frequently linked with variation in the structure of one’s brain. (Veronica, 2013)6 Reasons Why Some People are More Hypnotisable than Others Every Person Has a Different Brain Structure: As mentioned above the brain of people who are hypnotised easily and the brain of those who can’t be hypnotised easily is very different from one another. This was found in a research conducted by the School of Medicine, Stanford University. Data from practical and structural “magnetic resonance imaging” was used in this study. This was used to categorize how the areas of brain that are linked to decision making and concentration are likely to have a smaller amount of activity in those cannot be hypnotised. The research states that 25 percent patients of a psychologist are not hypnotisable. Being hypnotised is like going in to a dream like state in which a person’s centre of attention and attentiveness is extremely high. (Crawford, 1994) 7 Spiegel and his co-workers carried out MRI scans of the brains of 24 different people, 12 were those who were easily hypnotisable and 12 could not be hypnotized. After this they reviewed activities of three different networks in their brains: the default mode network, this network is used by brain when it is inactive; the executive control network, this network is used by the brain to make decisions’ and the salience network which is used by the brain when the brain has to choose between the importance of two things. The results showed that all 24 peoples default network mode of the brain was active; however those who could be hypnotised to a large extent showed that the executive control system and salience network of their brains works together. (Wood, 2012)8 Personality Traits: Numerous research have been conducted to see if a person’s personality effects their response to hypnosis or not, and if it does, to what extent. Hilgard coined the idea that if a person was good at focusing at a specific thing or has a fine imaginary power, that person would be very responsive towards hypnosis. (Davis & Husband, 1931)9 A few school of thoughts think that how a person’s imagination works and how they act in response and take action is a significant feature when it comes to being hypnotised. There are a few general signs that one looks at to judge whether someone is in the state of being hypnotised or not, also their height of responsiveness and their individual behaviour can also tell a person a lot. (Barber, 1956)10 For a person who claims to be short of loud imagination may not go through a deep or powerful state of hypnosis, they might believe that they were not even hypnotised. If a person with low imagination was to be hypnotised by a hypnotist in some mixed up way, number of modern hypnotists do so, using colours and bright lighting to intensify the state of hypnosis then the person who is being hypnotised might not be in a place to bond with that imagination and will believe that they are not being hypnotised at all. (Council, Kirsch & Laurin, 1986)11 Theodore Barber in 2000 stated that those people who highly believed in fantasies can be submerged in their personal world; they will daydream a lot and frequently fantasise. These people will show a great response to hypnosis. (Eason, 2011)12 Suggestibility: Suggestibility in the process of hypnosis is a characteristic of individual difference that reflects the common capability to react to hypnosis and hypnotic suggestions. Research that have been conducted with keeping in mind the harmonized ways of hypnotic suggestibility have clearly shown that there extensive differences under this variable. (Register & John, 1988)13 When pain was tried to be cured through the process of hypnosis and the process was being successful a high amount of suggestibility can be found in this process of hypnosis. However people who were very suggestible demonstrated an incredible response to hypnosis, people with average suggestibility who are fairly accurately one third of the population also have shown a great relief by engaging in the process of hypnosis. There is not enough evidence to prove how efficient hypnosis is in curing pain for those people with low suggestibility. (Milling, 2008)14 Age: Hypnosis done to people in a very young age is very effective as compared to when done to people in old age. It is extremely powerful and the most beneficial type of hypnosis. (Conkle, 2014) 15 Conclusion Hypnosis is one of those phenomena’s that are still extremely fascinating to the human mind. It can alter what one is thinking and take them back to a place where they do not want to be, or something they have forgotten intentionally or unintentionally. Many people’s pain has been cured by this enthralling process of hypnosis. People who do not have sufficient knowledge about the process of hypnosis usually claim that they were not being hypnotised as they could hear every word that was being said. However to what extent one can be hypnotised varies with every person. This seems to be very normal amongst people and no consistent solutions have been established to change how hypnotisable one person is. Some people have it inside them to be hypnotised and some people simply do not. This has nothing to do with how naive an individual is or how easily they can be directed. People who can be easily hypnotised possess the capability to permit uncontrolled alterations to their mind and automatic movements in their bodies. Everyone has a completely way their brain functions, and the way one’s brain functions has a lot of effects on how much a person can by hypnotised. Different networks in one’s brain work together which help the person to go in the state of hypnosis. A person’s personality also affects their response to hypnosis. A person who has a strong will power and does not want to be affected by hypnosis will not be affected. People with a strong and open imagination will response to hypnosis as they will be able to do everything the hypnotist is saying. People who do not want to imagine or do not have a vast imagination; going in to the state of hypnosis will be highly difficult for those people. If a person if listening with high level of concentration and thinking exactly what the hypnotist is saying then that person will respond more to hypnosis as compared to someone whose thoughts are very haphazard. Age also plays an important role in the process of hypnosis. Children will be easily hypnotised as compared to older people as their mind will be more open to new things and accepting what the hypnotist is asking them to think. Thus some people are more hypnotisable than other people. References Adam Eason, Personality, Traits and Hypnotisability. Does Personality Affect Our Response To Hypnosis? Legallaw.com 2011. accessed 14 May 14 Barber, Theodore Xenophon. "A note on “hypnotizability” and personality traits." International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis 4.3 (1956): 109-114. Accessed 14 May 14. Bechterew, W. V. "What is hypnosis?" The Journal of Abnormal Psychology 1.1 (1906): 18. Benson, Herbert, Patricia A. Arns, and John W. Hoffman. "The relaxation response and hypnosis." International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis 29.3 (1981): 259-270. Accessed 14 May 14. Council, James R., Irving Kirsch, and Laurin P. Hafner. "Expectancy versus absorption in the prediction of hypnotic responding." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 50.1 (1986): 182. Accessed 14 May 14. Crawford, Helen J. "Brain dynamics and hypnosis: Attentional and disattentional processes." International journal of clinical and experimental hypnosis 42.3 (1994): 204-232. Accessed 14 May 14. Davis, Lawrence W., and Richard W. Husband. "A study of hypnotic susceptibility in relation to personality traits." The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 26.2 (1931): 175. Accessed 14 May 14. Janice Wood, Not Getting Sleepy? Not Everyone Can Be Hypnotized (Psych Central 2012) accessed 14 May 14 Kendra Cherry, A Quick Overview of Psychology for Beginners (About.com Psychology 2014) accessed 14 May 14 Milling, Leonard S. "Is high hypnotic suggestibility necessary for successful hypnotic pain intervention?." Current pain and headache reports 12.2 (2008): 98-102. Accessed 14 May 14. NCSCH, What is Hypnosis? (North Carolina Society of Clinical Hypnosis 2009) accessed 14 May 14 Register, Patricia A., and John F. Kihlstrom. "Hypnosis and interrogative suggestibility." Personality and Individual Differences 9.3 (1988): 549-558. Accessed 14 May 14. Stephanie C. Conkle, Regression Hypnosis (Clear Life Results Hypnotherapy 2014) accessed 14 May 14 Veronica, Just how hypnotisable are you? (Hypnotherapy with Veronica Brand 2013) accessed 14 May 14 Wagstaff, Graham F. "What is hypnosis?." Interdisciplinary Science Reviews 22.2 (1997): 155-163. Accessed 14 May 14. Weitzenhoffer, Andre M., and Ernest R. Hilgard. Stanford hypnotic susceptibility scale, form C. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press, 1962. Accessed 14 May 14. Read More