Almost any disorder is subject to modern psychotherapy. For this, many methods and techniques have been developed. Some of them are still in doubt. However, this does not detract from their effectiveness. These include suggestive therapy. What is it and what are its features, we learn in this article.
About Method
Suggestion (suggestio) in translation means "suggestion." The first attempts at treatment in this way arose at the beginning of the last century in Europe. The essence of suggestive therapy is that the doctor, with the help of certain manipulations and the technician, āputsā certain information into the patientās consciousness. And all this is aimed at healing, that is, getting rid of certain psychological blocks and addictions that can affect the physiology of a person.
Features
The suggestive method is individual. For each patient, the doctor must find a special approach in order for the treatment to have an effect. These can be convincing expressions that focus on a particular type of personality. The content of these beliefs reflects the treatment measures that the therapist should use.
He pronounces the correct phrase clearly and distinctly, while maintaining a quiet, solid and calm tone. Each word carries a program, its meaning is deep and thought out in advance. Only in rare cases can a specialist change his tone and move on to harsh statements. Again, it all depends on the particular case.
Kinds
Suggestive methods are divided into three types. This is hypnosis, persuasion and auto-training. Each of them has its own characteristics or hooks that allow you to effectively act on the patient. We will examine in more detail with each of these types of suggestive effects.
Hypnosis
This species is also called a state of "partial" sleep. The patient enters into a trance with the help of a psychotherapist. This process allows not only to suggest, but also to identify the true causes of various mental disorders of the patient. This technique allows you to penetrate into an unconscious person and put an important message into it in order to get rid of addiction or illness. This is perhaps the most effective method of suggestive psychology.
Hypnosis has been known for over three thousand years. It was used by the priests of Ancient Egypt and the healers of the East, calling it "animal magnetism." Centuries later, he underwent many changes in public understanding and perception. In Russia, scientists Vladimir Bekhterev and Konstantin Platonov made a great contribution to the development of hypnosis in the early 20th century. Among European scientists, the works and experiments of Sigmund Freud, Milton Erickson, Dave Elman are known.
Contraindications to the hypnotic method are epilepsy, hysterical reactions in the form of uncontrollable laughter / crying, convulsive seizures. Psychotherapists also refrain from conducting hypnosis if the patient has a delay in intellectual development, when he is taking psychotropic drugs, or is intoxicated. Pregnancy of women in the first three months and somatic diseases in the acute stage are also included in the list of contraindications for hypnosis.
Conviction
This process is carried out in the waking state of the patient. Perhaps that is why it is considered more complex in degree of influence. The specialist needs to find the right approach, the "impulse points" and properly influence the emotions and consciousness of a person, while bypassing the control of the mind.
Distinguish between open, camouflaged and rational beliefs. The former suggest a direct communication of the psychotherapist that he acts on the patient and wants to make a certain substitution of concepts in his mind. The phrases here are usually built like this: "I will count to three and it will happen ...". However, the human consciousness can not always be caught on such hooks.
Rational beliefs include certain logical concepts and explanations used by a specialist. The standard phrases here sound something like this: "You are forbidden (should not) do this, because ...". This type of suggestion also does not work with all patients.
Suggestive psychotherapy most often uses hidden beliefs. They include three tricks: a sequence of phrases before the agreement, surprise and creative moments, commonplace.
The first technique involves a set of phrases that are pronounced by a psychotherapist with an emphasis on the patientās consent and its manifestation in the form of body responses (relaxation, restoration of even and calm breathing). For example: "You came to me ... sit now in a comfortable chair ... you are relaxed ... you have a problem ... but after our session you will feel much better." The first part of a series of phrases is aimed at the consent of the patient, and the words "you will feel better" is the belief.
Surprise and creative moments are the pure improvisation of a psychotherapist who sees a patient in front of him who needs a special approach.
Banality is a set of phrases that a patient cannot refute. After the next confirmation of the ābanal messageā, the patientās consciousness automatically meets positive conviction. For example: "When a person is comfortable, he is relaxed. Each person solves problems in his own way. Your symptom will disappear after your unconscious understands that you are able to solve problems constructively." Also, this may include proverbs and sayings that are related to the topic of the session.
So, in a number of seemingly ordinary phrases with a confirmation vector, the specialist uses a hook of suggestive influence - beliefs. Contraindications here are the use of psychotropic drugs and emotional arousal.
Autotraining
This technique is also called self-hypnosis or self-hypnosis. Already from the definition it is clear that all work is done by the patient independently, but under the strict supervision of a specialist. In the process of auto-training in the human body, a self-healing mechanism is launched, getting rid of bad habits and the like. At the level of physiology, an increase in the tone of the parasympathetic department of the autonomic nervous system is noted, which helps to neutralize stress reactions.
Autotraining was proposed as a therapeutic method back in the 30s of the last century by the German scientist Johann Schulz. In Russia, this method became widespread only 20 years later.
Autotraining is not just a repetition of the same key phrase. This is a series of exercises that are divided into two steps. The lower one includes autotraining training to restore smooth breathing, a calm heartbeat, expansion of blood vessels, muscle relaxation. Exercises of the highest level consist in invoking mental images of a certain color, shape and size. Then follows the transfer of this subject to a specific object of reality and the formation of abstract concepts (for example, happiness or joy) in the form of these images. During this training, the patient experiences a condition that Johann Schulz called the ācatharsis of hypnosis.ā
Also, auto-training exercises for the purpose of exposure include five categories:
- neutralizing (form indifference in the patient to irritating factors, for example: "pollen, I do not care" - with allergies);
- reinforcing (activate hidden thought processes, for example: "I wake up when I want to use the toilet" - with enuresis);
- paradoxical (they use the effects of "reverse action" of phrase formulas with suggestive function);
- withdrawal-oriented (relieve bad habits and addictions, for example: smoking, alcoholism);
- supporting (considered the softest, stimulate the development of positive personality traits).
Contraindications of auto-training are confused consciousness, delirium, acute somatic attacks, autonomic crises.
Stages of treatment
The course of treatment using suggestive techniques is several days, usually no more than two weeks. One session lasts approximately 45 minutes, however, each patient still needs an individual time period.
Specialists distinguish three stages, or stages, of a standard suggestive effect: euthanasia, suggestion and waking the patient. If everything is more or less clear with the suggestion (and its variants), then we will deal with two stages in the border.
Patient euthanasia
This stage is basic and promotes relaxation, setting the patient up for the upcoming treatment session. There are several suggestive techniques for introducing a person to the desired state of rest or "partial" sleep. Most often this is just monotonous speech with certain hook words. However, the sound of the surf, metronome tapping, buzzing buzzer, fixing the patientās gaze on one shiny object, etc. also have a āsleeping pillā.
Euthanasia in the case of ordinary persuasion or auto-training is not required. As a preparatory part, the psychotherapist simply applies techniques to maximize patient relaxation. This is necessary so that the body is open to accepting suggestions from the doctor and stopping certain psychological and physiological abnormalities.
As for hypnosis, there are three degrees of euthanasia: somnolence (superficial muscle relaxation), hypotaxia (complete muscle relaxation) and somnambulism (deep sleep). During this type of suggestion, the patient hears the therapistās voice and responds to his instructions.
Patient Awakening
Waking up the patient is the final stage in hypnotic suggestive psychotherapy. In the vast majority of cases, this stage passes without complications. The suggestive approach here is that the doctor simply inspires his patient with information that after waking up he will feel sleepy and rested. For processing, the same key phrases, ordinal count, sound effects, etc. are used.
What is being treated?
Suggestive therapy is very effective for the treatment of psychosomatic diseases, which manifest themselves at the psychological and physiological levels. A positive effect of the method was noted for getting rid of headaches of various etiologies, asthma attacks, panic attacks, neurosis and even bronchial asthma. Also, the suggestion technique allows you to cope with allergic reactions and skin ailments.
This treatment should not be imposed. Many patients are skeptical of suggestive therapy. However, this only reduces the effectiveness of the method. Before starting sessions, it is very important for the therapist to conduct a conversation with the patient to explain to him the essence and principles of the operation of the suggestion. The faith of a person and his voluntary desire are prerequisites for such therapy. However, in the fight against drug and alcohol addiction, patients often do not follow the instructions of the therapist or are afraid / unwilling to conduct treatment. In this case, the suggestion therapy will not bring any effect.
Conclusion
At present, suggestive therapy is gaining popularity. It is considered an absolutely safe method of influencing the human psyche. An exception can only be deep hypnosis. Carrying it out is mandatory only under the supervision of an experienced, qualified specialist.
Psychotherapists also recommend that they be used comprehensively for the treatment of serious somatic and psychosomatic diseases, alternating suggestive therapy with medication, meditation and other types of treatment and wellness techniques.