To date, Erickson hypnosis is considered the most effective method of treating psychological abnormalities. Practitioners from all over the world use a similar technique to treat fears, depression, post-traumatic syndromes, a variety of addictions, problems with behavior.
Ericksonian hypnosis was first used by renowned scientist Milton Erickson, who used a similar technique to solve his own problems. Receptions of such hypnosis cannot be called artificial, since they are taken from the life of an ordinary person. Convinced of the effectiveness of this method, Erickson began to use it on his patients.
Erickson hypnosis and its benefits
Contrary to the belief of most people, such a hypnosis technique does not at all imply suggestion, only immersion in one’s own consciousness. Doctors using this technique immerse a person in a trance.
In fact, trance is the thing that every person in everyday life encounters time and time. This is a state of deep thought, during which a person ceases to respond to external stimuli, loses track of time and is completely immersed in himself. Quite often this happens while riding a bus or train. Suddenly you cease to notice all third-party sounds, the view from the window and all other passengers. Time begins to run faster and you don’t even notice how you approach your stop. It is this phenomenon that is considered a trance.
Erickson hypnosis and the meaning of trance
Milton Erickson believed that such a technique is suitable for quick training. During the introduction into a trance, the doctor helps the patient remove all restrictions, fears, phobias and experiences associated with accumulated experience and rebuild himself, his own opinion and perception of the environment.
Erickson hypnosis uses the concepts of “conscious” and “unconscious”. The conscious part of a person is responsible for perception, criticism, logical thinking, reaction to events, in a word, he thinks rationally. The left hemisphere of the brain (the right in the left-handed person) is responsible for such processes.
As for the unconscious, all memories and impressions are stored here. The right hemisphere of the human brain is responsible for creative and extrasensory abilities, body memory, music perception, spontaneous actions. This is exactly the part of human consciousness in which literally limitless knowledge and opportunities lie.
When a person plunges into a trance, the activity of the left hemisphere slows down, and the patient plunges into the unconscious, gaining access to resources that he had not previously suspected. It is in this state that most often comes a ready-made solution to problems, inspiration, interesting ideas.
On the other hand, it is in the unconscious part of man that there are sources of his problems, illnesses and fears. It is practically impossible to find them without a trance. This feature is used to treat diseases, not only mental ones, but also to eliminate fears and complexes.
Classical and Erickson hypnosis: what is the difference?
The classical approach to hypnosis involves the complete submission of the patient to the hypnotist. In Erickson’s technique, the doctor is just a guide to the subconscious, he only indicates the way. In addition, Erickson hypnosis leads to the complete release of man.
In traditional hypnosis, the subject is instilled with certain feelings, thoughts or ideas that do not belong to him, and therefore will not be very effective. When introduced into a trance according to Erickson's technique, the patient is not inspired with anything new. The goal here is to free the knowledge, experience, sensations and resources that already exist in the human subconscious, and on their basis to create completely new ideas and discover the sources of problems.