Introduction: Why study hypnosis

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Introduction Why study hypnosis?

• A trance behavior that has had no religious link
  to Judeo-Christian tradition for the last 200
  years.
• Trance behavior and subjective experience that
  appear to be out of the ordinary anomalous
  experiences (altered state).
• Anomalous experiences led to the first
  psychotherapeutic system and the investigation of
  suggestion (at the end of the 18th century) ... A
  tradition that we still see in stage hypnosis.

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• Basic process underlying hypnosis-like behaviors
  and experiences suggestion.
• Suggestion historically linked to the work of
  the Devil Sub-icere to strike from under,
• Sub-genere -- to manipulate (still viewed like
  this by the Catholic church).
• Verbal and/or non-verbal communication aiming at
  influencing a persons behavior or experience
  consciously or non-consciously.? e.g.
  Conscious giving advice (not too
  interesting). Non-conscious subliminal
  suggestion or creating a false memory in
  someone without the person knowing it is
  false (or wart removal...).

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The concept of Altered State

• To qualify as an altered state must have
  specific physiological markers (for ex sleep
  EEG patterns different from awake state).
• Natural versus Artificial altered states
• Sleep, somnambulism, meditation, hypnosis, etc
• - vs - Drug-induced.
• If no specific physiological signs can be found,
  THEN
• The concept of altered state is used only in a
  descriptive,
• experiential sense it only means that the
  subject feels
• different from normal day-to-day
  functioning.

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• It has NO explanatory value
• For example if one asks
• - Why is Peter behaving in such a strange way?
• - Because he is hypnotized.
• - How do you know he is hypnotized?
• - Because he is behaving strangely.
• ? It becomes a circular argument that doesnt
  explain anything. One needs to identify specific
  characteristics of each altered state (ex
  physiological or neuro-physiological signs).
• In artificial states one can pinpoint to the
  cause of the behavior (ex alcohol intoxication,
  medication side-effects).

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Origins of Hypnosis

• The word hypnosis Greek origin hypnos
• coined in 1840s by a British physician
  James Braid.
• Hypnos sleep (so it is a incorrect analogy)
• eventhough hypnotized people can look like they
  are asleep.
• The actual origin of hypnosis can be found in a
  movement
• called Animal Magnetism at the end of the 18th
  century
• proposed by Mesmer (come back to it later).
• The idea that beliefs (or the mind) can influence
  the body
• can be found earlier in many primitive healing
  rituals.

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Primitive Healing Rituals

• primitive refers to non-medical treatment and
  does not imply naivety of beliefs.
• All based on the concept of suggestion.
• All nurtured by ones beliefs and expectations.
• Psychological interactions (rituals) leading to
  the
• improvement or cure of an illness.
• Rituals set of regulated behaviors expected to
  bring a
• desired outcome.

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Examples of Primitive Healing Rituals

• Disease Theory
• Disease-Object Intrusion
• Loss of Soul
• Spirit Intrusion
• (Possession)
• Breach of Taboo
• Sorcery

• Therapy
• Extraction of object.
• Find, bring back restore lost soul.
• Mechanical Extraction transference into another
  being. Exorcism.
• Confession Propitiation.
• Counter-magic.

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Disease-Object Intrusion

• Disease is caused by the presence of a harmful
  foreign substance.
• Disease usually removed by Medicine-Man (with his
  mouth).
• This technique is part of a more elaborate ritual
  (involving dances, music and a public audience).
• It can only be successful only IF 3 conditions
  are met
• ? The healer must believe in his own powers.
• ? The patient must have faith in the healers
  power.
• ? There has to be social support from the
  group (for both).
• ?These conditions apply to ALL Primitive Healing
  Rituals

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Loss of Soul

• Can occur spontaneously or by accident (e.g.
  sneezing).
• Is a widespread theory of disease that is based
  on naturalistic observations (i.e sleepwalking,
  fainting, dreaming).
• The soul can be retrieved in different ways
• ? A shaman (medicine-man) that travels to the
  world of the spirits.
• ? Special incantations rituals.
• Key expressions alienation, estrangement,
  loss of something, and such.

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Possession

• The idea that evil spirits have entered the
  patients body and taken possession of it.
• Characteristics of the possessed body
• Physical changes include voice, language,
  behaviors, strength and possible anesthetized
  areas.
• Psychological changes include delusions,
  hallucinations, aggressivity and such.
• Basically, a general loss of identity.

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Possession cond

• There are 2 types of Possession
• ? Artificial Done at will and voluntarily (not
  our focus).
• ? Spontaneous Occurs outside of will or
  control.
• Of the spontaneous types, 3 have been delineated
  
• ? Somnambulistic Involves a possession that
  spurs depersonalization and amnesia.
• ? Lucid Involves an obsession that becomes a
  conscious struggle (i.e. no amnesia).
• ? Circumsessio This one is a result of
  evolution. This became the kind of possession
  that imitated a given natural illness (ancestor
  of psychosomatic and somatoform disorders).

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Possession cond

• 3 ways to rid the body of the possession
• ? Mechanical extraction through the use of
  e.g. Beating, whipping, bleeding, noises and
  smells (viz link with Hysteria).
• ? Transference to another substance, usually
  another animal.
• ? Exorcism release the possessed body through
  ritual chants, prayers and incantations (This is
  an important one a future tool of magnetism).
• Changes in Possession are directly related to
  changes in social and religious values of the
  moment, and also vary from culture to culture.

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Breach of Taboo

• The chain reactions is as follows breach of
  taboo SIN ? guilty feelings ? illness.
• Involves confession (personal, social or
  cultural) and/or propitiation (regaining status
  previously held in environment).
• The resulting illness can take many forms e.g.
  aphasia (loss of voice) resulting from saying
  something forbidden.

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A final word

• The basic goal of any healing ritual is to bring
  a cure
• These can be found in all cultures.
• They all aim at creating a cathartic reaction in
  the patient.
• Catharsis comes from the Greek theater (drama)
  where
• the actors sought to create in the spectator an
  emotional reaction (think here of a book or movie
  that got to you).
• ? Catharsis means purgation whether physical,
  psychological (emotional) and/or spiritual (still
  at the core of many therapeutic interventions
  today).

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Comparison between Primitive Healers,
Psychiatrists and Psychologists
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Synergistic Model of Hypnotic Behavior and
Experience(Laurence, 1991)