Hypnosis as a Therapy

Hypnosis is one of the oldest forms of therapy in the world and one of the least understood.  Though it has always been linked with the mystic arts and magic’s or vaudeville performers, it is by truth a form of self hypnosis.  No one can be hypnotized against their own will.

There are different forms of hypnosis which combine relaxation with imagery.  There are people who may go into a trance which is like a daydream or deep meditation and is actually self hypnosis, a state of intense concentration.  The object is to focus the mind and rid yourself of distractions and become open to suggestions which may help in isolating the problems being treated for such as for Mental Illness and various other physical ailments.

http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/hypnosis-as-mental-health-therapy-1

In the late 1950’s the American Medical Association approved hypnosis as a form of therapy and the American Psychiatric Association approved hypnosis as a therapy in the early 1960’s.  Hypnosis can be used to alleviate the pain in chronic headaches and migraine headaches as well.

For Mental illness such as Depression, Schizophrenia, Smoking and Over Eating, hypnosis was not conclusive in the healing process and there was a fear that psychosis could be induced especially in schizophrenic clients.  The cost of seeing a hypnotist is unsure to me though in order to find a qualified hypnotist, you first have to find a licensed hypnotist.  You can search through the offices of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis which is one of two recognized organizations for licensed hypnotist in this country.  There are several kinds of hypnosis which was first coined as “suggestion” and has since been known as hypnotic induction.  There are different forms of “suggestion” in our society which include, direct verbal suggestion, voice intonality and physical manipulation.  Hypnosis or suggestion is seen as a form of communicating with a subject’s conscious mind, though some people think this is a way to communicate with the unconscious or subconscious mind.  These are concepts which were brought about by Sigmund Freud and others during the 19^th century.  There is a cognitive behavioral approach to hypnosis in that cognitive behaviorism overlap and hypnosis influence one another as they share similar concepts and terminology. 

Written by Donald S

Cognitive Therapy

What they are trying to find out in this study is whether or not cognitive therapy reduces the severity of psychotic experiences in adults who may develop schizophrenia. “…set out to determine whether cognitive therapy, combined with monitoring, is effective in preventing the development and worsening of psychotic symptoms which can lead to schizophrenia, in young adults who were actively seeking help and were considered a high risk of developing schizophrenia and similar serious mental disorders.” It would be great if it will work to lessen the severity of a psychosis. Also get help sooner the way they say you have even a greater chance for recovery.
The article says: “The 288 young people in the trial were between the ages of 14 and 35 and came from across the UK:… 114 were assigned at random to cognitive therapy and 144 to monitoring of mental state alone and were followed up for two years. Those in the cognitive therapy group had up to 26 weekly sessions over six months and all patients had access to a GP throughout the trial if they required.” That seems like a good break down of a study. They gave them access to a doctor if they needed.
It also may help people not develop psychosis. “Overall, fewer of the young people developed psychosis than expected over the next year (23/288, 8%), with no statistically significant difference between the two groups. Results show that although cognitive therapy is not effective in preventing the development of first episode psychosis for those few that transition, it does significantly reduce the severity, frequency and intensity of psychotic symptoms in this help-seeking population.” Well it does not help stop you from getting a mental illness. Although it does help the severity of the mental illness and that is also good news.

An Option of Circles

A circle is a circle. We live with such movements, though in lines from one point to another. No one is quite sure when their circle will end or begin, if they are making their debut into the world or into society. People, who face disorders of the Mental Health type, even of the physical health kind, one possibly leading to the other; often disdain from seeking the order of circles, lines and squares to alleviate any problems which may have arisen. There is no sense in such an existence, it’s all spontaneous, from tears, to laughter; even anger.
It’s when this all stops or never ends that many are classified as Mentally disabled; seeking the answer to any particular problem or even acceptance of one’s physical maladies.
I have days when I don’t want to be anywhere amongst the crowd even though the world is complacent. I would rather sleep and wake up knowing today is not spinning in a circle like yesterday, or hasn’t carried onto another day. I take medication especially for days like these and call a few friends for reassurance and advice, and then I walk a few more feet. The people I talk to are my strength when I am depleted, when my mind should care to sleep. Talking to my clinician is assuring, knowing I can trust him with the details when I begin to feel “under the hammer”.
Recovery is part of these dimensions, relying upon our own ability to see through the haze which will not let you believe you are free. Using certain tools you can weld to reconstruct and surpass the lines and circles you cannot measure such as, Cognitive Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. The logic is real in its simplicity it’s just a matter of believing.
Written by Donald Sammons