Hypnosis: A Valid Form of Psychotherapy, or Just a Good Excuse to Act like a Chicken?

Do you suppose those people who get hypnotized into acting like chickens are really acting according to a hypnotic suggestion or do they have just really weak and suggestible psyches? When a person is actually hypnotized-if there really is such a thing-the process involved is technically known as hypnotic induction. The process of hypnotic induction is one in which the therapist requests that that patient-or subject of hypnosis if you will-concentrates on an object that probably won't be a watch slowly swinging back and forth like a pendulum. Very often the object is no more specific than spot on the wall. The therapist then begins to slowly and in a very calming voice make suggestions intended to change the subject's perception. If successful, the subject lapses into a trancelike state.

At this point the subject becomes far more susceptible to hypnotic suggestions. These suggestions can range from believing themselves incapable of lifting their arm to altering their behavior. Such as acting like a chicken, for instance. Theoretically, while in this trancelike state the subject answers only to the therapist. In fact, if all goes well, the subject will be aware of nothing else but the hypnotist even to the point of blocking out anything else that may be going on. Any suggestion made under these conditions can be carried through to even when the subject is no longer under hypnosis. These suggestions are known as posthypnotic suggestions and this is the method many swear by to give up bad habits such as smoking or overeating.

Unfortunately, that doesn't mean everybody who wants to give up smoking or any other bad habit should immediately run to the nearest hypnotist. For one thing, one's susceptibility to being hypnotized varies wildly. It is said that some people can be hypnotized anywhere and anytime while others can never slip into the trance stage. The one recurring similarity among those who are open to hypnosis seems to be a propensity for fantasizing. If you often daydream and have no trouble engaging in elaborate fantasies, you just might be a good candidate for hypnosis.