Using Hypnotherapy to Cure Psychological Trauma

Medical Video: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Hypnosis Download mp3 by Dr. Steve G. Jones

For people who save major trauma, such as childhood trauma or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the life they live everyday feels full of burdens and "ghosts" that follow each step. Trauma that has been experienced but has not been cured will affect the mindset and pattern of behavior negatively, although sometimes this is not fully realized.

For example, a person who was a child who was a victim of violence during his adult life would grow up to be a very closed person and find it difficult to build positive relationships with others. Another example is a soldier who has faced an intense conflict situation, when returning to his normal life at home will be a person who is always nervous and difficult to hold back anger. This shows that behavioral problems experienced by a person may be a result of the trauma that has been experienced. There are several ways a person can go through trauma to deal with various behavioral problems. One of them is undergoing hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy is a psychotherapy method developed by an Austrian scientist, Franz Anton Mesmer in the 1770s. This method was born from the theory of the subconscious which was popularized by Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung.

Difference between hypnosis and hypnotherapy

Hypnosis is a process carried out to try to calm and clarity of mind so that you can enter the subconscious mind. In the process of hypnosis, you will feel very relaxed and focused. In this situation, you can accept suggestions to achieve the results you want. Hypnosis itself is only a "medium" used in hypnotherapy, which means that these two terms have different meanings. Imagine if you went through a psychological counseling where you shared (sharing) your problem with the psychologist who handles you. Process sharing this is the media used in psychological counseling. So is the analogy with the hypnosis process in hypnotherapy.

Those who study hypnosis can bring someone into their subconscious mind (doing hypnosis), but they may not necessarily be a hypnotherapist. Hypnosis can only make you feel relaxed and focused so that you are more receptive to suggestions such as quitting smoking or reducing anxiety. Meanwhile, in hypnotherapy you will be asked to dig into your past to process the haunting trauma.

Cure trauma with hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapists are responsible for doing hypnosis, looking for the roots of psychological trauma, and neutralizing or changing one's perception of a traumatic event that causes behavioral problems. As an illustration, a client experiences childhood trauma because he witnessed a dispute and divorce from his parents. After growing up, he also became afraid of building relationships with other people so that he always failed in making love. This is because in his subconscious mind, this client is afraid that the divorce that befell his parents will repeat itself to him. He also always uses violence as a solution because that is the only way learned from his parents when solving problems. However, often this childhood trauma is not realized by the client so he just feels frustrated due to failure in love. In addition, this client is also unable to control emotions because he does not realize what causes his anger so easily ignited.

The hypnotherapist who handles this client will do hypnosis so that the client is in a relaxed state and is very focused on his subconscious mind so that whatever happens around him will not interfere. After that, the hypnotherapist will provoke the memory stored deep in the client's subconscious mind to surface. Then a memory full of traumatic and negative emotions will be neutralized through giving suggestions. For example, this client will be given a suggestion to forgive both parents. The client will also be advised to understand that the divorce of his parents is not caused by the client himself. The memory will not disappear from memory, only that the client now has a far more positive perception and feeling towards that memory.

After the client has successfully processed and neutralized the memory, the hypnotherapist will help the client to change the behavior patterns produced by the bad memories. Clients will be advised to open up and trust others. He will also be given suggestions to control his emotions, such as taking a deep breath when anger begins to overflow.

Is the hypnotherapy process dangerous?

Many people believe in the myth popularized by entertainment media that hypnotized people will lose control of themselves. This means that people who hypnotize you can order you to do anything, including giving up property or revealing secrets. This myth is not true. In fact, when you undergo hypnosis, you can still control your mind actively and fully. Hypnotherapists cannot do brainwashing or mind control. In fact, it is you who must instill yourself the suggestions given by the hypnotherapist. The process of hypnosis will facilitate this process. However, if you reject a suggestion from a hypnotherapist, there will be no changes that occur in your subconscious mind.

Hypnotherapy can only be done by professional mental health professionals who have undergone special education to receive a hypnotherapist certificate. Before you start a hypnotherapy session, make sure that your therapist has an official certificate and a supporting scientific background.

READ ALSO: