Quit Smoking with the Hypnosis – Part 2

Definition of Hypnosis :

“Hypnosis is a mental state (according to "state theory") or imaginative role-enactment (according to "non-state theory").It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary instructions and suggestions. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)”.

To better understand what Hypnosis really is, allow me to start from the historical introduction.

We can trace the “birth” of modern Hypnosis thanks to the Scottish surgeon James Braid around 1841.

In fact, he started to point out a “modern” scientific point of view about Hypnosis in his first book “Neurypnology “ (1843).

In this very first period Hypnosis was considered as a condition of the nervous system in which the attention is shifted from the “normal” natural perception to an abstract one.

This means that instead of responding to an external situation, for example our perception of the rain on the skin or the feeling of contact when someone touches us,the mind is now responding to an abstract object on which we are focusing.

In this state, called hypnotic condition, Braid believed that:”...the powers of the mind are so much engrossed with a single idea or train of thought...to render the individual unconscious of or indifferently conscious to all other ideas...” .

In a few words, focusing with the help of a specific procedure on a particular idea, the subject could “forget” for a while any others, giving the possibility to the hypnotist to intervene more directly on the specific wanted issue.

To reach this “state”, Hypnosis is always preceded by a "hypnotic induction" technique.

Maybe the most common example of it is the: ”Chevreul pendulum”, which inventor (Michel Eugène Chevreul) used to give the appropriate concentration by unconscious muscle movements, in respond of the swinging movement of the pendulum itself.

Years later the same Sigmund Freud, the founder of modern psychoanalysis, start to believe in a therapeutic usage of Hypnotherapy.

This growing number of studies and therapeutic methods and procedures brought, in the first half of the last century, to the first standardized medical procedures.

In fact during the 1950s, Hypnosis was used by early behavior therapists such as Joseph Wolpe and also by early cognitive therapists such as Albert Hellis.

Today, there are numerous applications for hypnosis across multiple fields of interest including medical/psychotherapeutic uses, military uses, self-improvement, and entertainment.

In sports we can talk about the Golf champion Tiger Woods that has used hypnosis to gain an edge over his competition.

And always accordingly with wikipedia:

“Self-hypnosis is popularly used to quit smoking and reduce stress, while stage hypnosis can persuade people to perform unusual public feats.”

In the medical world Hypnosis became Hypnotherapy, utilized by licensed Physicians and Psychiatrists to treat depression, anxiety, eating disorders, sleep disorders, compulsive gaming, and posttraumatic stress, while certified hypnotherapists who are not physicians or psychologists often treat smoking and weight management.

So far one of the most common and useful methods to quit smoking, method recognized from the academic world, is the Self-Hypnosis.

Maybe you are wondering what it is?...

Remember what the “coach” of a sport team does, in a film?

Yes right! That is a very superficial sort of hypnosis, or better the procedure is quite the same.

By the usage of autosuggestion, he tries to get the best from his players by increasing their focus on the object he wants them to.

Good, we are common to do that by ourselves, for example before a examination or a work meeting.

Now, using certified procedures, similar in typology to the autosuggestion ones, but with a more profound and lasting effect, we are able to hypnotize ourself, and doing so get the result we want or need.

Off course it is not that simple to “create” a proper procedure, and like I said speaking of acupuncture, it is of an extraordinary importance to entrust the right specialist.

Luckily, in the Hypnosis and/or Self-Hypnosis fields we can refer to official institutions to be sure to contact the right professional.

An example of that, speaking expressly about the Quitting Smoking issue, could be the job of Matt Godson, a Clinical Hypnotherapist accredited by the American Board of Hypnotherapy, which developed a very successful Self-Hypnosis program.

Once again my advise is to choose wisely the people to whom you are entrusting your health.

But also, DO NOT allow your fear of something you do not know yet, to stop you of getting advantage from the very professional and most advanced work of those that are dedicating their life to find out the best solution to mankind issues.

Please read also: Quit Smoking with the Hypnosis – Part 1 at:

http://jjwindrose.hubpages.com/hub/Quit-Smoking-with-the-Hypnosis-Part-1

To find out more about Quitting Smoking topic please visit:

http://www.quitting-smoking-timeline.com/