MHM Magazine

Issue 5 | 2022 | MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS | 25 MHM New? But hypnosis has been around since Franz Mesmer coined the term “Animal Magnetism” in 1774! In the 1950’s, the Mayo Clinic enlisted the services of stage hypnotist, Dave Elman, to use hypnosis as a complement and sometimes substitute for medical anesthesia which greatly reduced their mortality rates for surgical procedures. So, hardly a new phenomenon, but there is a new understanding around hypnosis that not only debunks the myths and misperceptions of this controversial topic, but also reveals it to be a powerful brain-based psychotherapeutic approach. What exactly is hypnosis? Hypnosis can be defined in three parts: 1. A state of mind, 2. in which there is bypass of the critical faculty, 3. for selective thinking. Let’s unpack these three parts. First, hypnosis is a state of mind, like a mood. It can be entered and exited instantly. Have you ever experienced hypnosis? No? Well, the truth is you actually have, you simply have not been aware that what you’re experiencing is the particular pattern of brainwaves called hypnosis. Hypnosis is actually a naturally occurring pattern of brain waves that we experience spontaneously throughout the day, whether we’re aware of it or not. Our brain induces this pattern because it’s very regulatory for the amygdala, Jeanie Cavé Clinical Psychologist THE “NEW” BRAIN-BASED APPROACH: HYPNOSIS