Hypnosis

Jess and Emily!

As seen in __Regeneration:__ On Page 101 Rivers complies and the hypnosis works, Prior remembers what happened when he had his breakdown which helps us understand Priors situation a lot better. This topic helps us understand more about the book in general. It demonstrates the techniques used by River's in order to help his patients, like Prior. This tests River's ability of how good of a doctor he is, as well as Prior's willingness to open up. [] DEFINITION “Hypnosis is a state of inner absorption, concentration and focused attention.” “Practitioners use clinical hypnosis in three main ways. First, they encourage the use of imagination. Mental imagery is very powerful, especially in a focused state of attention.” “A second basic hypnotic method is to present ideas or suggestions to the patient. In a state of concentrated attention, ideas and suggestions that are compatible with what the patient wants seem to have a more powerful impact on the mind.” “Finally, hypnosis may be used for unconscious exploration, to better understand underlying motivations or identify whether past events or experiences are associated with causing a problem.” “The effectiveness of hypnosis appears to lie in the way in which it bypasses the critical observation and interference of the conscious mind, allowing the client's intentions for change to take effect.”
 * //Prior begs Rivers to use hypnosis to recover his memory.//**

MYTHS “People often fear that being hypnotized will make them lose control, surrender their will, and result in their being dominated, but a hypnotic state is not the same thing as gullibility or weakness… Stage acts help create a myth about hypnosis which discourages people from seeking legitimate hypnotherapy.” “In hypnosis, the patient is not under the control of the hypnotist. Hypnosis is not something imposed on people, but something they do for themselves. A hypnotist simply serves as a facilitator to guide them .”

MORE Hypnosis is more helpful when the patient really wants to solve a problem.

[] Take any bright object (I generally use my lancet case) between the thumb and fore and middle fingers of the left hand; hold it from about eight to fifteen inches from the eyes, at such position above the forehead as may be necessary to produce the greatest possible strain upon the eyes and eyelids, and enable the patient to maintain a steady fixed stare at the object.
 * “James Braid's Original Eye-Fixation Hypnotic Induction Method **

The patient must be made to understand that he is to keep the eyes steadily fixed on the object, and the mind riveted on the idea of that one object. It will be observed, that owing to the consensual adjustment of the eyes, the pupils will be at first contracted: they will shortly begin to dilate, and after they have done so to a considerable extent, and have assumed a wavy motion, if the fore and middle fingers of the right hand, extended and a little separated, are carried from the object towards the eyes, most probably the eyelids will close involuntarily, with a vibratory motion. If this is not the case, or the patient allows the eyeballs to move, desire him to begin anew, giving him to understand that he is to allow the eyelids to close when the fingers are again carried towards the eyes, but that the eyeballs must be kept fixed, in the same position, and the mind riveted to the one idea of the object held above the eyes. It will generally be found, that the eyelids close with a vibratory motion, or become spasmodically closed.” “ It has been used as a painkiller,[|[31]] an adjunct to weight loss,[|[32]] a treatment of skin disease,[|[33]] and a way to soothe anxious surgical patients. It has also been used as part of psychological therapy,[|[34]] a method of habit control,[|[35]] a way to relax,[|[36]] and a tool to enhance sports performance.[|[37]]” “A large number of clinical studies show that hypnosis can reduce the pain experienced by people undergoing burn-wound debridement, bone marrow aspirations, and childbirth.” “Nausea and other symptoms related to incurable diseases may also be controlled with hypnosis.” -- such as cancer Also used for weight loss

“Physicians and psychiatrists may use hypnosis to help treat depression, anxiety, eating disorders, sleep disorders, compulsive gaming, and posttraumatic stress disorder.[|[56]][|[57]]”

“The strategies of deception employed in traditional stage hypnosis can be categorized as follows, History of Hypnosis o  James Braid coined the term hypnotism during the mid 1800’s o  This method is seen as a technique used for health. o  Meditation techniques encouraged the idea of hypnosis o  Hypnosis was originated from ancient Egypt, and Greece peoples who would go to sleep temples when they were sick and wanted to be cured by the hypnotic suggestions that were given. o  It was aslso seen as a religious ceremony o  Used mesmeric techniques in order to make the pain go away
 * 1) ** Off-microphone whispers ** . The hypnotist lowers his microphone and whispers secret instructions to the participant on stage, outside of the audience's hearing. These may involve requests to "play along" or fake hypnotic responses.
 * 2) ** Failure to challenge ** . The stage hypnotist pretends to challenge subjects to defy a suggestion, e.g., "You cannot stand up out of your chair because your backside is stuck down with glue." However, no specific cue is given to the participants to begin their effort ("Start trying now!"). This creates the illusion that a specific challenge has been issued and effort made to defy it.
 * 3) ** Fake hypnosis tricks ** . Stage hypnosis literature contains a large repertoire of sleight of hand tricks, of the kind used by professional illusionists. None of these tricks require any hypnosis or suggestion, but depend purely on physical manipulation and audience deception. The most famous example of this type is the "human plank" trick, which involves making a subject's body become rigid (cataleptic) and suspending them horizontally between two chairs, at which point the hypnotist will often stand upon their chest for dramatic effect. This has nothing to do with hypnosis, but simply depends on the fact that when subjects are positioned in the correct way they can support more weight than the audience tend to assume.”