FAQ
About Ericksonian Hypnosis
“All profoundly human communication is based on hypnosis”
No, there is no “risk” in using hypnosis!
Hypnosis is what is called an “altered state of consciousness”; that is to say that you pass from a state of mind “A” to one “B” state of mind, nothing more. This “state of mind” is similar to the one we can experience when we are absorbed by a film or when we share a discussion that makes us forget the world around. The only difference is that in a hypnosis session, this state is voluntarily induced. The state of hypnosis is neutral and harmless.
In session, the goal is to do something about this special state and to guide the patient in accessing and using their own resources.
It is simply mechanically impossible.
The hypnotic state is a completely natural state: the brain has, since our conception, areas dedicated to the state of hypnosis (also present in some animals). Hypnosis is a natural state of balance between wakefulness and sleep.
Numerous scientific studies show that even a subject who is very sensitive to hypnotic suggestions, left alone, systematically and spontaneously comes out of the trance state after an average of twenty minutes or he can fall peacefully into a natural sleep if he is tired.
No, quite the contrary: when you are in a state of hypnotic trance, you gain control over yourself because this altered state of consciousness allows you to access your inner resources.
And if ever, inadvertently or clumsily, the hypnotherapist pronounces a suggestion that does not suit you, there are “fuse-suggestions” which are posed at the beginning of the session and which allow your unconscious to adjust the words of the therapist so that they are beneficial to you in any case.
As soon as you have experienced it for yourself, you will realize that you retain some control throughout the session. Most of the time, you will remain conscious throughout the experience. It’s about being “aware of being in a trance” and not “aware as usual” and that is reassuring. And if you happen to “leave” frankly, it means that you will have enough confidence in your guide and in yourself to completely let go.
So, whether or not you remain fully conscious in a state of hypnosis, light trance or deeper trance, in all cases, your unconscious mind protects you.
Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness which can be induced during a session but which can also occur naturally (when the entire attention is captured, by a film, for example). From this fact, we can say that everyone is hypnotizable, that is to say that everyone has this ability to enter a state of hypnosis. On the other hand, not everyone enters it in the same way and the depth of the trance is experienced differently from one individual to another.
There are no contraindications as such; in other words, absolutely all patients can benefit from the practice of hypnosis. However, in patients with psychotic profile, there is a “technical” impossibility because active emphasis delirium prevents any connection as well as work from the internal world of the patient.
It has long been thought but studies in neuroscience and EEG (electroencephalogram) show that this is not the case. Hypnosis is considered a paradoxical state of wakefulness, even if the relaxation that can accompany the hypnotic experience may suggest that the hypnotized person has fallen asleep.
It’s been believed for a long time and it’s resulted in incredible scripts for fantasy movies and novels. But things are much more complex because memory does not work like a computer’s hard drive storing data as was believed in the past. Memory is a dynamic process, our memories are reworked, modified almost with each recollection. Thus, hypnosis allows the person to find the representation of an event of his life and not memories as they are.
About the psychological Support
“Change is a door that only opens from within” Tom PETERS
It’s not always easy to know who to contact…
I am a Clinical Psychologist and Master Practitioner in Ericksonian Hypnosis.
What are the differences between Psychologist, Psychiatrist, Psychotherapist and Psychoanalyst?
The psychiatrist is a doctor who specializes in mental health. He can prescribe medication to act on the psychic symptom.
The psychologist followed a 5-year university education at the end of which he obtained a Master’s degree in psychology. The title of psychologist is protected by law.
The psychoanalyst has followed a psychoanalysis of several years as well as training in psychoanalytic theory in a school or association of psychoanalysis. There are several currents: Freudian, Lacanian, Jungian, for the best known. The analysis focuses on the unconscious dimension of the symptom.
The psychotherapist holds an undergraduate degree of higher education, ie 3 years, in the field of health professions: psychology, education sciences, social sciences. He is trained in the basics of psychology and has completed training in psychotherapy.
The titles can be cumulated, for example: “psychiatrist and psychoanalyst”, “psychologist and psychotherapist”, etc.
Reminder: Only a doctor (psychiatrist, general practitioner, etc.) can prescribe medication. A psychologist, a psychoanalyst or a psychotherapist can in no case make medical prescriptions; hence it is necessary to collaborate with the medical profession.
Before starting a psychological follow-up, we always ask ourselves many questions. One of them comes back systematically: How many sessions are necessary for the follow-up to take effect? There is of course no ready-made answer to this question.
Some studies have shown that the most effective therapies last between 12 and 16 45-minutes sessions. This, up to one session per week, represents an average of 3 or 4 months. Even if the duration can also be extended due to the vagaries of life (holidays, illness or holidays that can postpone a session).
However, it is important to remember that the length of follow-up is unique to each person. Everything is not fixed. If after a few sessions, you realize that you feel better, we take stock together and it is not necessarily necessary to go further. The most important thing is to realize that well-being takes time and that you should not give up after a few sessions without results that seem concrete to you.
Therapy is like a roller coaster ride. The sessions bring to life moments of great descent, then waiting and more loops… The therapeutic path is anything but linear and each emotion that seems negative to us is in truth necessary to help us understand and overcome our troubles.
Admittedly, We can often have this feeling in therapy. It can happen that it seems like nothing is happening for a long time and that you dwell on the same topics without making the slightest progress. We can even end up getting tired of thinking about the same subjects without finding a satisfactory solution or really feeling better on a daily basis. The boredom is such that one may begin to want to cancel certain sessions and/or question the usefulness of the therapy. We can also fear boring the psychologist and this fear can interfere with us throughout the sessions.
However, you must know two things: first of all, it is the job of the psychologist to listen to what you have to say, whatever you have to say. Your role is not to distract him. Secondly, in this discourse that seems boring to you, there are in truth essential elements that will allow the psychologist online or in the office to identify patterns and offer you possible answers. Therefore, if you have the feeling that you are not going anywhere, do not hesitate to raise the subject with your therapist who will be able to offer you solutions or help you overcome this feeling.
