Does Self-Hypnosis Really Work
Dear Dr. Judy,
Q. Hey, one of my friends sees a psychologist because he has this fear. He told me that in his therapy sessions that he was taught self-hypnosis and now he’s not afraid anymore. I’m afraid of something but I don’t want to tell anybody. Does this self-hypnosis stuff really work?
A. Guess what, self-hypnosis does often work to decrease or eliminate fear, anxiety, or phobias. In brief, self-hypnosis gets people to focus their attention on something else besides what they are afraid of. Believe or not, hypnosis has been around for hundreds of years. Though it might seem a bit scary, all it is really is focused attention. Self-hypnosis teaches you to use your brain in a different way so that it puts your brain in a different frame of mind. Don’t be confused about stage hypnosis when a hypnotist will make people quack like a duck, etc. During self-hypnosis, the person is totally in charge of himself. Even little kids can be trained in relaxation techniques through self-hypnosis. Truly, it’s a relatively simple process.
Therapists teach kids to relax by imagining that they are in a very peaceful place such as at the beach, floating in a hot tub, etc. After they relax, kids are told to imagine that they are very absorbed in a different experience of their choice that provides them with fun such as being on a rafting trip, downhill skiing, on an amusement park ride, etc. In this way, kids “disassociate” from the self-hypnosis procedure. Really, all that is happening is a change of attention. The therapist then can talk to the relaxed patient about their pain, anxiety, fears, etc. and teach them positive coping strategies. This will help them overcome whatever is bothering them by replacing the negative image with a positive one during this relaxation time.
A fun technique during self-hypnosis is to have the relaxed patient imagine what they’re afraid of and place the image on a TV with a loud volume. By slowly turning down the volume, the patient can turn down the fear until the TV is turned off… and so is their fear!
Another interesting way that self-hypnosis is now being used is to help kids decrease the emotional and physical stress of dental and medical procedures or surgery. Just getting kids to focus on something else besides the pain can reduce it and help the kids relax during their treatment. I often teach kids to relax and focus away from their pain by having them imagine their big toe and what it looks like, or what the top of their head might look like, etc.
Now that you have more information, if your friend is willing perhaps you might want to have a more detailed conversation with him. I hope this helps you conquer your fear, too.
Dr. Judy Krings
Judith B. Krings, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
Riverhill Psychological Associates