When you think of hypnosis, do you imagine someone swinging a pocket watch and saying, "You are getting very sleepy"? Many people do, thanks to TV and movies. This has given hypnosis - and more specifically, hypnotherapy - a bad reputation, making it seem like mind control or magic. However, hypnotherapy is actually a powerful tool for improving mental health and overall well-being.
Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman has shed light on the true nature of hypnosis, showing that it's not about losing control but rather gaining it. Hypnosis helps you focus deeply, relax, and become more self-aware. This unique state allows your brain to change and adapt, which can help with stress management, better sleep, and enhanced focus.
Huberman explains that hypnosis is like watching a captivating movie where you get so absorbed that you forget everything else around you. In this state, your brain can learn and relax at the same time, making it an effective method for personal growth and mental health improvement. So, let's dive in and discover how hypnosis works, how it affects the brain, and how you can use self-hypnosis to improve your life.
Demystifying Hypnosis: A Deep Dive into Andrew Huberman's Insights
Hypnosis has long been misunderstood and misrepresented as some form of mind control or magic. However, neuroscientist Andrew Huberman demystifies hypnosis and explains how it can be a powerful tool for managing stress, enhancing focus, and even reshaping the brain. Let's explore Huberman’s insights into the true nature of hypnosis, how it impacts the brain, and practical recommendations on how to use hypnosis to improve sleep, productivity, and mental health.
Understanding Hypnosis
Andrew Huberman and psychiatrist David Spiegel describe hypnosis as a state of highly focused attention. Imagine looking through a camera's telephoto lens: what you see is in great detail, but devoid of context. It's like getting so absorbed in a good movie that you forget you're watching a film and become part of the story. During hypnosis, your physical reactions become part of the experience you're engaged with, creating a unique state that combines alert-focused wakefulness and deep rest. This state maximises learning and promotes neural reconfiguration.
How Hypnosis Works
Hypnosis guides your brain towards a specific outcome or change by involving particular brain areas responsible for executive function and the “default mode network,” which is how your brain idles. A significant part of this process is the activation of the insula, a brain area that enhances our sense of internal state or interoception. This state increases deep relaxation, focus, and self-awareness simultaneously, making it different from other states of consciousness.
The hypnosis process consists of three phases: induction, suggestion, and exit. During the induction phase, the activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (DAC) decreases (where executive control, learning, adjustment, economic choice, and self-control takes place), reducing distractions and allowing you to stay focused on the hypnotic experience.
The Hypnotisability Test
Interestingly, hypnotisability can be predicted with a simple test. By looking up at the ceiling and then closing your eyes, if your eyelids flutter, it indicates a flexible autonomic nervous system, making you more susceptible to hypnosis. While personality doesn’t directly determine hypnotisability, some people naturally resist hypnosis, possibly due to a reluctance to relinquish control or inherent traits of their nervous system.
Benefits of Hypnosis
Hypnosis can be a powerful tool for managing stress, improving sleep, and enhancing focus. It helps dissociate physical reactions from psychological stress, allowing better control over bodily responses to stressors. This is particularly useful for managing stress and improving sleep, as highlighted in Huberman’s discussions with Dr. David Spiegel. Additionally, hypnosis activates specific brain areas involved in executive function, focus, and interoception, leading to deep relaxation and increased self-awareness, which can significantly enhance productivity and mental health.
Why Hypnotherapy Has a PR Problem
Despite its many benefits, hypnotherapy faces a significant PR problem in Australia. Unlike the UK, where hypnotherapy is covered by the NHS, Medicare in Australia has yet to include this modality. Part of the issue comes from its portrayal in popular media as a form of entertainment or mind control rather than a legitimate therapeutic tool. Misconceptions and sensationalism have overshadowed the scientific and therapeutic aspects of hypnosis, leading to scepticism and mistrust. By focusing on education and promoting the scientific basis of hypnotherapy, we can help shift public perception and highlight its potential benefits for mental health and personal development.
Why Hypnotherapy is Worth Considering for Managing Problems
I may be biased as I see the benefits of hypnotherapy but don't just take my word for it. Consider the following:
1. Our Attention Span isn't what It used to be: Nowadays, we tend to lose patience quickly and have shorter attention spans. Committing to months or even years of other talk therapies might not be suitable for everyone. In contrast, with hypnotherapy, you can often see changes in just 4-6 sessions because it addresses how you run the problem rather than the problem itself.
2. Forget the 'Woowoo', this is based on real science: Hypnotherapy occasionally gets media coverage for its more sensational aspects, like past life regression. However, the reality is that there are numerous studies and evidence supporting hypnotherapy as a legitimate, complementary modality (that doesn't focus on regression) for various concerns, from anxiety and phobias to changing habits, pain management, and gut issues.
3. Increased Credibility: The American Psychological Association (APA), the largest professional organisation of its kind in the world, supports clinical hypnotherapy and even has a division dedicated to its study and promotion. Known as Division 30, this endorsement highlights the scientific validity of hypnotherapy. Moreover, both the American Medical Association and the British Medical Association recognised hypnosis as a valid treatment option as far back as the 1950s.
Despite the global credibility of clinical hypnotherapy, Australia is lagging behind. However, trends from the US often make their way here, so the future looks bright for modern hypnotherapy in Australia.
4. Shorter Wait Times: One advantage of hypnotherapy not being at the forefront of GPs' minds is shorter waiting times. While it can take up to three months to see a psychologist, you can often see an accredited hypnotherapist within a week.
By embracing and understanding the true nature of hypnosis, as explained by experts like Andrew Huberman, we can appreciate its value and potential as a powerful tool for positive change.
Comments