Hypnosis is often one of the last—if not the last—therapeutic
modalities that people tend to seek to achieve a self-improvement goal. Having
said that, hypnotherapy is typically very successful to help a client change an
unwanted belief or behavior such as quit smoking, drop excess weight, increase
self-confidence and more. But even when the individual’s conscious mind is
completely, 100-percent convinced that the hypnosis and guided imagery program
will work, the subconscious mind might take a little longer to get on board with
this plan.
The SCM manifests its wariness to relinquish a
familiar, comfortable long-held belief or behavior (known) by abreacting:
i.e., physically responding to a suggestion during hypnosis. An abreaction
occurs when the critical area of the person’s mind has rejected the information
communicated via the hypnotic suggestion to enter the subconscious mind. The
physical responses can be the involuntary jerking or twitching of a limb,
noncompliance with the hypnotic suggestion, an emotional outburst or even
spontaneously coming “awake” during the session.
Remember:
The subconscious mind will not accept any hypnotic suggestions that contradict
the person’s values and beliefs. Abreactions simply indicate that the client’s
subconscious mind is resisting the hypnotic suggestion to make that
consciously-desired change. And that is okay. Not only does an abreaction
indicate that the person may require more and stronger suggestions to
desensitize against a negative association; it also reveals where he or she is
more self-protective or even defensive in the therapeutic process. In many
instances, the abreaction identifies and indicates where the heart of the
client’s issue lies and facilitates more effective achievement of his or her
self-improvement goals through hypnotherapy.
Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in
Southern California. She graduated with honors from the
Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about
Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
© 2015
