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This report will discuss hypnosis and how it treats Panic Disorders. It will talk about how hypnosis affects various parts of the mind in order to treat Panic Disorders.
Hypnosis
is a state of intense relaxation and concentration, in which the mind becomes
remote and detached from everyday cares and concerns. In this relaxed state
the subconscious part of the mind or brain is best able to respond creatively
to suggestion and imagery. It can focus on the things you wish to change
and on the ways you can best do so, free from analytical or anxious thoughts.
There are two kinds of hypnosis. One is called “Subconscious Hypnotism”
and the other is called “Conscious Hypnotism”. Unconscious Hypnotism is
basically repetition. We are also continually subjected to ‘unconscious
hypnotism’ in ourdaily life by parents, teachers, peer pressure, politicians,
etc. This is because of repetition, for example if your parent keeps on
telling you to clean up your room, pretty soon for some unknown reason
you begin cleaning your room. Conscious Hypnotism is a bit different from
Unconscious Hypnotism. Our subconscious mind often prefers to hang on to
known behaviors and symptoms even if they are negative and interfere with
our peace of mind and quality of life. In order to make positive changes
and become mentally fit you must be consciously aware of the need for change,
be motivated to get better, and be prepared to devote the time and effort
necessary for doing the mental relaxation exercises. We all know that getting
your body into shape involves more than merely thinking about going to
the gym. Mental fitness calls for the same level of dedication.
A Panic Disorder is a very serious and annoying disorder to have. A Panic Disorder is a discrete or distant period of intense fear or discomfort, in four or more symptoms develop and reach their peak within 10 minutes, but they usually last about 10-15 minutes.
There are quite a few number of symptoms for Panic Disorders. These symptoms are very different from one another but can show up with someone who has a panic disorder. These symptoms are Palpitation, pounding heart or accelerated heart rate, sweating, trembling or shaking, sensations of shortness of breath or smothering, feeling of choking, chest pain or discomfort, nausea or abdominal distress, feeling, dizzy ,unsteady, lightheaded, or faint, derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from oneself), fear of losing control, fear of dying, paresthesias (numbness), and chills or hot flashes.
There are not too many treatments for panic disorders. The reason for this is because physicians still don’t really know too much about panic disorders but there are treatments. One treatment is hypnosis which is being focused on in the report. The others are drugs that will lessen the symptoms but it will not stop them just treat them.
Parts of the brain hypnosis affects:
1. The Conscious Mind
2. The Unconscious Mind
3. The Subconscious Mind
The human mind is, take for example an onion with many layers. The outer layer is the conscious mind which helps with daily processes. It is intelligent, realistic, logical, and proactive, especially in new situations where you have to apply rational thought in order to work out what to do and how to do it. But unfortunately, the conscious mind can only deal with five to nine things at one time and is easily overloaded.
Now the subconscious or hidden layer of
the onion works on ‘auto -pilot’.For example (reacting according to the
pleasure principle in that it seeks to avoid pain and obtain pleasure and
survival). And it does this automatically. It is concerned with our emotions,
memories, and imagination as well as our (autonomic
nervous system) which controls our internal organs automatically.
These main functions are connected (in other words the body affects the
mind and the mind affects the body). The subconscious mind is very clever
and powerful at dealing with complex instructions but it is not intelligent
Growing Evidence. There is growing evidence that the conscious mind,
is located in the left-handed side of the brain and the sub-conscious mind
is located in the right hand side of the brain. And each side or hemisphere
of the brain has different very
different attributes or functions.
Unconscious hypnotism uses something called “Self Suggestion”. Self suggestion is something like “I cannot stop smoking, no matter how hard I try”. Hard to believe but we are subjected to self suggestion everyday, by parents, teachers, politicians, ect. All unconscious hypnotism is, is repetition. Repetition helps reinforce the suggestion, like clean up your room, or vote for me, or study that. For example television advertisements try to persuade us to buy a particular product.
Conscious hypnotism is different from unconscious
hypnotism. Our subconscious mind often prefers to cling on to known behaviors
and symptoms, even if it is negative or interferes with our quality of
life. In order to get rid of these behaviors you need to be consciously
aware of the need of change, or motivated to
get better, and be prepared to devote the time and effort necessary
for doing the mental relaxation exercising.
Hypnosis has been around since the dawn
of recorded time, and at least to the time of the ancient Babylonians,
Greeks and Egyptians. It was know to Hippocrates. Indeed, hypnosis is named
after the Greek word for sleep, hypnos, although the actual state of hypnosis
is very different from sleep. It has, however,
been called different names, by different cultures, different religions,
and different individuals. The use of chants, drumming, and monotonous
dancing rituals to change or alter consciousness fall under the definition
of hypnosis. Such methods have been used successfully by the Druids, Vikings,
Indian Yogis, Dervishes, Hindu priests, and holy men of all religions and
denominations for centuries. In 2600 BC, the father of Chinese medicine,
Wong Tai, wrote about techniques that involved incantations and passes
of the hands. Accounts of what we would now call Hypnosis can also be found
in the Bible, the Talmud, and The Hindu Vedas written about 1500 BC.
There are many different scales commonly
used to determine the depth of hypnosis a client may enter. What follows
is a personal amalgam of several of these simplifying and reducing the
overall number of levels to 5. In practice the different stages are not
always so rigidly or clearly defined, there is some overlap, not
everyone achieves all the signs, and, indeed, some of the phenomena
can be encountered in the waking state. The hypnotist will use both experience
and various 'tests' to take the client down into and ensure that he/she
is at the appropriate depth.
Only 1 in 20 people are believed capable of entering
the deeper states easily but all can achieve the lighter states where most
clinical therapy is done. Note that for successful therapy it is not necessarily
the depth which matters but the repetition or number of sessions either
in the consulting room or at home with an individual tape that counts.
There are a number of factors which determine the depth which
can be achieved:
1. The skill of the hypnotist or the induction methods used.
2. The ability of the client which may be improved with practice.
3. The emotional content being dealt with.
4. The motivation of the client.
5. The degree of co-operation, rapport or trust between client and
hypnotist.
(5%) Unsusceptible Subject fails to react in any way to a
particular induction method or hypnotist, i.e. there is resistance or subject
does not consent to hypnosis. Gain consent, change the method or the hypnotist
in order to achieve a 100% successful induction into hypnosis. Practice
on the part of client and the hypnotist increases hypnotizability. It becomes
easier, quicker and you go deeper.
After five or six sessions many people reach
a plateau which was once believed to be the maximum depth they were capable
of achieving. There now seems to be some doubt. There may, in fact, be
a number of plateau, always deeper, always better!
1 (95%) Hypnoidal (For Accelerated Learning)
Physical relaxation.
Body warmth.
Drowsiness apparent. Fluttering of eyelids.
Increased lacrimation (tears).
The whites of the eyes going red.
Closing of eyelids, eyeballs may roll up into head, lids may quiver.
Deeper relaxation, head drops.
Some heaviness of limbs.
Swallowing reflex.
Mental relaxation, partial lethargy of mind.
2 (90%) Light (For Suggestion Therapy)
Alpha rhythms of 8-13 cycles per second begin.
Eye catalepsy (cannot open eyelids if told he cannot).
Partial limb catalepsy or rigidity.
Inhibition of small muscle groups.
Slower deeper breathing.
Strong lassitude (disinclination to move, think or act).
Twitching of mouth or jaw during induction.
Client aware of what transpires.
Rapport between subject and operator.
Simple posthypnotic suggestions heeded.
Involuntary start or eye twitch on awakening.
Some personality changes.
Feelings of heaviness throughout entire body.
Partial feeling of detachment.
Some body catalepsy.
Light anesthesia (but will need deeper for extensive dental work
for
example).
Imagery and awareness of altered sensations may be offered
Ideomotor responses possible.
3 (70+%) Medium/Deep (For Advanced Therapy)
Recognition of trance.
Can be deepened further by 'pacing'.
Facial expression of deep repose.
Simultaneous reduction of respiration rate and flaccidity of limbs.
Complete muscular inhibition (kinaesthetic delusions)
Partial amnesia.
Glove and posthypnotic anesthesia.
Posthypnotic suggestions heeded.
Tactile, gustatory, and olfactory illusions possible
Personality changes.
Change feeling (hot-cold).
Hyperacuity to atmospheric conditions.
Delusions (false belief, ignorance of actual facts).
Hypermnesia (remembers experiences and events of long ago).
` Full rigidity or catalepsy.
Analgesia or pain control.
4 (5-20%) Somnambulistic (Stage or Waking Hypnosis)
Complete and/or posthypnotic amnesia.
Able to open eyes, walk, talk, obey instructions w/o affecting trance.
Fixed stare when eyes are open; papillary dilation.
Bizarre posthypnotic suggestions heeded.
Complete somnambulism.
Uncontrolled movements of eyeballs, eye co-ordination lost.
Positive visual hallucinations.
Positive auditory hallucinations.
Spontaneous amnesia.
Extreme sharpness of senses.
Negative visual hallucinations.
Negative auditory hallucinations.
Fading and increase in cycles of sound of operator's voice
Much improved memory or hypermnesia.
May have taste and/or smell hallucinations.
Sensations of lightness, floating, swinging, being bloated or swollen,
detached feeling.
Rigidity and lag in muscular movements and reactions.
Control of organic body functions (heart beat, blood pressure,
digestion)
5 (5%?) Coma Body very flaccid - and will not respond to physical
suggestions.
Catatonic Body can be put into any positive position and can remain
that
way for long periods. (Resembles rigidity but muscles not flexed.)
Ultra Depth Extreme flaccidity.
All spontaneous activity is inhibited.
Completely anesthetized for minor or major surgery.
Completely painless childbirth.
No recall at all of what is said or done - and cannot be given it.
Complete time distortion.
Vivid past life experiences.
Mediumistic trances.
Phenomenal feats of strength, telepathy, clairvoyance, etc.
(parapsychology).
Safer than normal sleep as in emergency the client will come out
of it
spontaneously - but not always!
In conclusion we found that hypnosis does treat panic disorders. Hypnosis treats panic disorders by stimulating the part of the brain that panic disorders originate in. The part of the brain that this disorder originates in the subconscious mind. We know this because as we explained earlier the Subconscious Mind hangs on to our habits, take for example “Nail Biting”. Hypnosis only can cure Panic Disorders in a small percentage of people with the disorder. But hypnosis can calm down or minimize the symptoms of Panic Disorders.
