Dr. James Braid introduced the term “Hypnosis” from the Greek word “Hypno” meaning
sleep. Hypnotherapy is an age-old healing modality that has been in practice since 6000
B.C. in many cultures across the world. It was considered a form of meditation. Franz
Mesmer, a German physician, made modern-day hypnosis popular again in the 18
th
century. His technique, called “mesmerism”, was to induce a suggestive mental state
through which ailments, frequently of a psychological nature, were alleviated. This
approach remains the basis of hypnosis.
Hypnosis is a natural state of attentive, focused concentration, i.e., trance. Trance is a state
where we go from the conscious to the subconscious plane. It occurs naturally and
spontaneously in every person in daily life. Depending upon what we see and feel, we are
automatically transported to that event. If an event is a good memory, it brings us joy. But,
if the event has been traumatic, it makes us uncomfortable. For example, when we see a
certain food, we immediately remember all the experiences we have had while having that
food. On the flip side, if a person has had a traumatic experience like almost drowning,
every water body would bring out that memory and he/she might avoid going into the
water altogether.
Dr. Diplakshmi, a licensed mental health professional, practices hypnotherapy that uses
trance for therapeutic purposes to access and heal those traumatic events.
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