Clinical Hypnosis

(Excerpted from Dr. Michael Yapko, PhD - About Clinical Hypnosis)

Hypnosis is a sophisticated clinical tool which embodies the original “positive psychology” through its emphasis on finding and amplifying peoples’ resources for better living.

The word “hypnosis” conjures up many different ideas and reactions in people, particularly if you have never seen it applied skillfully in clinical contexts. If you have seen examples of the ways hypnosis has been used to help people manage pain without drugs, or overcome debilitating psychological symptoms, then you already know something about its clinical value and why it is worth studying in depth.

If you have never seen someone deliberately use focusing techniques to better manage physical processes, or seen someone master troublesome symptoms in direct response to “mere” suggestions, then it may be time to indulge your curiosity while learning the skills of hypnosis to enhance your therapeutic effectiveness.

The study of the science and art of clinical hypnosis begins with the recognition that influence is inherent in the therapy process. Far more complex, though, are the deeper questions related to how one person can instill a belief in someone else that his/her symptoms can diminish, resulting in a recovery, or how someone can suggest to another that he or she evolve a frame of mind that makes success possible in some desired domain. Hypnosis is often an astonishing phenomenon: How can someone suggest an altered physical perception, such as numbness, that makes surgery without chemical anesthesia possible?