Hypnosis

Hypnosis
O

outis

Registrant
My T asked me today if I have ever been hypnotized, then asked how I felt when she posed that question. I don't feel comfortable even thinking about it.

She said that I am already going into trance states on my own all the time, and a person has to put themself under. She also said she thinks I may have some trouble with something called, em, what was it? Oh yeah, "trust." I don't think I even trust myself.

Have any of you guys used hypnosis or trance work in your recovery? Was it or is it helpful?

Thanks,

Joe
 
From a scientific point of view, I would personally recommend staying away from hypnosis. There is no proof for how helpful or valid it actually is. It may even complicate things.
 
Memory regression helped me a lot. When I did it, it was like I stepped back into my body as a child. The adult me was there, but I could hear what I was thinking as a child, and I looked at the world through his eyes some, and sometimes I was outside looking in. The contrast between what I was thinking, and what little Jeff was thinking was mind blowing. I finally got a sense of just how innocent I was as a child. The problem with being an adult is that it is almost impossible for us to remember what it was to be very limited and small. We tend to judge those little boys based on who we are now, or I did anyway. When we recall being abused, it is always from an adult stand point. people tell us we were innocent, but we have trouble seeing beyond how stupid we were, or stupid compared to how we see the world now. I lost sight that little Jeff was doing what he thought was right. He was totally innocent and nave. I dont think I would have ever found that without hypnosis.

It isnt like you give up control. You put yourself into a trance, you control where it goes, how far, and can leave any time. The therapist talks to you as you basically relive whatever event you are visiting, but it isnt like you are out of control or anything. you are perfectly aware of what you are doing and saying.

Not everyone can be hypnotized. You may not even be able to do it. I have and I really grew as a result. In fact, I feel it was key in my recovery.
 
Hey there Joe... it is interesting to read Jeff's post... I was the one giving him the same information before he went "under" for hypnosis a while back.

I've used hypnotherapy quite a lot in my therapy. My T specializes in it. As Jeff said, you are not out of control... it feels like dreaming except that you know what is happening and remembering it fully afterwards.

It does require a lot of emotional work... you find yourself suddenly 5 years old again and the senses are heightened. I remember one session that floored me because I could see all of the details of my wallpaper, curtains, everything. It's amazing to realize that even though I hadn't consciously remembered what the curtains looked like, it was still there... in my memory.

Every session can be different and everyone's experience with it varies. My T says that some people are visual and can remember smells, tastes, etc. Others just have a general sense of what is happening.

If you are up for it, I would recommend trying it. It can be extremely painful at times - what it brings up is intense. But, for me, it is the only thing that allowed me to return to my past and FEEL what happened, process it, and heal using my adult self. Without revisiting and feeling the emotions (which I never got to as a kid) about the abuse, they will always be there. All the talking and conscious work on the issues is great but in my experience didn't touch any of the deep emotions that I still needed to work through.

PM me if you want to ask anything further.
 
Obviously, it benefitted Sean. It must work for some guys but I have stayed away from it.

As it turns out, my grandson (a year old in a month) has been one of my best therapists.

By observing him I have been able to realize how a child perceives things around him, how innocent and vulnerable a child is.

He is surrounded by loving and caring adults not distracted by their own emotional problems (unlike my situation as a child. Observing that, as it turns out, has been healing for me.

When my therapist asked me to imagine hurting him in the way I was hurt, I truly saw for the first time the utter impossibility of my having been at all responsible for what happened to me. For the first time, I think, I fully and consciously realized what it was to be victimized as a child.

For a long time, I got hung up on the idea that it was important for me to remember details of what happened to me in order to progress in therapy.

I've come to understand that, for me, forgetting is an understandable and natural coping strategy. There is no reason to force that. If I remember, then I remember, and that will happen when I feel comfortable about remembering, safe and in control.

I am working on becoming more and more conciously aware of the feelings I had and have and the PTSD symptoms I am experiencing now. I have no trouble at all 'remembering' (or re-feeling) the feelings I had when I was victimized.

I will undoubtedly always have those symptoms and feelings to deal with to some degree. With the help of my therapist (and the help of guys here whether that is their exact intention or not), I am developing strategies to do that.
 
Thanks, guys. My T told me not to go off and "read everything there is about hypnosis" (Where would she get such an outlandish idea?) so I'm going to let things simmer a while. She said there's no problem if I don't want to do it. She did ask what my greatest fear about it is, and I have several ideas for that, but I'll just let that simmer a while, too.

Thanks for the info. Maybe I'll come back to this later. I don't want to start obsessing. At least, not until after the weekend! :D

Joe
 
Hell, with hypnosis, I would probably be the one turned into the chicken that can't come out of it.

I've never done it, but I actually have thought about asking of it. I know that there are things that *I* don't know, that 'others' of me know. Maybe hypnosis would help give me that information in a way I could use it.

I'll be reading responses here too, because I am interested. I hope you get the advice to help you make your choice.

Leosha
 
I expect that my T will ask tomorrow what I think about it. At this point it's too scary to me, for whatever reason, to try it. I may try later, when it doesn't freak me out so much just to think about it. Thanks for all the info.

Joe
 
outis,

Well, I'm not a therapist, but I think that hypnosis could be helpful, especially if the abuse took place some time ago. It's scary though, just in the bits and pieces that I've been able to recover in therapy freaked me out. I guess it wasn't what I recovered, but the act of doing so. I was scared at what I might find. At the same time though, I was scared to face it to begin with. I ran and ran from it. So I think that anything could possibly be helpful. My abuse happened over a year ago, but I was still able to recover something that has helped me to gain insight into what I lost, my feelings.

That I think that has got to be the most important aspect of recovering memories. What good is a memory if it's devoid of feeling. I was also able to gain some insight into the abuse. Whenever I revisted the abuse, before I even called it that, I experienced it as a seperate entity in the room. As in I felt that I was looking at it like a movie. Once my friend pointed out that I was raped, that it wasn't an experiment I was thrown back into my feelings. I started reliving it as it truly happened. If hypnosis can help you get back to your feelings, basically through you back into your body, instead of distancing or numbing yourself from the abuse then I say, go for it.

I don't think I need it because the abuse/rape is recent, but if the T offers I may take her up. I'm not sure though.

Take it easy,
Fusion
 
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