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Hypnotherapy An Alternative In Counselling And Treating Ailments
By Zasika Musdi

Bandar Seri Begawan - Most people might not consider the idea of being hypnotized as an alternative to treating an ailment, and would question its effectiveness. Some might even consider it a vulnerable state to be in, one that would subject them to do anything against their will.

Clinical practitioners of hypnotherapy, however, are trying to negate this belief, stating that a subject will not be hypnotized if they refuse to let themselves be hypnotized. This was asserted by Peter Mabbutt, Director of Studies at the London College of Clinical Hypnosis at a talk on hypnotherapy and counselling at RIPAS Hospital yesterday.

Hypnotherapy is a psychotherapeutic discipline that is used to treat a wide variety of psychological and somatic symptoms, and its efficacy is extensive and continues to grow. According to Mabbutt, hypnotherapists will "seek, out, define, block and remove" barriers that manifest in the I form of resistance, transference,

marked stress responses land defence mechanisms such as amnesia. It is useful for I issues such as pain, skin conditions, infertility, pregnancy, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Cancer, psychiatric problems, psychological problems, eating disorders and obsessive compulsive disorder, and could be done on a one-to-one basis, or through group sessions.

"Atypical session will usually go on for one-and-a-half hours, and the number of session will depend on the individual themselves, on how willing they are to unblock their inner potential and their willpower to change," he said.

"What happens during a hypnotherapy session is the patient will be brought into a trance-like state — to relax, in other words — and will be conditioned to empower themselves to mentally rehearse successful outcomes."

For instance, if a person has a fear of dentists (dento-phobia), a hypnotherapist will tell them to tell themselves through hypnosis that there is nothing to fear; to change their negative view of dentists being bad people with painful extraction tools into a positive view, one that will obliterate the initial fear, such as the tools will not be painful at all. Hypnotherapy, he said, should be consistent with the patient's moral code and belief system in order for it to help change the perception of a procedure. Otherwise, it will be rejected and the patient will awaken.

"Before hypnotizing a patient, I will get to know them first. Find out what they like and don't like, and what they're trying to overcome. Failure to do this will result in an emotional blockage, particularly, due to underlying reasons, making the session a failure," said Mabbutt.

He gave a personal account of being hypnotized and asked to imagine himself riding a motorcycle through that forest. "I instantly snapped out of it, because I had a personal experience concerning motorcycle accidents and friends. Therefore, such things should be considered in order to make the session successful."

Before the talk concluded, attendees were given the opportunity to experience hypnosis. Peter Mabbutt and Sheila Menon, Principal of the London College of Clinical Hypnosis (Asia-Australia) were in the country to present a paper called 'Hypnotherapy and Counselling: An Integrative Approach" during the Counselling Seminar cum Workshop held from 17-18 November, where counsellors, teachers and potential counsellors from government schools gathered to exchange views and experiences on counselling. Both are based in Malaysia. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin