Ericksonian solution focused hypnosis for chronic pain and illness

Glossary of Hypnosis Terms

Abreaction: A kind of age regression phenomenon in which the client events from the past as vividly as if they were occurring in present time. Occasionally, a negative abreaction reaction can occur in relation to a trance, most likely one that involves age regression. This can almost always be prevented or at least stopped by employing adequate safety measures before, during, or after any induction or hypnotic experience.

Altered State of Consciousness: A condition in which ordinary levels of awareness are changed or shifted. These states can occur naturally, in relation to trauma, or, through direct or indirect suggestion.

Associational Cue: A device that will allow a client to recall in vivid detail an experience of comfort and security. This is a vital device in hypnotherapy and is essential when dealing with client who have experienced trauma.

Conscious Mind: That artificial division of mental functioning that holds all the activities and thoughts that one is aware in the present. Erickson believed that the conscious mind needed to be depotentiated to enable the more resourceful, unconscious mind to take the opportunity to solve the problem.

Dissociation: The operating principle present in all hypnotic phenomena involving the separation of mental processes normally considered to be bound together.

Flow: Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of a personally meaningful, absorbing, goal directed activity in which there is a balance between skill and challenge. This experience can produce trance-like state that is characterized by some of the hypnotic phenomena. In some ways Flow is a polarity of Ultradian Rhythms while at the same time achieving some of the same results.

Hypnosis, clinical: An altered state of consciousness that combines a state of diminished peripheral awareness with the increased utilization of the hypnotic phenomena (see below). This state enables the successful use of suggestive therapeutics for purposes of transformation and learning.

Hypnotic Phenomena: Specific phenomena that accompany the experience of hypnosis and trance-like states. These almost always occur within a framework of dissociation. Some common examples are: Age regression/progression, time distortion, analgesia/anesthesia, positive/ negative hallucination, amnesia/hypermnesia, catalepsy, and ideomotoric movement.

Leading: Providing the client with information in the form of instructions that relate to furthering the trance experience or implementing a therapeutic goal. Leading can be direct or indirect. Direct leading can be implemented in deeper trances with more profound levels of dissociation. Indirect leading is called for when clients are in less profound states of dissociation or lighter trances. Leading will fail without sufficient pacing.

Metaphor: Communication in which one concept indirectly represents another. In Ericksonian hypnosis a story, phrase, symbol, ritual, task or experience can be used to represent the client’s problem, solution, and the path that joins the two.

Minimal Cues: Small signs that lead the therapist to conclude that the client is in (or beginning to be in) an altered state of consciousness. The signs would include; reduction of body movement, eye catalepsy, reduction of blink response, natural eye closure, ideomotoric movement.

Neodissociation Theory: A theory developed by Ernest Hilgard which that the trance experience (especially deep ones) yields a "hidden observer" quality in which there exists some kind of monitoring and controlling structure relating to the dissociated part or experience. For example, a client in a trance state might successfully use hypnosis for pain control while at the same time observing a damaged limb being attended to by a surgeon. Hilgard believes that observing and dissociated parts are almost always interactive.

Pacing: The process of gaining rapport through feeding back some or all of a client's observable verbal or nonverbal behavior. Pacing can be fully direct, partially direct, or indirect. Successful pacing builds sufficient rapport that will allow the therapist to make more direct, leading statements. Unsuccessful hypnosis, or insufficient trance depth are almost always the result of insufficient pacing.

Refractionation: This is a technique that encourages the client come out of trance for a while, talk to the therapist a little while, and go back into trance. The technique paces the unconscious mind's natural rhythms (see Ultradian rhythms) enabling the client to ultimately achieve a deeper level of trance. It also serves to allow clients to "check in" with the therapist resulting in increased comfort and security.

Reorientation: The process of inviting a client to return from a hypnotic experience. The client can inform the therapist of a reorientation signal that would communicate that it is time to reorient to the "here and now." Hypnotherapists should always have a reorientation strategy. Reorientation, however, should not be rushed, with the therapist suggesting that the client "take their time" reorienting. It is important, while the client is reorienting to give appropriate suggestions for "remembering and forgetting."

Trance Logic: A type of thinking and observation that occurs in hypnotized subjects in which two (or more) irreconcilable beliefs are maintained at the same time without incongruity. For example, a subject experiencing negative hallucination of a chair and asked to walk in a straight line (intersecting that chair) will walk around the chair and later deny that the existence of the chair.

Trance: An altered state of consciousness which is characterized by the presence of one or more of the hypnotic phenomena. Trance can be achieved through the suggestion of the therapist, by clients themselves, naturalistic (positive or negative) experiences, or occasionally, through an traumatic event.

Ultradian Rhythms: The chronobiological concept of Ernest Rossi that theorizes that every 90-120 minutes the body and mind require a brief rest period. Violating these rhythms, especially over a long period of time can result in the build up of residual debt and the increased occurrence of illness or mental health problems. Respecting and utilizing these naturalistic rhythms can aid in healing for clients and be utilized for a variety of purposes by the hypnotherapist. In many ways a polarity of Flow that can be used as an example of a naturalistic state.

Unconscious Mind: Practically impossible to define. The simplest definition is that part (artificial division) that contains thoughts, experiences, ideas, and memories that do not reside in the conscious mind. Erickson viewed the unconscious mind as a vast resource that contained solutions to almost all problems that clients experienced. He viewed it as operating independently and autonomously in service of the self. Erickson usually instructed patients to learn from their unconscious mind.

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