Altered State of Consciousness free essay sample

Define Hypnosis and its development from ancient history rituals to present day practices in the medical field. Audience: American adults and college students Hypnosis, An Altered State of Consciousness In the beginning of time, there was a woman named Eve who lived in the Garden of Eden, a bountiful garden with many animals that roamed freely and fruit that grew plentifully. One day, Eve encountered a beautiful, mesmerizing fruit. This fruit was unlike any other, and its beauty captivated Eve. She wanted to eat it, but she knew it was forbidden by her master, God. This forbidden fruit forced Eve into a trance of desire. Eve became hypnotized by the forbidden fruit, so she took it from the tree and ate it! When God discovered that the fruit was eaten, he banned both Eve and her partner, Adam, from the Garden of Eden. Since the beginning of time, hypnosis was present in the human race. Mayo Clinic’s, â€Å"Hypnosis Definition†, which is supported by the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER), specifies that hypnosis is a, â€Å"trance like state in which you have heightened focus, concentration, and inner absorption† (1). It can also be concluded, from a religious aspect, that the foundation of hypnosis originated when Eve took the forbidden fruit from the tree of life. She was hypnotized by the forbidden fruit, and forced to change her behavior by performing an evil act of disobeying God. Today, most Americans have a distorted, negative view of hypnosis, and many believe that it is like a magic show, where a person loses control of their body and performs abnormal behavior. Others believe that hypnosis is a dark art where people use some act of voodoo to traumatize and manipulate others. Although these views are overdramatized, theatrical, and quite terrifying, ancient history does show that the Egyptians, Greeks, and Hebrews used acts of hypnosis to please religious gods. Even today’s medical field uses hypnosis to make the lives of chronic pain patients more bearable. Society has a negative view on hypnosis as being mind-altering and useless. However, hypnosis is progressive and useful for American adults and college students who wish to escape the daily anxieties of work and school. Actual hypnotic practices on oneself and others can be life changing. The development of hypnosis progressed over time through ancient civilizations and today’s medical field. Although American society perceives hypnosis as a useless, theatrical magic show, hypnosis has many additional uses in ancient healing practices and present day medical field therapies. The foundations of hypnosis can be traced to ancient rituals of the Egyptians, Greeks, and Hebrews. According to David Reeves’s â€Å"The Roots of Hypnosis†, the ancient Egyptians used hypnosis over 4,000 years ago for religious gatherings and healings within their â€Å"Sleep or Dream Temples† (1). These temples were healing sanctuaries where a sick person was put into a hypnotic trance, and additional priests and priestesses would observe the person’s behavior during this sleep-like state (2). The priests would then interpret the person’s dreams and propose needed guidance and healing. The earliest father of hypnosis was a worshipped Egyptian priest named Imhotep. Imhotep used the sleep temples as a psychological tool for the mentally ill. By putting individuals into a hypnotic state, many viewed Priest Imhotep as a god who could cast out evil spirits from the body and mind. Also, in ancient Greece, Greeks worshipped the healing god, Asclepios, within their Dream Temples. In these temples, priests would use chanting to put a person under hypnosis for up to three days. During this three-day trance, the priest’s chanting would relieve the mentally or physically suffering patient. Unlike the Egyptians and Greeks, the Hebrews used a different type of hypnosis called meditation. Under hypnotic meditation, an individual would perform chanting and breathing exercises; they would also fixate on Hebrew letters that would spell out their god’s name (4). During their time, the Egyptians, Greeks, and Hebrews all used hypnosis in varied forms, such as, dream interpretation, chanting, and meditation to cure agonized patients. In John Ryder’s â€Å"Hypnosis: The Power of Trance†, today’s medical field uses hypnosis as a, â€Å"mind-altering state of consciousness that allows an individual to communicate with the subconscious part of the mind, therefore properly and skillfully promoting progress throughout the mind and body† (1). Hypnosis promotes an individual’s mental and physical progress with the use of hypnotherapy, which combines psychotherapy and hypnosis. Hypnotherapy guides an individual to gain control over behaviors or emotions that they wish they did not focus on. Hypnotherapy takes place when a patient meets with a licensed hypnotist or psychologist who is trained to perform hypnotic therapies. According to Susan Krauss Whitbourne’s â€Å"The How-To’s of Hypnosis†, a hypnotist will ask a patient to listen to their voice while they state and implant positive messages within that patient’s mind. Whitbourne further indicates that hypnotists influence a person’s mindset with the use of, â€Å"suggestion, focus of attention, relaxation, and imagery† (2). Mayo Clinic’s website additionally states that hypnosis is, â€Å"a procedure typically used along with certain treatments and therapies to help a wide variety of conditions† (1). This wide variety of conditions can include asthma, allergies, labor pain, chemotherapy, prevention of smoking, weight loss, work and school stress, athletic performance, dental procedures, and mental health conditions (2). Today, many Americans view hypnosis as an illusion, when in reality, hypnosis aids in numerous traumatic conditions and guides individuals to a happier, pain free lifestyle. In both ancient history healing practices and today’s medical therapies, hypnosis directs individuals who wish to control their undesirable emotions and behaviors. Self-hypnosis and hypnosis on others are both ways in which one can control these undesirable feelings and actions. Open Pain Journal’s â€Å"The Role of Suggestion in Hypnosis for Chronic Pain: A Review of the Literature†, states that hypnosis, â€Å"is an efficacious treatment for chronic pain and is found to be superior to active treatments on a variety of pain-related outcomes† (1). Open Pain Journal suggests to both American adults and college students that hypnosis is a superior treatment when relieving chronic pain. In addition, hypnosis can be used for those who do not experience chronic pain, but rather endure the daily stresses of school and work. Natural News’, â€Å"Hypnosis Improves Academic Performance and Reduces Test Anxiety for College Students† depicts an experiment where stressed out college students used self-hypnosis. Marie Carrese, a practicing psychologist in Long Island, New York, studied this experiment and outlined the benefits of teaching self-hypnosis to college students. Carrese taught college students to use hypnosis techniques such as relaxation and imagery usage (1). Not only college students, but American adults can use self-hypnosis to escape the daily anxieties of work. Although society views hypnosis as an impractical practice, hypnosis can assist Americans who experience the normal stress of life. Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness that can aid in the positive progression of one’s own mental and physical ailments. Many Americans have a faulty interpretation of hypnosis and its expansion over time. Although hypnosis is perceived as a taged demonstration, it has multiple practices in ancient healing rituals and present day medical field therapies. The foundation and creation of hypnosis can be traced to the first ancient civilizations of the Egyptian, Greek, and Hebrew people. Their use of Sleep or Dream Temples to perform hypnosis assisted patients in physical or mental distress. They all used hypnosis in different forms such as: dream interpretation, chants, and meditation. Today’s medical field, on the other hand, uses hypnotherapy to aid those with a variety of harmful conditions. Some well-known conditions that use hypnosis include labor pain, prevention of smoking, weight loss, work and school stress, and chemotherapy. Moreover, a practical example of hypnosis, such as self-hypnosis, can be used by American adults and college students as a tool to relieve the daily stresses of school and work. Although hypnosis is widely unknown as a progressive treatment for suffering patients, it is beneficial for all individuals who yearn for peace of the mind and body.