The value of therapeutic hypnosis

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The value of studying hypnosis from a communication perspective Hypnosis has often been an overlooked mode of communication. For some, it is mere child's play, a particular form of entertainment where a domineering hypnotist makes a susceptible subject act ridiculously. Many, however, see its positive effects that it can have in such areas as personal and sports enhancement, memory retrieval, and health care and pain management. By examining hypnosis through a communication construct, we are better able to see why misconceptions and myths about hypnosis arise, and learn to dispel them. We are also able to better understand the roles that a sender, a receiver, feedback, and noise have on the channeled message and how each component of the communication model greatly affects the final outcome and interpretation of the message.

To gain a better understanding of the process that the sender and receiver go through together to produce the desired outcome, I will explain the meanings of the different variables and how each affect the outcome by using the model that was developed in the 2003 Spring Quarter Senior Thesis conducted by Dr.

Sunwolf.

There are many variables that affect the receiver's level of hypnotizability. Wallace (1993) noted that day-persons or night persons are more or less responsive to hypnotic suggestions depending on the time of day. He found that a "day person" might be more responsive to hypnotic suggestions between the times of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., whereas a "night-person" may have an optimal time for hypnosis between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. and also at 1 p.m.

The receiver's expectancy level and preconceptions of the experience will also have a great effect on the ability of the subject to be hypnotized. Due to the fact that hypnosis is only on the fringes of being accepted as...