Examples From Hypnotic Work

Over time I received more formal hypnotic training in the hypo-therapeutic techniques of Milton  Erickson M.D. Several important learning experiences soon followed.

Al, an agoraphobic  had been house bound for most his life. I met him in a community clinic where he had been forced into psychotherapy in order to continue receiving anti anxiety medication.   

Al was clearly very nervous and sat twisting compulsively in his chair. I noticed the way he twisted his wedding ring and reflected how the smooth inner surface of the ring glided comfortably across his skin. Within minutes, Al was calm and surprised to discover a new resource state within himself. 

Al turned out to be somnambulist hypnotic subject and our desensitization sessions took an unusual format. I would arrive at his row house in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, and get a short conscious summary from Al about developments since our last session. Then I would use a conversation induction technique and another voice would begin to speak. This inner personality which named itself "Big Al" would then carefully review everything his conscious mind had relayed and highlight the nuances of voice tone and inflection so that I would grasp the real meaning behind it behind the words.   

"Big Al" was not subject to panic attacks and had a panoramic understanding of his current life. Together we developed a plan for helping his conscious mind overcome the limits of fear that dominated his life.  When he was conscious, Al did not remember any of these conversations and assumed he had "fallen asleep" while we were talking.    

Using this approach we went for long walks outside the home, rode buses and ate in a restaurant. These were all miracles for Al who had lived in fear of devastating panic attacks for most of his life. Whenever he felt he was approaching a panic attack I would redirect his attention towards curiosity about what his "unconscious mind" might be feeling. In this way Al began to reprogram his emotional responses and connect with a deeper level of inner resourcefulness. 

Frank was a Viet Nam veteran with numerous PTSD related issues. In the course of our work he discovered a history of war trauma and dissociation related to his alcoholism and depression.  

Once Frank learned to relax and move within he began to see a conference room in which the various components of his life were represented as people. The representatives of love, humor, competence and sobriety sat on one side of a table across from hooded figures that pulsated with hatred and fear from his repressed war trauma. Processing memories that surfaced in these interactions led to a series of breakthroughs and transformations.   

At one point Frank described curious phenomena. Without suggestion on my part he saw a road over a mountainous terrain that he had traveled many times. In its actual form this road was only two lanes and twisted around many sharp turns. As he watched within the trance state Frank saw a larger four lane highway being superimposed over the original scene. Movement along this new road was much faster and easier. 

This image corresponded to a change in how inner experiences were then processed. Instead of seeing and working with individual traumas and their corresponding personalities in his conference room, Frank found himself in a new environment. This inner space consists of geometric shapes that somehow resonated with a full range of emotions and understandings that encompassed larger units of personal meaning in his life. Within this new environment feelings and past experiences were metabolized and restructured much faster. When I asked about particular events or memories that might be related to this new "mode" of experience Frank received the message that all those specifics dealt with "Level One" that was linear and time based. Level Two moved faster and was neither linear nor time bound.      

Frank's experience was similar to descriptions of the "quantum energy field" and its ability to accelerate the healing process. The following account from the late John Upledger, developer of Cranio Sacral Therapy, described this experience in relation to working with dolphins.

"When a dolphin comes around, you simply know something you didn't know before. A little girl who was ten years old used an arm that she had never used before after two sessions with us and the dolphins. A pelvic contracture relaxed and a short leg lengthened by about one and a half inches after the dolphin and our treatment group worked together.  Indeed all the patients improved and all the therapists got smarter." (John Upledger, Cell Talk, page 380)  

Combining Upledger's work with more energy oriented approaches has been a central part of my own work for a number of years. Short video excerpts of three demonstration sessions provide a real time sense of how this approach can reach and release long standing impasses on a physical and emotional level.