can be resolved with hypnotherapy and was influential in the official acceptance of
hypnotherapy by the American Medical Association in 1958.
While anyone can hypnotize other people, it is best for hypnotherapy to be adminis-
tered by healthcare professionals. At present, no laws limit the use of hypnosis to
clinical practitioners. However, nurses, physicians, dentists, psychologists, social
workers, and counselors are eligible to take approved professional training in hyp-
notherapy. The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH) and The Society for
Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (SCEH) share in the education and accrediting
of people who meet professional requirements. Most practitioners do not identify
themselves as hypnotists but as nurses, doctors, dentists, and others who use hypno-
sis as one of several modes of intervention.
The Nature of Hypnotherapy
To understand hypnosis, one must understand the functional difference between the
conscious and subconscious mind. The conscious mind contains the short-term
memory and the intellect. It functions like a computer, always analyzing, criticizing,
and discriminating one’s thoughts and perceptions. The language of the intellect is
logic and reason. The subconscious mind contains emotions, creativity, imagination,
intuition, long-term memory, and control of bodily functions. It also contains the
habit center where persistent habits such as nail biting or test anxiety are located.
The subconscious does not respond to reason and facts, as does the intellect. The
language of the subconscious is imagery and metaphor. During times of emotional
turmoil or sudden trauma, people often become aware of the subconscious mind’s
power over bodily functions and intellect when they are unable to eat, sleep, or talk,
and cannot think clearly. After years of ignoring feelings or “stuffing” them into the
subconscious, in a hypnotic trance, people can access their subconscious mind,
which allows them to tap into their creativity, access buried memories, change
habits, unmask erroneous beliefs, repair self-esteem, and restore health.
Trance: Letting the Subconscious Drive
A trance state is a form of heightened concentration. People in trances are aware of
what is going on around them but choose not to focus on it and can return to nor-
mal awareness whenever they choose. The majority of people will tend to remember
most of what happens in a controlled hypnotherapy or guided imagery session.
Trance is not a form of sleep or stupor, as is easily determined by observing the
range of activities possible by people in a hypnotic trance.
People naturally flow in and out of hypnotic trances. When driving a familiar route,
people may slip into a trance. They arrive at their destination, not sure exactly how
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