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Show I Hypnosis, anovher fool in ihe Doctor's bag 'i , ' ' V, f ; r " " " ' ; V ; . I DR. JAMES ALLEN tells Fred Smith to close his eyes and relax in a demonstration of how to test "Hypnosis can be used as an effective tool in the treatment of obesity, anxiety, anxie-ty, tension, insomnia and can even be used to help control smoking," says James Allen, a Vernal medical doctor, who has used this tool many times. "Hypnosis can be used effectively in pain control. The pain is still there, but hypnosis allows the patient to filter it out," pointed out Dr. Allen. "Hypnosis has been used to help patients pa-tients in the cure of phobeas, such as fear of flying or fear of dogs. Sometimes it causes a sort of ripple effect, ef-fect, which means change in one area often leads to change in other areas, as an individual developes a sense of mastery over his or her life." Dr. Allen is encouraged that many of the connotations connected with hyp- a person's susceptibility to hypnosis. notism over the years are being dispelled. dispell-ed. "Until the 1940s hypnotism was thought to be some type of 'voo-doo' power which one person held over another," says Dr. Allen. "This idea was fostered by such men as Mesmer, who called hypnotism Mesmerism, alter himself, indicating he was the source of the power." Others used hypnotism in the early twentith century as a "macho thing." Performing hypnotists drew large audiences au-diences who wanted to be thrilled by an exhibition of the power one person could supposedly exert over the mind of another. Another popular belief according to Dr. Allen was that to be able to hypnotize hyp-notize another person, one must possess special abilities. Only an exclusive erouD of individuals had the power. "This is an erroneous assumption," says Dr. Allen. "The technician is a guide or teacher. The phenomenon of hypnosis is self induced. "In fact, once the process is learned, the patient is able to hypnotize himself and can do so with the same results as with a technician. The technician guides or teaches the patient to master his own trance capacity." Dr. Allen's definition of hypnosis is the ability to sustain, in response to a signal, a state of attentive, receptive, intense focal concentration with dimin- shed peripheral awareness. Or in simpler language Dr. Allen explains, ex-plains, "Normally our vision is about 15 percent in focus and everything else is blurry. In hypnosis one is focusing or concentrating on one specific thing to the exclusion of all else." "The hypnotized person is not asleep, but awake and alert." "Everyone has experienced some level of hypnosis," Dr. Allen points out. "The Lamaze method of child birth is a type of self hypnosis. So is day dreaming. dream-ing. Yoga uses many of the same relaxing relax-ing and focusing exercises that hypnosis hyp-nosis does. An athlete who 'sikes' himself up for an athletic event is using a type of hypnosis. Dentists use hypnosis hyp-nosis to help their patients relax." "However, not everyone can plunge to maximal trance capacity," warns Dr. Allen. "Some people are more susceptible to hypnosis than others." Dr. Herbert Speigel, a phychiatrist and head of the department of psychiatry at Columbia University and his son Dr. David Speigel, also a phsychiatrist, have developed some tests which measure a persons hyp-notizability. hyp-notizability. The results of these tests show that 30 percent are not hypnotisable, 30 percent per-cent are highly susceptible to hypnosis and 40 percent fall somewhere in the middle. "The trance capability of a person seems to be a genetic inherited capability. A person's motivation to be hypnotized may change, but the plane of hypnosis never changes no matter how many times a person is tested." The test developed by the Speigels measures HIP or hypnotic induction profile. Taking a HIP test is simple and only takes about five minutes. The instructor becomes more adept the oftener he gives the test, but according accor-ding to Dr. Allen, it could be administered ad-ministered successfully by my 12 year old daughter reading the instructions to the patient from a book." First the patient is asked to be seated in a comfortable chair, preferably with his feet up. The instructor sits even with the patient and where he can face him. The subject is then asked to hold "your head still and look upward toward your eyebrows. Now look toward the top of your head." I The instructor observes the eye-roll I ' and squint of the patient and records ."f them. 3. 3S1. The patient is then told to close his eyes slowly and "take a deep breath. Exhale. Let your eyes relax while keeping keep-ing the lids closed, and let your body float." The instructor then leads the patient i' through a floating hypnotic exercise 3 during which the patient's reactions are f recorded. 1 The patient is then scored on a 1 to 4 ratio and given a total induction score. ; "A score of 16 means the patient is highly susceptible to hypnosis." i'J "There is a good statistical correla- tion between the results of the HIP test and the patient's ability to be hyp- l notized," Allen stated. 1 "Another test developed by the ;i Steigels and used to help an instructor determine a person's susceptibility to hypnosis is called the Structural Cluster Survey." After much observation the Steigels concluded that there are three basic '' personality types : Dionysians, Appolo-nians Appolo-nians and Odysseans, aptly named after Greek Gods. Dionysians are trusting, prone to be easy going and passionate and are good hypnosis subjects. The Appolonians are individuals who use control and reason a rather than passion. They resist being J' hypnotized. The Odysseans are a combination com-bination of the other two. "A simple test can be given to the patient pa-tient to help the instructor feel the pa- " tient's personality type and tell if hyp- nosis can be induced," says Dr. Allen. -i "Patients are oftimes prone to at- tribute great powers of good or evil to -j the therapist and many expect him to take responsibility for the outcome of -2; the treatment," Dr. Allen warned and then stressed again, "All hypnosis is in reality self-hypnosis." ; 'Hypnosis helps you acknowledge a -;: habit and take control of it." "Hypnotism is not a panacea," cau- j tions Dr. Allen, "it is another tool in a doctor's bag." , ITS |