hypnotherapy and ADD

[Dennis]

@Bill

Hi Bill, don’t mind me. This is not personal, so please take my criticism for what it is. Criticism of hypnosis.

I will absolutely not discount the skill of the hypnotherapist. If a hypnotist is a trained and certified in clinical mental health or as trained mental health counselor, and is licensed to practice, then a hypnotist can deliver those services that meet the license without objection from me.

Yep! Anyone can achieve exactly what the hypnotist can offer as a hypnotist. I’m sure a hypnotist will tell you that. Guided is not meant to be an exotic term that is meant to intone some great special skill needed to get one to relax and let go, so to speak. It is just a guide. Larynxa points to meditation, which for all intents and purposes, does more good, with the exception of the weirdo’s who produce meditation “FILL IN PROBLEM HERE” cd’s and DVDs. Mediation is meditation, not an industry.

Certainly an anxious person, or a person who feels hopeless, or a person who feels powerless, or a person suffering from depression, certainly they deserve legitimate, safe, and effective therapy. Hypnotherapy by itself, does not do that. The phrase “Hypnotherapy helps people deal with negative thoughts and behaviors quickly and easily “. Quickly and easily, I have serious doubts with.

CBT is a time tested therapy and a well honed psychological tool. Comparing CBT to hypnosis is ridiculous to me.

Now for my biggest bone of contention. Wendi Friesen.

This women claims, with the use of her hypnosis recordings, you can “Quit Smoking”, “Stop Procrastination”, stop “Bedwetting”, heal “Cancer”, stop “Snoring”, gain “Financial Abundance”, “Increase Penis Size”, increase “Fertility”, “Breast Enlargement”, all in all, about 300 cds and DVDs. This is the world of hypnosis.

That is why I have a problem with the use of hypnosis for anyone, for anything, except entertainment, and even at that the subject will admit to playing along.

Peace

Dennis ʘ‿ʘ

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[Bill]

@ Dennis

Thank you for your well reasoned response. I agree with most of what you are saying. Unfortunately, hypnotherapy is an unregulated profession, so there is a wide range of claims. KNOW YOUR THERAPIST is an important piece of advice regardless of the treatment modality. I used Wendi Friesen as an example only to help someone who said they found that the slow, monotonous approach didn’t work for them. Wendi is a high energy, rapid fire hypnotist. I agree that Wendi can’t cure cancer or increase the size of someone’s breasts.

“Comparing CBT to hypnosis is ridiculous to me.” is where we obviously disagree. I have the advantage that I have used both. In the hands of a skilled, sensitive practitioner they both provide a framework for positive change. They are not as different as you might think. CBT, which uses conscious tools to affect change in the subconscious, can include guided visualization, and Hypnotherapy, which uses subconscious tools to affect changes in conscious behavior, often includes coaching to help the person implement the changes they imagined.

I have spoken about my experience with CBT elsewhere on this site. It was helpful in adding structure to my understanding and giving me a framework to analyze the thoughts I was experiencing. Hypnotherapy helped me stop feeling like a loser. One particular session stands out for me. I don’t know if you’ve ever felt as though different “parts” of you were battling each other. In my case, it was a hyper-critical inner voice that kept pointing out my failings and mistakes. I remember describing it to a therapist as the feeling that I had a “self-destructive gene.” Hypnotherapy helped me imagine a conversation between those two parts, leading to mutual understanding and re-integration. There are other ways of achieving the same result. Hypnotherapy happens to be the way that allowed me to stop fighting myself. I’m not saying it’s the only way. I just object to it being dismissed.

Let me finish with some practical advice from Gerard Egan in the basic psychology text, _The Skilled Helper_. He points out on page 45 that as many as 40% of therapists report that they follow an “eclectic” approach – a combination of various models, rather than a strict adherence to one. They balance their theoretical training with their professional experience. The key to success is finding a good fit with a therapist, regardless of their model. Don’t let labels, like “CBT,” “Hypnotherapy” or even “ADHD” box you in.

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[Anonymous]

Ok I tried hypnosis. The relaxation part had been benificial. Then I requsted additional hypnosis as a stop smoking aid. First of all It has been suggested that ADHDers are very difficult to hypnotise, consequently it takes many sessions to even begin to train an ADHDer to go into a hypnotic suggestive state. Anyhow in terms of the quite smoking treatment, the tharapist suggested I envision a world without cigerettes. Afterwards for some reason I started stockpileing cartons of cigerettes as if I were preparing for the end of the world, like I somehow believed the world was about to run out of cigerettes. I belive for the most part entering a deep hypnotic trance for someone with ADD is very difficult and as such requires allot of guided training

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[Anonymous]

Interesting to find this as a topic. Thank you ShaneG, I probably would never have broached it.

In the 80’s I went to a hypnotist here in Chicago. I quit smoking for 4 months (very comfortably) and was picked up from a demotivated state. Needless to say old habits became prominent as I went into high pressure sales where everyone was drinking cigarettes and smoking coffee, poor pun intended.

I realized the value of what had happened and went again to the original hypnotist. With a lackluster result, I tried several others with similar results. From there I became insistant, reading pertinent chapters of many textbooks, many books and tapes of all stripe, articles and papers. Freud, Jung, Bandler and Grinder (NLP), Milton Erickson, among others. Without result I kept the quest into the mid 90’s. Seeing the PBS program my jaw was dropped in general but really hit the floor with the comment of hypnotism. It explained a LOT, and believably. But not everything …….

I’d taken a course of classroom hypnosis from a distinguished gentleman with real standing. Somehow I believed the efficiacy of this though I did felt little moved in any way. Suggestion? I was thoughtful of accepting offers from himself and several other hypnotists to take work in the field, but being so largely unaffected myself, I did not feel capable or truly called to help. Anyway, Mickey Mouse can get certified as I was to find later.

What happened originally was perhaps a fluke, or perhaps I was really into it when the old guy said to relax, etc,. as it was an 8AM appointment, me being no early riser. Then, the induction and suggestion was old timey as compared to what I’ve since experienced.

I haven’t given up the ghost of hope, but feel at present the “operator” or therapist would need to be exceptional for any venture on my part. As in any field there are many, but few capable therapists. NLP seems a claim I’ve seen but not equaled. Ericksonian ditto. I simply don’t have the influence or funds to go any further in the search, though I believe there is some merit and reason. Milton Erickson said something that’s intrigued me and stuck- “There are no resistant patients only inflexible therapists.” But, too, both he and Jung got no positive results with alcoholics, which may have some sway, if only topical.

Still suggest an account of Emile Coue by Dr Harry Brooks “The Practice of Autosuggestion”. It’s simple and not at all like the complicated mish mosh the high line psychologists made of Coue and his method.

Looking forward to hearing of any successes (or failures) in this subject. Thank you.

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[Bill]

In another post, Dr. J. said, “I believe the core treatment agenda is to build your self esteem. That is why we try to inject so much humor into this site. People need to laugh more and realize, hey, [ I ] can get through this. There is a reason why ADHD is often so intertwined with depression and anxiety.”

My experience with hypnotherapy has been that it hasn’t changed my basic nature (i.e. the ADHD is still there), but it has done a lot to address self esteem issues (i.e. the feeling that I’m constantly fighting with/criticizing myself), so that I am free to figure out what works instead of obsessing over what’s failing. I remember saying to a CBT therapist that I felt like I had a “self-destructive gene.” Hypnotherapy helped me release the negative emotions and left me with a tool I can use to still my mind, even standing in a crowded bus.

It is not the only way, but it has the advantage of being drug free, simple and comparatively cheap. It was also a fun way to explore how my mind works. I learned a lot from the experience.

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[Anonymous]

Bill- It’s interesting that you feel you’ve been moved at all by hypnosis. Of course self esteem is important, but the first time it worked, it also got me off my butt, which I need to happen now. I may have mentioned I don’t have the means to seek out competent help for personal sessions, and feel in so many cases I would be disappointed anyway as there seem to be intangibles whether by the veracity of the operator or by quirks and timings related to me. Think I’ll look a little further into a breakthrough. Maybe it’s closer to realization than I presently suspect.

Humor ? Oh! Did you hear the one about the non ADD guy who ……. Aw, never mind, that would be mean pickin’ on those guys.

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[Anonymous]

PS- CBT ? The only acronyms that come to mind are KFC and the Y’s, CEO and VP and I dunno. Not up on any buzzwords or acronyms relating here. CBT ?

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[Bill]

@notpoppin – sorry for the acronym – CBT = cognitive behavioral therapy

*loved* that joke!

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