discovering causes with hypnotic regression r.hunter

7/29/2019 Discovering Causes With Hypnotic Regression R.huntER

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Discovering Causes withDiscovering Causes with Hypnotic RegressionHypnotic Regressionby C. Roy Hunter, Ph.D., FAPHP, CHI

For several years people in hypnosis forums have hotly debated thetopic of regression. Here is a brief summary of arguments for andagainst this technique…

Those who use regression often state the opinion that it is veryuseful in helping the subconscious discover and release the causeof a problem, and that effective use of regression therapy often getslasting results.Those who oppose the use of regression usually state one or bothof the following reasons for opposing its use: (1) the risk of falsememories, and/or (2) the belief that clients do not need toexperience abreactions (emotional discharges) while remembering

unpleasant experiences from their past. Occasionally a third reasonis posted, criticizing hypnotherapists who use regression withalmost every client.While I both use and teach regression therapy, my objective in thisarticle is to discuss both sides of the debate…and do so with theexperience of 29 years in the hypnosis profession. I will start mydiscussion with the primary concern raised by those who oppose it.

Risk of False MemoriesRisk of False MemoriesThis concern is very genuine, with a basis in the misuse of regression through inappropriate leading. Sadly, there are manyexamples of false memories cause by hypnotists who projectedtheir own preconceived opinions into a trance journey for their clients. A number of these bad examples happened in the mentalhealth community by therapists doing “memory reconstruction,”resulting in litigation by family members who fought allegations of past abuse.Unfortunately people in the hypnosis profession have also jumpedboldly into regression without adequate training, implanting false

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memories in some of their clients.One event that got national media attention resulted from a manwho took a short hypnosis course, and then regressed a client backto alleged abuse from a priest. It later turned out that the hypnotist

(deliberate choice of words) did inappropriate leading and projectedpreconceived opinions into the session. The result was a taintedtrance, as well as bad publicity for our profession.Unless you understand the risk of false memories and know how tominimize this risk, you may very well wish to listen to the criticsregarding this issue. I myself was on the receiving end of amishandled regression, and wrote an article appearing on mywebsite.Paul Durbin has some important articles on his website relating tofalse memories; and you may also wish to do some additionalresearch regarding the risk of false memories.That being said, asking the “W” questions helps to minimize therisk: what, when, where, who, why, and how (which ends in “w”).

Also, a good pre-talk with a client helps reduce the risk; becauseanytime emotion is involved, our perception of an event can differ from facts. This is obvious when two children at school witness afight and give different versions to a teacher just five minutes later.Now let's consider the benefits of using regression to discover andrelease the cause(s) of problems...

Discovering the Cause(s) of ProblemsDiscovering the Cause(s) of ProblemsOne of the gemstones of hypnotherapy I learned from CharlesTebbetts in 1983 involved four primary hypnotherapy objectives:suggestion and imagery, discover the cause, release, andsubconscious relearning (or reprogramming).

It was Charlie’s opinion that if we simply suggest away thesymptoms (which he called “band-aid therapy”) without discoveringand releasing the core cause, the subconscious was fully capableof either returning the same problem or another one that wasworse. An example was a client pulling hair and eyelashes. After the behavior was “released” with hypnotic suggestion and NLPwithout discovering and releasing the cause, several weeks later hewas scratching his arms with his fingernails and drawing blood.

Some years ago a business told me personally that his employer told him to either deal with his fear of flying and see a new client inSydney, or face a demotion. He saw a hypnotist who used a quick

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phobia release, which apparently lasted long enough for him tohave a pleasant outbound flight to Sydney. Three weeks later, onthe return flight, his subconscious bought back the phobia with avengeance! He told me that he was so terrified flying six miles

above the Pacific Ocean that he literally believed he was going tohave a heart attack.In the above example, this man’s core cause of the fear of flyingwas still buried in the subconscious; and it took only one regressionsession to discover and release the cause.Over the years I’ve seen a number of clients who have experiencedbacksliding after seeing another hypnosis profession who failed todiscover and release the causes of their problems.There are two primary events to discover: the Initial SensitizingEvent (the first time a client is sensitized to the emotionssurrounding a problem), and the event that activates the problem(which Tebbetts called the Activating Event). They may be one andthe same, or they may be separated by days, months, or years.BOTH events, if separate, must be discovered and released.If you have not received formal training in regression therapy, Isuggest that you network with another hypnotherapist who isalready trained and experienced…and/or seek formal trainingyourself. In my professional opinion, you will be doing both yourself and your clients a service!

Should We Use Regression for MostShould We Use Regression for Most Clients?Clients?My response to the above question is a resounding NO! CharlesTebbetts warned against the exclusive use of any technique, evenparts therapy (which he pioneered). Instead, he taught us to fit the

technique to the client rather than vice versa.Over the years, way less than half of my clients ever experiencehypnotic regression. Likewise, less than half experience partstherapy.That being said, I will continue to argue FOR the client centered useof regression to discover and release the causes of problems aslong as it is facilitated by hypnotherapists who are competentlytrained.

Are some professionals making mistakes with hypnotic regression?My answer is YES; but let’s not throw out the baby with thebathwater. There will always be a place for client centered

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regression.

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discovering causes with hypnotic regression r.hunter

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