It's Time to Invite the "Crazy Cousin" to the Family Picnic: Why Every Therapist Should Know Much More About the Hypnosis They're Already (Sort of) Doing

The field of hypnosis has moved to the forefront of objective research in striving to understand the many dimensions of subjective experience. High quality neuroscientific evidence for changes in the way the brain and mind interact offer compelling evidence that there is much more to hypnosis than meets the eye. The old “hocus-pocus” days are long, long gone and thinking of hypnosis as the “crazy cousin” that nobody wants at the family picnic is simply a misinformed and obsolete perspective. Modern hypnosis focuses on attentional processes and how they relate to cognition, mood and behavior. The reasons why are obvious: What you focus on shapes your responses and quality of life. Hypnosis can be thought of as a means of helping people re-direct attention to that which will help them achieve their aims. The field of clinical hypnosis is broad, deep and fascinating, and most impressive of all is the capacity of hypnosis to empower people, as the studies of therapeutic efficacy clearly show. In this address I will share some insights about hypnosis and the merits of integrating its many uses into clinical practice as well as personal growth.