Modern psychotherapy is subject to almost any disorder. For this, many methods and techniques have been developed. Some of them are still in doubt. However, this does not detract from their effectiveness. These include suggestive therapy. What is it and what are its features, we will find out in this article.
About the method
Suggestion (suggestio) in translation means "suggestion". The first attempts at treatment in this way arose at the beginning of the last century in Europe. The essence of suggestive therapy is that the doctor, with the help of certain manipulations and techniques, "puts" certain information into the patient's consciousness. And all this is aimed at healing, that is, getting rid of certain psychological blocks and addictions that can affect human physiology.
Features
The suggestive method is individual. For each patient, the doctor must find a special approach in order for the treatment to have an effect. These can be persuasive expressions that target a specific typepersonality. The content of these beliefs reflects the treatment measures the therapist should use.
He pronounces the correct phrase clearly and distinctly, while maintaining a low, firm and calm tone. Each word carries a program, its meaning is deep and thought out in advance. Only in rare cases can a specialist change his tone and move on to harsh statements. Again, it all depends on the particular case.
Views
Suggestive methods are divided into three types. This is hypnosis, persuasion and auto-training. Each of them has its own characteristics or hooks that allow you to effectively influence the patient. Let's take a closer look at each of these types of suggestive influence.
Hypnosis
This kind is also called the "partial" sleep state. The patient enters a trance with the help of a psychotherapist. This process allows not only to suggest, but also to reveal the true causes of certain mental disorders of the patient. This technique allows you to penetrate into the unconscious person and put an important message into it in order to get rid of addiction or illness. This is perhaps the most effective method of suggestive psychology.
Hypnosis has been known for over three thousand years. It was used by the priests of Ancient Egypt and healers of the East, calling it "animal magnetism". Over the centuries, it has undergone many changes in public understanding and perception. In Russia, scientists Vladimir Bekhterev and Konstantin Platonov made a great contribution to the development of hypnosis at the beginning of the 20th century. AmongEuropean scientists are known for the works and experiments of Sigmund Freud, Milton Erickson, Dave Elman.
Contraindications to the hypnotic method are epilepsy, hysterical reactions in the form of uncontrollable laughter / crying, convulsive seizures. Also, psychotherapists refrain from conducting hypnosis with a delay in the intellectual development of a patient, when he takes psychotropic drugs or in a state of narcotic, alcoholic intoxication. Pregnancy of women in the first three months and somatic diseases in the acute stage are also included in the list of contraindications for hypnosis.
Persuasion
This process is done while the patient is awake. Perhaps that is why it is considered more complex in terms of the degree of influence. The specialist needs to find the right approach, "impulse points" and correctly influence the emotions and consciousness of a person, while bypassing the control of the mind.
Distinguish between open, camouflaged and rational beliefs. The former presuppose a direct message from the psychotherapist that he is influencing the patient and wants to make a certain substitution of concepts in his mind. Phrases here are usually built like this: "I will count to three and it will happen …". However, human consciousness cannot always be caught on such hooks.
Rational beliefs include certain logical concepts and explanations that the specialist uses. The standard phrases here sound something like this: "You are forbidden (should not) do this and that, because …". This kind of suggestion also worksnot with all patients.
Suggestive psychotherapy most often uses hidden beliefs. They include three techniques: a sequence of phrases before an agreement, surprise and creative moments, banality.
The first technique involves a set of phrases that are pronounced by a psychotherapist with an emphasis on the patient's consent and its manifestation in the form of body responses (relaxation, restoration of even and calm breathing). For example: "You came to see me … you are sitting in a comfortable chair now … you are relaxed … you have a problem … but after our session you will feel much better." The first part of a series of phrases is aimed at the consent of the patient, and the words "you will get better" is the belief.
Surprise and creative moments are pure improvisation of a psychotherapist who sees a patient in front of him who needs a special approach.
Banality is a set of phrases that the patient cannot refute. After another confirmation of the "banal message" the patient's consciousness automatically meets the conviction positively. For example: "When a person is comfortable, he is relaxed. Each person solves problems in his own way. Your symptom will disappear after your unconscious understands that you are able to solve problems constructively." It may also include proverbs and sayings that are related to the topic of the session.
So, in a number of seemingly ordinary phrases with a confirmation vector, the specialist uses the hook of suggestive influence - persuasion. Contraindications here are the use of psychotropic drugs and emotionalarousal.
Autotraining
This technique is also called self-hypnosis or self-hypnosis. Already from the definition it is clear that all the work is done by the patient independently, but under the strict supervision of a specialist. In the process of auto-training in the human body, a self-healing mechanism is launched, getting rid of bad habits, and the like. At the level of physiology, there is an increase in the tone of the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system, which helps to neutralize stress reactions.
Auto-training was proposed as a therapeutic method back in the 30s of the last century by the German scientist Johann Schulz. In Russia, this method became widespread only 20 years later.
Auto-training is not just the repetition of the same key phrase. This is a whole series of exercises that are divided into two stages. The lowest includes auto-training exercises to restore even breathing, a calm heartbeat, dilate blood vessels, and relax muscles. The exercises of the highest level consist in calling up mental images of a certain color, shape and size. This is followed by the transfer of this subject to a specific object of reality and the formation of abstract concepts (for example, happiness or joy) in the form of these images. During this training, the patient experiences what Johann Schulz called "the catharsis of hypnosis".
Also, auto-training training for the goal of exposure includes five categories:
- neutralizing (form in the patient indifference toirritating factors, for example: "pollen, I don't care" - for allergies);
- reinforcing (activate hidden thought processes, for example: "I will wake up when I want to go to the toilet" - with enuresis);
- paradoxical (use the effects of "reverse action" of formula phrases with a suggestive function);
- abstinence-directed (relieve bad habits and addictions, for example: smoking, alcoholism);
- supportive (considered the softest, stimulate the development of positive personality traits).
Contraindications for auto-training are confusion, delirium, acute somatic seizures, autonomic crises.
Treatment stages
The course of treatment with suggestive techniques is several days, usually no more than two weeks. One session lasts approximately 45 minutes, however, each patient still needs an individual time period.
Specialists distinguish three stages, or stages, of standard suggestive influence: lulling, suggestion, and waking up the patient. If everything is more or less clear with suggestion (and its variants), then let's deal with the two border stages.
Putting the patient to sleep
This stage is basic and promotes relaxation, setting the patient up for the upcoming treatment session. There are several suggestive techniques for introducing a person into the desired state of rest or "partial" sleep. Most often it is just monotonous speech with certain hook words. However, sleeping pillsThe sound of the sea surf, metronomic tapping, the buzzing of a buzzer, fixing the patient's gaze on one shiny object, etc., also have an effect.
Sleep is not required in case of ordinary persuasion or auto-training. As a preparatory part here, the therapist simply applies techniques to maximize the patient's relaxation. This is necessary in order for the body to be open to accepting the suggestion from the doctor and stopping certain mental and physiological abnormalities.
As for hypnosis, there are three degrees of lulling: somnolence (superficial muscle relaxation), hypotaxia (complete muscle relaxation) and somnambulism (deep sleep). During this type of suggestion, the patient hears the voice of the therapist and responds to his instructions.
Waking up the patient
Waking up the patient is the final step in hypnosuggestive psychotherapy. In the vast majority of cases, this stage passes without complications. The suggestive approach here is that the doctor simply inspires his patient with the information that after waking up he will feel well-rested and rested. For processing, the same key phrases, ordinal count, sound effects, etc. are used.
What is being treated?
Suggestive therapy is very effective for the treatment of psychosomatic diseases that manifest themselves at the psychological and physiological levels. A positive effect of the method was noted in getting rid of headaches of various etiologies, asthma attacks,panic attacks, neuroses and even bronchial asthma. Also, the reception of suggestion allows you to cope with allergic reactions and skin ailments.
This treatment should not be imposed. Many patients are skeptical about suggestive therapy. However, this only reduces the effectiveness of the method. Before the start of the sessions, it is very important for the psychotherapist to have a conversation with the patient to explain to him the essence and principles of the suggestion. A person's faith and his voluntary desire are the prerequisites for such therapy. However, when dealing with drug and alcohol addiction, patients often do not follow the instructions of a psychotherapist or are afraid / unwilling to undergo treatment. In this case, suggestion therapy will have no effect.
Conclusion
Currently, suggestive therapy is gaining popularity. It is considered an absolutely safe method of influencing the human psyche. The only exception is deep hypnosis. It must be carried out only under the supervision of an experienced, qualified specialist.
Also, psychotherapists recommend using it for the treatment of serious somatic and psychosomatic diseases in a complex way, alternating suggestive therapy with medication, meditations and other types of treatment and wellness techniques.
