American Buddhist Net

Has some interesting detail about hypnotism near the end. ABN
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June 25, 2008 4:05 PM, by Chris Chatham

In a fascinating review of the cognitive neuroscience of attention, authors Raz and Buhle note that most research on attention focuses on defining situations in which it is no longer required to perform a task - in other words, the automatization of thought and behavior. Yet relatively few studies focus on whether thought and behavior can be de-automatized - or, as I might call it if I were asking for trouble, deprogrammed.

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April 25, 2008
By NEELY STEINBERG

...So what is hypnosis, really? The key, Benton explains, is the cooperation of the unconscious mind, which he likens to a computer’s hard drive. Every event you experience and every corresponding emotion is stored, uncritically, in your unconscious mind. The conscious mind, on the other hand, is like RAM — which consumes only about five percent of the computer’s power. The conscious mind is critical, ethical, judgmental, and protective; hence, for people to heal via hypnotism, it needs to be circumvented.

Once a subject is induced, the therapist aims suggestions, affirmations, and the like at the unconscious mind. This can allow people to overcome their psychological demons and even some medical issues, such as skin disorders, high blood pressure, and fibryomyalgia.

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19 April 2008
By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor

Alex Lenkei is not the first patient to reject an anaesthetic in favour of hypnosis before undergoing surgery – but he may be the first to have hypnotised himself.

At Worthing Hospital, Sussex, the 61-year-old registered hypnotist sedated himself with techniques he has used since the age of 16. The surgery, carried out last Wednesday, involved taking a sliver of bone from the base of his right thumb and fusing the joint in a bid to improve his arthritis.

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18th March 2008
By KATHY SYKES

As a scientist, I have always been cautious about alternative therapies — I would rather put my faith in conventional medicine, which has been put through numerous trials and research, and proven to work through rigorous experiments.

And save for the occasional massage, I would certainly never spend my own money on alternative treatments. Some of my fellow scientists have even stronger views and dismiss it all as quackery.

...But having spent the past few months examining the scientific facts about hypnotherapy, reflexology and meditation — three of the fastest growing therapies in the UK — I'm beginning to understand their appeal.

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Women's Health News
Published: Wednesday, 29-Aug-2007

Researchers say women who undergo surgery for breast cancer may be helped in the recovery process if they have a hypnosis session beforehand.

It seems that just one session of hypnosis is enough to lessen the pain experienced and eases the recovery from breast cancer surgery.

The researchers at New York's Mount Sinai Medical Center conducted a study of 200 women about to undergo breast cancer surgery; the surgery was either for a breast biopsy or a lumpectomy (surgery to remove a breast tumor while saving as much of the breast as possible).

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This is an excellent essay. Well-worth reading. I disagree, though, with Burns' summary dismissal of hypnosis since it appears to be based on a misunderstanding of the methods and purposes of this wonderful art. (Hypnosis is not about "mystical trance" states, but about direct, positive engagement with deep states of mind.) I believe Burns has also misunderstood why Freud abandoned hypnosis (a common mistake). For a better understanding of hypnosis, look into the work of Milton Erickson. An excellent book on hypnosis is "Hidden Depths: The story of hypnosis" by Robin Waterfield. I mention this not to detract from Burns' essay, which is first-rate, but to encourage better understanding of hypnosis and how it sheds light on Buddhist meditation and mindfulness practices. Hypnosis is closer to the jhana or samadhi states than to "meditation" as seen through the four foundations of mindfulness. Hypnosis is a very rich area for inquiry and an excellent angle for Westerners to begin approaching Buddhist teachings. Properly understood, hypnosis may also add a great deal to the practices of traditional Buddhists. ABN
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by Douglas M. Burns

Mind is the forerunner of all (evil) conditions.
Mind is their chief, and they are mind-made.
If, with an impure mind, one speaks or acts,
Then suffering follows one
Even as the cart wheel follows the hoof of the ox.

Mind is the forerunner of all (good) conditions.
Mind is their chief, and they are mind-made.
If, with a pure mind, one speaks or acts,
Then happiness follows one
Like a never-departing shadow.

These words, which are the opening lines of the Dhammapada, were spoken by Gotama Buddha 2500 years ago. They illustrate the central theme of Buddhist teaching, the human mind.

Buddhism is probably the least understood of all major religions. Indeed, from an Occidental viewpoint we might well question whether it warrants the title of religion. In the West we are accustomed to thinking of theology in terms of God, revelation, obedience, punishment, and redemption. The themes of creation, worship, judgment, and immortality have been major concerns in the Christian heritage and are virtually inseparable from our concept of religion. Against such a cultural background Western man views Buddhism and in so doing unconsciously projects his own concepts, values and expectations. Erroneously he perceives ceremonies and bowing as examples of worship or even idolatry.

He may extol its scientific world view or abhor and condemn its "atheism." The Buddha is vaguely equated with God or Jesus, and meditation is suspected of being a hypnotic approach to mysticism or an escape from reality.

However, such erroneous notions of the Dhamma, the teaching of the Buddha, are not entirely the result of Western ignorance and ethnocentrism. Before his demise the Buddha predicted that within a thousand years his doctrine would fall into the hands of men of lesser understanding and would thereby become corrupted and distorted.1 Such has been the case throughout much, if not most, of the Orient. Ritual has replaced self-discipline, faith has replaced insight, and prayer has replaced understanding.

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January 2, 2007 -- The third annual World Hypnotism Day, Thursday, January 4, 2007, gives hypnotists an opportunity to increase awareness and understanding about hypnosis. In fact, a special website can be visited at http://www.worldhypnotismday.com.

Hypnosis is now known to be a successful approach for positive and healthy personal change, says Personal Success Coach and certified hypnotist, Don L. Price. Hypnosis has been found to be quick, comfortable, effective, and lasting., says Mr. Price.

What anyone should know about hypnotism:

* How hypnotism is working in your life, even without a hypnotist.

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Hypnosis done correctly is good. "Trance" states are entirely natural and a fundamental part of being human. Exploring them is central to Buddhist practice. Jill, why buy into public ignorance of hypnosis with a lead like that? ABN

By Jillian O'Connor, Staff Writer

I've never been a big fan of hypnosis — possibly because of the subliminal influence of a "Flintstones" episode where the good people of Bedrock are called upon to cluck like chickens.

But there were no indications of a master plan to force very pregnant women to make barnyard noises at a recent hypnobirthing seminar held by Michelle Leclaire O'Neill, a clinical psychologist and registered nurse.

The emphasis was instead on deep relaxation and learning to make ourselves comfortable at a Pacific Palisades conference center nestled in Temescal Gateway Park, held on the site of an ancient Indian birthing ground, according to O'Neill.

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By SANDRA BLAKESLEE
Published: May 5, 2006

For those who dread a colonoscopy or a root canal so much that they avoid it altogether, scientists have good news.

The first study ever to look at where sensations of dread arise in the brain finds that contrary to what is widely believed, dread does not involve fear and anxiety in the moment of an unpleasant event. Instead, it derives from the attention that people devote beforehand to what they think will be extremely unpleasant.

So the solution to dread, the researchers say, is self-distraction.

"We sort of knew that things like self-hypnosis help relieve dread, but now we know why," said Dr. Gregory S. Berns, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University, who led the study.

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Because the deliberate induction of altered states of consciousness is part of the training and practice of shamanic healers, these states are culturally familiar to many Africans. But they are very unfamiliar to most Europeans.

Kleinman writes: ‘trance and possession states are ubiquitous in non-western societies and were so in the West prior to the modern age ... Only the modern secular west seems to have blocked individuals’ access to these otherwise pan-human dimensions of self’ (1988, p.50).

A trance deliberately induced as part of a shamanic ritual is not, of course, regarded as a disorder. However, if such states occur spontaneously or persist outside of the ritual practice they become a problem. The person who experiences this may seek treatment.

By Clifford Sawhney
Despite misty origins, hypnotism and hypnosis is increasingly being used as a tool in healing, entertainment and self-improvement

The leopard stalked the chital on silken paws. The herd fled, except for a sub-adult who stood transfixed. As their eyes met, the chital froze. It was hypnotized with fear. Within seconds, the leopard sank its teeth into her jugular. In her anaesthetized state, the chital felt nothing. Death in a trance was painless.

Holroyd, Jean
Two aspects of Buddhist meditation-concentration and mindfulness-are discussed in relationship to hypnosis. Mindfulness training facilitates the investigation of subjective responses to hypnosis. Concentration practice leads to altered states similar to those in hypnosis, both phenomenologically and neurologically. The similarities and differences between hypnosis and meditation are used to shed light on perennial questions: (1) Does hypnosis involve an altered state of consciousness? (2) Does a hypnotic induction increase suggestibility? I conclude that a model for hypnosis should include altered states as well as capacity for imaginative involvement and expectations.

I posted this comment after an article on hypnosis. I am putting it in the forum section now because I think the subject is of major importance to Buddhists, as well as to others.
Comment:
Hypnotists are more or less forced to defend themselves with simple treatments like weight-loss or stopping smoking due to a persistent failure in the West to probe and understand deep states of consciousness. Meditative states are very similar to hypnotic ones--and basic trance states are a natural part of human consciousness--but the West has historically down-played this part of the mind or, more recently, demanded that it always be investigated on some "objective" basis. Hypnosis, as does meditation, works largely with semi-conscious, subjective states of mind. What is samantha-vipassana but "contemplation" within a "samadhi state"--or "auto-suggestion" within a "hypnotic" one? For their part, hypnotists need to look beyond the shallow state of Western understanding of their craft and learn more about the depths of samadhi states as they have been understood for centuries in India and East Asia. These states have also been abused in the East by fake "guru" types, so all of us need to be careful that the people or group that we place our trust in is worthy of such profound commitment. I hope someone will comment on this subject because there is a great deal more that can be said.
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