About this time last year, I was sitting in the Zen Room at Healing Leaves Holistic Center with some fellow team members during one of our quarterly Open Houses, when hypnotherapist Amber Law turned to me and said "I still have yet to understand how what you do (within a Shamanic Healing Session) is different from what I do."
"I bang a drum," I responded with a belted laugh.
And while this is accurate pertaining to my practice, it definitely does not speak to the entirety of the similarities and differences between the two. I actually recall meeting someone a few years ago just as I had finally accepted my calling as a Shamanic practitioner, whom upon learning this said, "I'm kind of like a modern day Shaman! I'm a hypnotherapist!" And just as he said it, I heard a crackle of lightning as my brain linked the connection.
(I know this may seem slightly detached and a little naive but I had truthfully never thought of Shamanic journeying that way. As someone who had quite literally stumbled into the experience through a devoted meditation practice, I hadn't given a lot of thought to the similarities of the trance-like states that I found myself unconsciously self-inducing and the work of a hypnotherapist. I quite honestly didn't even have the language for what I was experiencing during meditation until years later, when I crossed paths with Shamanic Practitioner Roger Lockshier.)
Of course. Shamanic journeying and hypnotherapy are alike in that both involve inducing altered states of consciousness for the purpose of healing and transformation. But what other links do they share? Let's explore!
Shamans explore three realms of consciousness: the Lower World, the Middle World, and the Upper World... akin to the subconscious, conscious, and superconscious in hypnosis' trance states. These realms are navigated through journeying, or trance, which allows access to these nonlocal realities.
The Lower World: In "standard hypnosis," the client is guided to relax and visualize descending, often through methods like counting backward or imagining descending a stairway, mountain, or elevator. Similarly, in Shamanic journeying to the Lower Worlds, the shaman envisions descending into the earth, perhaps through a cave or tree opening.
The Lower World elicits theta and delta brainwave states, facilitating healing, soul retrieval, and the exploration of belief systems. Theta, akin to a twilight state, fosters deep trance and neurological activity, while delta, associated with Slow Wave Sleep, promotes healing and detached awareness. Theta is characterized by meditation, intuition, and memory, providing a platform for profound experiences.
The Middle World: Journeying to the Middle World parallels the conversational hypnosis techniques employed by Dr. Milton H. Erickson, utilizing storytelling and guided creative imagination visualizations. These methods, often referred to as hypnotic language patterns, prompt individuals to invent or daydream solutions to their concerns.
Unlike traditional hypnosis, there is no emphasis on relaxation or deepening techniques like counting backward. Instead, stories and fairy tales are used to reframe problems and facilitate acceptance of suggestions. These narratives engage the mind, allowing individuals to visualize scenarios vividly, akin to Shamanic journeying.
The Middle World closely resembles the present outer reality and is utilized for effecting changes in this realm. It corresponds to alpha brainwave states and waking hypnosis, inducing a state of relaxed consciousness conducive to stress reduction and heightened creativity. This state mirrors creative visualization techniques, fostering a pleasurable and relaxed mental state essential for problem-solving and transformation.
The Upper World: The journey to the Upper World in Shamanism involves various imagery, such as ascending a rope into the clouds, climbing a tree, or floating through a hole in the sky. This journey aims to gain a different perspective using the "higher" creative mind, accessing higher learning, inspiration and focus.
In hypnosis, the equivalent journey is known as hyperempiria. Unlike standard hypnosis techniques involving counting backward, hyperempiria involves ascending numerically, often with imagery of climbing upward. This method employs vivid imaginative role-play to stimulate creativity. It taps into the superconscious mind, where entities like gods and spirit guides reside. This realm corresponds to gamma brainwave frequencies associated with peak concentration and cognitive functioning.
A few other similarities include:
0 Comments