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Global Health Econ Sustain Hypnosis: Refiguring health care practice

4. Unenforceable prohibition Report Command

4.1. Misperception about hypnosis Content Relationship
The assumption that hypnosis could be prohibited represents Information How this information is to be taken
a misconception about hypnosis. To understand this What is expressed How it is expressed
misconception, it is necessary to examine the phenomenon Figure 1. The report and command aspects of communication.
of hypnosis more closely. Hypnosis involves the occurrence of
timeous suggestion. In this respect, and returning to Munro’s Note: Every communication is both a report (i.e., expresses
(1917) early thinking, suggestion involves three types. content or information, namely, what is expressed) and
a command (i.e., expresses how the relationship is to be
4.1.1. Suggestion
defined, namely, how this information is to be taken, or how
(A) Trance hypnosis it is expressed; Watzlawick & Weakland, 1977).
This is suggestion communicated in the trance state of Accordingly, because any communication necessarily
hypnosis, that is, hypnosis associated with eye-closure and involves the communication of a command or suggestion,
an accompanying increase in self-awareness and relaxation and because it is not possible to not communicate (Ruesch
(Elman, 1964/1984). & Bateson, 1961; Watzlawick et al., 1967; Watzlawick &
Weakland, 1977; Watzlawick et al., 1974), it is not possible
(B) Waking hypnosis
to not communicate suggestion.
This constitutes suggestion communicated in the waking
state of hypnosis, that is, hypnosis associated with being 4.1.3. Communication as suggestion as hypnosis
“awake” in the sense of being hypnotized without having Furthermore, because hypnosis simply represents a
undergone trance (Elman, 1964/1984). form of a suggestion (Bernheim, 1887/1899; Elman,
1964/1984; Erickson, 1980; Liébeault, 1889/2002; Munro,
(C) Waking suggestion
1917; Phipps, 2019b), human communication necessarily
This represents suggestion communicated without the invokes, on occasion – again with or without awareness,
occurrence of hypnosis (Elman, 1964/1984). thereof – hypnosis of/by oneself (i.e., [auto-/] self-hypnosis)
Hypnosis, then, be it trance or waking hypnosis, and/or of/by another (hypnosis).
necessarily entails the occurrence of timeous suggestion. Therefore, human communication necessarily invokes,
in daily life, not simply waking suggestion but also, on
4.1.2. Communication as suggestion
occasion – again with or without awareness, thereof –
Given that hypnosis involves suggestion, any enforcement trance hypnosis and/or waking hypnosis of/by oneself and/
of the prohibition of the occurrence of hypnosis necessarily or of/by another.
requires enforcement of the prohibition of the occurrence
of suggestion. Human communication, though, necessarily 4.1.4. Hypnosis in daily life
incurs two aspects or functions at any one time, namely, There are many instances of hypnosis occurring
report and command or suggestion (Bateson, 1972; Phipps, spontaneously in daily life (Elman, 1964/1984). Consider,
2004; Phipps, 2019a; Ruesch & Bateson, 1961; van den for example, the crying child who on account of suggestion
Bergh, 2008; Vorster, 2003; Vorster, 2011; Vorster et al., from her mother believes that if the mother should kiss
2013; Watzlawick et al., 1967; Watzlawick & Weakland, her (i.e., “kiss it better”), the pain will disappear (Elman,
1977; Watzlawick et al., 1974). 1964/1984). In this respect, the child believes that the
As shown in Figure 1, every communication has both mother’s kiss will alleviate or even remove the pain. Thus,
a report and a command. The report expresses or conveys the child’s critical faculty is bypassed (i.e., illogical premise
content or information (including what is expressed), that mother’s kiss can alleviate the pain) and selective
whereas the command expresses how the relationship is to thinking is established (i.e., mother’s kiss will alleviate the
be defined or how this information is to be taken (including pain), which precipitates a hypnotic effect (i.e., mother’s
how it is expressed). In other words, every communication kiss has alleviated the pain – referred to as hypnotic
has both a report (content) and a command (relationship) analgesia or anesthesia) occurring without the trance state
aspect, the former expresses information about facts, (i.e., waking hypnosis; Phipps, 2019b).
opinions, feelings, experiences, and so forth, and the Here is another example: It is summertime, the weather
latter defines the nature of the relationship (Watzlawick & temperate, the man is very comfortable, and he is enjoying
Weakland, 1977). the weather immensely (Elman, 1956). Suddenly someone

Volume 2 Issue 1 (2024) 4 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.1713