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Global Health Econ Sustain Hypnosis: Refiguring health care practice

Furthermore, and given that it was the analyst’s task accepted, precipitate a state of mind wherein the analyst’s
to discover the hidden meaning of the material produced everyday judgment or belief on account of self-suggestion
from free association, the instruction to the analyst was: – is suspended and strengthened or new understanding or
Surrender… [yourself] to… [your] own unconscious belief established. To clarify, the analyst’s critical faculty is –
mental activity, in a state of evenly suspended attention. by way of his own suggestion of self-pretence (i.e., paradox)
and by these means to catch the drift of the patient’s – bypassed (i.e., the illogical premise that I [i.e., the
unconscious with… [your] own unconscious” (Freud, analyst] can [consciously choose to] behave unconsciously)
1923/1975, p. 239). and selective thinking established (i.e., I will behave
unconsciously), precipitates a hypnotic effect (i.e., I am
As is evident from these instructions, and contrary
to his assertion that he had “finally dropped hypnosis” behaving unconsciously – referred to as hypnotic illogical
or irrational, although compelling, thinking or belief) that
(Freud, 1917/1977, p. 328), Freud’s technique of free can be intensified or reinforced further by further self-
association involves the utilization of hypnosis, specifically, suggestion and/or eye closure (i.e., transition from waking
waking self-/hypnosis and, moreover – if, on occasion the to trance hypnosis). Similarly, therefore, such instructions
analysand and/or analyst closes their eyes, then likely – can precipitate waking and/or trance self-hypnosis.
trance self-/hypnosis too.
In examining Freud’s instructions, it is evident that his
Beginning with the instructions given to the analysand, technique of free association involved the utilization of
the suggestion “act as though you were a traveller sitting waking and/or trance self- and/or hypnosis. Thus, contrary
next to the window of a railway carriage and describing to Freud’s declaration that he had “finally dropped
to someone inside the carriage the changing views you hypnosis,” his technique of free association was simply a
see outside” may, if accepted, precipitate a state of mind transition from – without apparent awareness thereof – the
wherein the analysand’s everyday judgment or belief is utilization of trance hypnosis to that of waking hypnosis.
suspended and strengthened or new understanding or
belief – on account of the analyst’s suggestion by way of the However, in considering Freud’s development of
selective reinforcement (i.e., trained interpretation) of such psychoanalysis and his use of free association as this
utterances – established. More particularly, the analysand’s relates to the possible integrated utilization of hypnosis
critical faculty is – by way of the analyst’s suggestion of in psychotherapy, today, recognizing that psychoanalysis,
pretence (i.e., think, imagine, visualize, or “act as if”) by virtue of the technique of free association, involves
– bypassed (i.e., the illogical premise that she [or he; the the utilization of hypnosis, enables the practitioner to
analysand] can experience being a traveller sitting next to more readily utilize, by way of continuing, discontinuing,
the window of a railway carriage and describing to someone precipitating waking and/or trance hypnosis and the waking
inside the carriage the changing views she sees outside, state, his or her use of suggestion to increase the efficacy of
when she is here in the analyst’s office talking to her analyst) the patient’s psychotherapeutic – by way of hypnotherapy
and selective thinking established (i.e., I [the analysand] in psychotherapy of psychoanalytic approach – treatment
will experience being a traveller sitting next to the window and, thus, mental and/or physical wellness and wellbeing.
of a railway carriage describing to someone [the analyst], 8. Conclusion
inside the carriage, the changing views I see outside), which
precipitates a hypnotic effect (i.e., I am sitting next to the In reflecting, then, on the possible utilization of hypnosis
window in a railway carriage talking to someone about in health care and thereby the advancement of the practice
what is happening outside – referred to as, be it transient of multidisciplinary health care, itself, the occurrence of
or continuous, hypnotic hallucination [i.e., seeing, hearing, suggestion – that is, waking suggestion, trance hypnosis,
feeling, smelling, or tasting that which is not real or and waking hypnosis, with or without awareness, thereof,
occurring here and now]) that can be intensified or of/by oneself and/or of/by another – cannot be prevented,
reinforced further by the analyst’s additional suggestions only utilized, that is, continued, discontinued, or
and/or the analysand’s eye closure (i.e., transition from precipitated. Therefore:
waking to trance hypnosis). Such instructions, then, can How I suggest to you and how you suggest to me
precipitate waking and/or trance hypnosis. determines the nature and quality of our being
Similarly with the instruction given to the analyst, the (Vorster, 2011). 2
suggestion “surrender yourself to your own unconscious 2 Derived from Vorster’s (2011) work about the relational
mental activity, in a state of evenly suspended attention nature of being, wherein he states, “I relate therefore I am.
and by these means to catch the drift of the patient’s Thus, how I impact on you and how you impact on me
unconscious with your own unconscious” may, again if determines the nature and quality of our being” (p. 130).

Volume 2 Issue 1 (2024) 10 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.1713