Brain Waves
The brain is an electrochemical organ, discharging electrical vibrations constantly in the form of brain waves. There are four main categories of these brain waves, ranging from the most activity to the least activity. When the brain is awake and actively engaged in mental activities, it generates Beta waves. Being actively engaged in a conversation would mean our brain produces predominantly Beta waves. The next brain wave category in order of frequency is Alpha. Alpha waves represent relaxation, so whenever we daydream or do something relaxing we are usually in this state. The next state, Theta brain waves are of even slower frequency, where we can mentally disengage and become free flowing and creative in our ideas. Regular meditators easily achieve this pattern. The final main brain wave state is Delta. Here the brain waves are of the slowest frequency in the group and we enter the sleep state. Our brains do a lot of reorganising and regenerating while we sleep.
The Trance State
The Alpha and Theta states of consciousness are often referred to as trance states. Many cultures know a great deal about theses trance states and have been using them as a means to gain healing and enlightenment for centuries. Studies have shown that vibrations from rhythmic sounds have a profound effect on brain activity. In shamanic traditions, drums were used in periodic rhythm to transport the shaman into other realms of reality. The vibrations from this constant rhythm affected the brain in a very specific manner, taking the shaman to the Theta state and allowing them to achieve an altered state of consciousness. In this realm, cures for physical and spiritual sicknesses are revealed to the shaman. We see similar effects brought on by the constant and rhythmic Tibetan Buddhist chants, which transport the monks into the meditation zone.
How Can Hypnosis Help?
So how can we make use of this scientific information about the brain to help us in our everyday lives? How can we benefit from these Alpha and Theta states of relaxation and creativity in our mental and emotional life? Hypnosis evolved from a growing understanding in the West of the principles of Eastern meditation techniques. Hypnosis is a focused state of relaxation, characterised by the predominance of Alpha waves produced by the brain. Some people are also able to generate a predominance of Theta waves while in hypnosis. While in these states of altered consciousness, our minds are much more imaginative and our subconscious mind in particular is more readily accessible to therapeutic intervention in the form of positive suggestions.
Introducing the Nucleus Basalis
Hypnosis is also excellent for switching on the nucleus basalis. This is a small gland in the centre of the brain, which controls the learning pathways. From birth to 3 years the nucleus basalis is switched on most of the time so learning is constantly occurring. As we get older the gland is switched off more often, so in order to learn we need to switch it back on. Switching it on simply means stimulating chemical activity within the gland, so that our five basic senses - sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell are able to transmit their vibrational energy experiences to our brain, via the nucleus basalis.
Focus
Now how do we switch on the nucleus basalis? By focusing and concentrating on the subject to be learned. This is why teachers are always telling us to concentrate! Whether they know it or not they are asking us to switch on our nucleus basalis, otherwise information "goes in one ear and out the other". One of the main reasons that children and adults with ADD/ADHD have difficulty learning is because they can't easily concentrate, so therefore can't "switch on" this valuable learning pathway as easily as other people. During a hypnosis session, the client focuses and concentrates on the sound of the therapists voice and
the words being spoken.
Relax
The hypnotic state just in itself can be therapeutic, in the sense that one goes in and out of this state throughout the day when we are daydreaming, listening to music, reading an absorbing book, watching a movie or any time we are in a focused state of relaxation. It is refreshing and relaxing, and we may feel inspiration come to us in the form of ideas or images, and we recharge our batteries so that later on we can carry on with more active Beta-oriented tasks.
The Therapeutic Application of Hypnosis
But what if we took the principles that I have just spoken about and combined them into a powerful tool to assist you in making deep, lasting and rapid change in any area of your life? First of all we have the slowing down of the brainwaves into the Alpha or Theta states of awareness. Here our
minds are much more creative and imaginative, and our subconscious mind is more readily accepting of positive therapeutic suggestion. And secondly, while in this relaxed and focused state, the learning pathways to the brain are switched on and the five senses can be used to transmit new learning with ease. Our subconscious mind doesn't distinguish between what it experiences out in the "real" world, and what is imagined, so in this way we can also use the imagination to great effect and make positive changes.
Sowing the Seeds of Neural Connections
As we have discovered, hypnotherapy is the therapeutic application of the hypnotic state. So during a hypnotherapy session, a state of relaxed, receptive and focused awareness is induced and positive therapeutic suggestions are given. This is, in biochemical terms, sowing the seeds of new neural connections via the senses (in the case of hypnosis, mostly through our hearing and sight senses). We then use positive emotions to fix this new learning in place. Whenever we experience emotions of any kind we also secrete chemicals known as neurotransmitters and these 'cement' the newly sown seeds of change into place within our physical brain.
Emotions Set the Tone in Our Brain
Often we have strong negative emotions associated with situations that may have scared us in the past. Our brain is designed to alert us to possible danger and these strong emotions 'fix' a fear reaction in place, which gets reinforced over time if nothing intervenes to break that habit
pattern. It becomes our 'go-to' memory, and comes to the fore whenever we find ourselves in what the brain perceives to be a similar or other threatening situation. To develop new positive responses to replace the old ones, we evoke strong positive emotions while in the hypnotic state to fix the new desired responses in place. We can do this using uplifting visualisations, evocative music, colours, fragrances - whatever encourages the generation of powerful positive emotions.
Reinforcement and Repetition
When these new neural connections have been 'fixed' in place using positive emotions we then grow them by reinforcing them over and over - repetition, repetition, repetition is the way forward. A new neural network starts to grow in our physical brain, and you may have heard that it takes at least 21 days to form a habit. This is because this is the length of time taken to seed and grow a new neural pathway in our brain. No struggle is required just the following of a simple process, as the new patterns become subtly integrated into our everyday lives. This new behavioural habit pattern becomes our new 'go-to' response. Whether it is stopping nail biting or learning to relax more we are creating new pathways that are reinforced with every positive experience we have associated with that change. It is often not until we look back over a period of time that we realise how much things have changed for us. The way forward becomes clearer every day, as those old blocks becomes less and less prominent and the new desired reactions subtly take their place.
Rox Orange is a Clinical Hypnotherapist practicing in Auckland New Zealand. She helps people overcome personal difficulties and supports them in achieving their goals. Visit her site at Hemisphere Clinical Hypnotherapy to find out more about how hypnosis can be used to integrate and balance brain wave energies in both hemispheres of the brain.
