Meditation can be used in yoga, tai-chi, Reiki, hypnotherapy and just day to day life. We hear terms all the time such as ‘Having a breather, chilling out, daydreaming'. These can all be used as terms for when we retreat inside our mind or go into trance. Even when you are simply reading a book, it can be an effective meditation as you are focussing internally rather than externally. Meditation is also used within counselling, in particular CBT where a client may present with a phobia and is gradually taught to relax whilst the feared stimulus is introduced. The recent BBC3 show 'Panic Room' is a good example of this.
Hypnosis is an altered state of awareness effected by total concentration on the voice of the therapist. It will result in measurable physical, neurophysiological and psychological changes in which may produce distortion of time, sensation or image and changes of emotion.
There are four states of mind:
Beta (waking state – reasoning, logic and decision making)
Alpha (hypnotic state – suggestibility, learning, creativity, imagination and meditative)
Theta (Dream state – reported spiritual awareness)
Delta (Deep sleep)
When you go into trance (meditation, hypnotherapy or even just day dreaming) you will go into the Alpha state of mind. This is different from sleep as you are still in control and can understand what is going on around you. Everyone has different levels of trance that they can achieve. 1 in 20 hypnotherapy clients are deep subjects, you see them on stage hypnotist shows. The stage hypnotists seek out these clients specifically.
There are two types of stress - postive and negative. Positive stress means that when there is a threat of danger, your body becomes alert and in control. When the pressure is off, you are able to relax. An example of this is Fight or Flight mode where your body increases it's adrenaline level enabling you to confront or run away from specific instances. If a person is suffering from negative stress, they can be tense and out of control, wound up and inactive, anxious and exhausted. Panic attacks are an example of negative stress, where the body becomes adrenalised for no specific reason. Blood is pumping, breathing is faster but there does not have to be an apparent cause of danger.
If your body is in and out of stress it becomes adrenalised, cortisol levels are down and that in turn effects the immune system. The benefit of relaxation, meditation and hypnotherapy is that you can reduce your stress and then see the world through clear and calm eyes.
Guided meditation is best used on three levels.
Kinaesthetic, visual and auditory. NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) uses the term predicates or use of sensory words that tell us how mind works. If you are listening to a guided meditation which focuses on visual '
you can see beautiful crystal clear water .....' the meditation might not be as effective and you may not go as deep if you prefer auditory - what you can hear or kinaesthetic - what you can feel. Click for more information on
predicates and a
test.