The Art and Science of Clinical Hypnosis: An Ayurvedic Perspective
In addition to practicing broad-spectrum Ayurvedic, integrative, and manual medicine, I am also a clinical hypnotherapist.
Isn't that interesting?
I started practicing clinical hypnosis in 2019 after my first professional training through the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH), and have continued my studies and practice since then.
I was first inspired to pursue clinical hypnosis by the work of my teacher's teacher, Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati Udasina, which we'll go into more later in this post.
Let's discuss, because there's a lot to say about this subject.
What Is Hypnosis?
When you think of hypnosis, what comes to mind?
Is it the enduring trope of a predatory villain (like a vampire or mad scientist or creepy sociopath) who thoroughly manipulates their victim with mind control?
Is it the media/stage show wherein a magician disconnects a person's conscious mind from their body and compels them to act like a chicken or a cat?
Something else cartoonish or supernatural?
In reality, hypnosis is none of these.
Instead, hypnosis is the use of naturally-occurring, neurologically-normal trance states to increase a person's responsiveness to suggestion. There is more focused attention in hypnosis, and that attention tends to be directed internally.
Now, hopefully this definition has you asking a couple of questions. For example, "what is trance?" and "what is suggestion?"
We will answer those questions shortly. But first, let's get clear about a couple of other things. For example: what is clinical hypnosis (hypnotherapy)? And why do I practice clinical hypnosis?
Clinical hypnosis is:
A collaborative healing modality that is led by the person that is hypnotized. The clinician (behavioral therapist, licensed clinical social worker, psychologist, dentist, nurse, or medical doctor - in this case, me) practicing hypnosis does not have any power over the patient; the patient is in control of their own process.
An evidence-based intervention that has hundreds (and possibly thousands) of years of historical precedent and a large body of modern science behind it.
A way to tap into the tremendous power of the mind-body connection - that is, the connection between a person's thoughts and their physical experience.
A form of therapy that is useful in caring for a wide variety of health conditions and concerns: depression, anxiety, trauma, phobias, insomnia, chronic pain (from many sources), irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive conditions, cardiovascular conditions, addictions (of many kinds), challenges making life/behavior changes, and so much more. If clinical hypnosis cannot be used to treat some part of the issue directly, then it can at least be used to support other aspects of treatment.
A tool for accessing the default mode network (DMN) of the brain. In short, the DMN is responsible for developing the story our brains develop about ourselves, and is involved in developing our sense of self. This is one of the areas affected medicinally by psilocybin (from psychedelic mushrooms), and also impacted positively by meditation.
An opportunity to explore one's own subconscious mind safely with the professional support of a capable healthcare provider.
Why do I practice clinical hypnosis?
Because it functions as a very natural mind-body arm of my Ayurvedic medical practice at The Buddha's Medicine. Clinical hypnosis ties into key Ayurvedic and Yogic conceptions of how to work with the mind therapeutically (more on this below).
There is substantial historical precedent in Ayurveda and Yoga for using modalities like hypnosis (more on this below, too), and I'm a tradition-meets-modernity nerd.
It is highly empowering to patients who take advantage of it.
It's interesting and fun!
As a licensed healthcare provider formally trained in clinical hypnosis, I am qualified to practice it safely (more on this below, as well).
It works.
Okay, now because I promised it:
What Is Trance?
Great question, and glad you asked!
Firstly: trance.
Trance is a naturally-occurring brain state in which there is theta wave dominance. What are theta waves? Theta waves are a type of brain wave that govern deep personal reflection and introspection. They are connected to aspects of creativity, and they are common in REM (stage 4, rapid eye movement) sleep.
Here's a visual for you, with contrast to other known brain waveforms:
Theta activity is also connected to increased access to the subconscious mind.
When we practice clinical hypnosis, we harness the power of those theta waves - and therefore, the subconscious mind - in safe, guided, and therapeutic fashion.
What Is Suggestion?
The concise version is: suggestion is communication (external or internal) that uses words, thoughts, body language, image, and similar tools to access imagination and visualization. Imagination and visualization can then be directed towards a healing or constructive goal.
Suggestion is how we communicate messages to the subconscious mind - whether that is happening during clinical hypnosis, or whether we are making suggestions to ourselves. And we do make suggestions to ourselves all the time.
Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati Udasina, my Parama-guru (teacher's teacher) wrote in one of his core works, Fundamentals of Yoga, that suggestion "is the underlying and fundamental cause of all mental phenomena, and is the powerful instrument of samadhi." This was my inspiration for exploring hypnotherapy - once I saw the connection to his teaching, I couldn’t unsee it.
Readers who are familiar with the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali will recognize the term samadhi right away. For those readers that are not familiar with the term: it is reasonable to think of samadhi as the fully expressed, expansive power of conscious awareness. It is also reasonable to think of samadhi as a state of complete, unbounded awareness - an aspect of what we might call enlightenment.
My Parama-guru went on to write, "The whole universe is nothing but suggestion; the world lives by it. The greatest power of nature is the power of suggestion... We are constantly moving every moment by our suggestion. First we think, then we do."
And there are some other serious gems in there, as well:
"All suggestions take effect sooner or later."
"Without understanding the science and methods of suggestion, nobody could obtain perfection of consciousness."
"Mental suggestions are as real as the universe around you. Thoughts are things and things are thoughts."
"Energy is created by the mind and controlled by the mind, and vice-versa."
"There is one eternal fact: either you always receive suggestions from your mind or you command your mind by your own suggestion."
You get the idea.
And then there's this one, which I think puts a nice bow on this concept from the other side:
"Many people suffer because by... destructive autosuggestions [suggestions a person makes to themselves] they have hypnotized themselves into their conditions."
Or to frame the idea captured beautifully in that last quote: by using suggestion therapeutically in supported hypnotic trance, we can reverse the effects of harmful suggestions we collect throughout our experiences and lives. And then we can take that a step further, we can treat the mind-body aspects of our health and lifestyle concerns. And then we can take that multiple steps further still: we can selectively and mindfully put new, lasting, constructive, and health-promoting suggestions in place.
How Do We Know Clinical Hypnosis Works?
Two ways:
1) There is a lot of modern research on the subject. fMRI studies demonstrating changes in blood flow and metabolic function in key brain regions under hypnotic trance; clinical trials; case studies; you name it. If you're a research buff and you'd like a place to start investigating for yourself, check out this clinical review, which directly cites multiple primary and secondary studies. And here's one of the better fMRI studies out there.
2) There is a lot of historical and modern precedent, including in Ayurveda and Yoga.
Clinical hypnosis clearly works therapeutically on multiple levels - it works at the level of parasympathetic nervous function, promoting deep relaxation and reprieve from the stresses of modern life. It works at the level of the subconscious machinery in the brain, as we have already reviewed. It works on emotional and memory circuits. And so much more.
With all of that said, it is very important to note that clinical hypnosis is just one tool in what must be a multi-armed toolkit of care. Hypnotherapy is a powerful tool, to be sure. But it works best when it is integrated into a comprehensive plan of whole-person care, complete with personalized lifestyle and medical guidance and interventions (as appropriate). That is part of why it fits so neatly into our medical practice model at The Buddha's Medicine.
So, Do Clinical Hypnosis and Ayurveda Go Together?
Oh, you bet they do.
There are some fairly obvious pieces of the harmonious relationship between hypnotherapy and Ayurveda. For example, hypnosis is a brilliant way to support lifestyle and behavioral changes of many kinds. Lifestyle and behavior are central to Ayurvedic care.
But there is also an entire branch of Ayurvedic medicine dedicated to psychological and emotional well-being, and hypnotherapy is a brilliant tool for addressing that aspect of health.
The Ayurvedic model of the mind comes from Vedic philosophy, and in this model, there are differing aspects of the mind. One very important aspect of the mind is buddhi, which refers to the mind's ability to understand, analyze, discern, and decide. Buddhi is where wisdom develops and lives, and it is similar to the modern concept of the subconscious mind. Ayurvedic psychological care boils down to treating three key faculties of buddhi: dhi, dhrti, and smrti.
Dhi is the understanding of the world a person has, and it is partly based on their ability to acquire new knowledge. This is informed by everything a person has learned over their lifetime. Dhi guides a person's worldview, and directs much of their decision-making skill.
Dhrti is the resilience of a person, and this is related to the pool of emotional resources available to a person; how much bandwidth they have to make informed choices. If an individual has to make an important decision, are they more likely to make that decision in an informed way if: they are working 14 hours a day, barely making ends meet, and dealing with multiple health and/or personal crises; or if they have time to give to their choice, mental space to think through their options, good health so that they are not physically distracted, and interpersonal support in making a decision? In the first case (14-hour workdays, struggling to get by), imagine that this is a chronic situation - this is very likely not this person's fault, but we would expect that person's resilience to be reduced. In the second case, dhrti will be stronger.
Smrti is memory and recall. Memory, as many readers likely know, is not the most reliable thing in the world; it is much better at reconstructing an event than reproducing an event accurately. We've seen many examples in the modern day of memory being influenced by suggestions given after the memory first develops. (There are some interesting studies on this out there, too.) This all boils down to the reality that memory is a highly subconsciously-driven process. And what lives in the realm of memory is what informs dhi and dhrti.
From an Ayurvedic standpoint, what hypnotherapy accomplishes is a healing of buddhi and balancing of its functions and operations. Supported by a qualified, licensed healthcare professional, hypnosis strengthens dhi, builds dhrti, and clarifies a person's relationship to smrti.
And on that note...
Safe, Licensed, Qualified Practice
I have to stress a really key point. Hypnosis is a psychological procedure; there are significant implications for health. There are sometimes contraindications - absolute reasons not to use - hypnotherapy. And also, sometimes the unexpected comes up. It is real, high-level work. It is there for extremely important that if you are going to pursue hypnosis, you do so under the guidance of a licensed and adequately-trained professional.
Think about it this way: let's say you boarded a commercial airplane for a flight. The pilot gets on the PA and says, "this is your captain speaking. I'll be flying the plane today. I'm not actually a licensed pilot; I'm a pastry chef. Enjoy the flight."
Likely makes one hell of a pastry, but doesn't exactly inspire you with confidence, does it?
All of my training and mentorship has taken place through the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, a professional society that only admits licensed, qualified healthcare professionals for hypnosis education and training.
I take this stuff seriously, and you should, too - whether you make it part of your care or not.
There's definitely more to say, but we'll leave that for a follow-up post. In the meantime, if you're curious about whether hypnotherapy might be beneficial to you and your health, be in touch. If you're considering becoming a patient, I encourage you to take advantage of a completely free 15-minute consultation - that's an opportunity to meet, share a bit of your story, and ask any questions you might have. If you're an existing patient, you know how to get ahold of me, so don't hesitate!
Dr. Matt Van Auken, MD, MPH
Dr. Matt is an Ayurveda-trained, triple board-certified physician.
