Neuroscientists agree that something happens in the brain during hypnosis and that it has an effect on the brain. However, how trance can be distinguished from other waking states is still unclear.
An example: A test subject looks at a grey image. The study leader then tells him to imagine it in colour. If he is in a trance, the areas of the brain responsible for colour vision are activated. If he is not in a trance, these areas remain inactive.
In children, a few sessions are often enough to solve the problem or achieve an improvement.
Psychotherapist Caroline Maroni explains the benefits of this effect: «When I imagine myself climbing a high mountain while in a trance, my brain stores this information as if I had actually climbed to the summit.»
The aim of hypnotherapy
In children, a few sessions are often enough to solve the problem or achieve an improvement. Paediatrician Anna Bewer Silvestri arranges three appointments, which are often sufficient. Sometimes more is needed, sometimes a break. Even adolescents often come fewer than ten times, says Eva-Maria Albermann, a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy. The goal of hypnotherapy is to enable children to apply the strategies they have learned to new challenges thanks to their increased self-efficacy.
Certain effects of hypnotherapy can also be measured using an electroencephalogram (EEG), as neuroscientist Björn Rasch explains in a podcast by the German Milton Erickson Society: «When we use hypnosis to improve deep sleep, we later see prolonged deep sleep phases in the EEG.» Similar effects have been documented for pain reduction and improvement of working memory.
What parents should consider when choosing a therapist
The Swiss Society for Clinical Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy (GHYPS) and the Swiss Medical Society for Hypnosis (SMSH) offer in-depth training in medical or clinical hypnosis. Hypnotherapy with a doctor, psychiatrist or psychotherapist is covered by health insurance. Otherwise, parents have to pay for it themselves.
For GHYPS President Caroline Maroni, the choice also depends on whether parents are looking for someone for therapy or coaching. This is because hypnosis can also be offered by coaches, for example for learning difficulties. She cites the courses at the IEF Zurich and the University of Basel as sound further training options for coaches.
Caroline Maroni emphasises that it is important for therapists to use hypnosis responsibly. In a trance, the analytical and rational mind recedes into the background and clients are open to suggestions – she also calls these linguistic invitations. «That is the strength of hypnosis,» says Caroline Maroni. «However, this state can also be abused.» People in distress are particularly susceptible to suggestion. For this reason, parents should choose therapists carefully.
