Magazine
for Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy
Trance And Temperaments By Maurice Kouguell Ph.D., BCETS There is a growing need to get together, as a body, to
unify therapy.
Some believe all problems begin in childhood; others before the individual was born; still others think only of the here and now. Shamans work mediumistically, Western psychologists behave as though they were trained, Eastern schools recommend forgetting about oneself (From: Riding the Horse Backwards: Process work in Theory and Practice by Arnold and Amy Mindell). The authors also state that "Process work is an attitude towards peoplem, not a set of techniques". Therapists usually identify themselves with their training institution. Even clients seem to choose therapists trained by institutions following the specific thinking or approach as established by Freud, Adler, Jung, Horney, Sullivan, Rogers, Perls, May, Frankl, Ellis, Berne, Beck, Skinner etc. and the list keeps growing. New techniques are discovered and rediscovered and altered states defined and redefined while existing procedures are being perfected...but for whose benefit? Milton Erikson, who stands out as a genius had a highly developed talent as a diagnostician because of his ability to figure out the patient's hidden motivations while seemingly inventing or improvising for each individual a specific approach. To that end he had developed an ability to enter patients' lives as well as their symptomatology and led him to a theory for each individual. He did not look for preconceived traditional lines or personality traits "but instead looked at their existence". With each individual in an individual situation he moved comfortably from indirect communications to direct communications to highly authoritarian commands. What do clients need when they come for help? They must
be heard. Sir William Osler MD Professor Emeritus of Harvard medical School
states "LISTEN TO THE PATIENT....HE IS TELLING YOU HIS DIAGNOSIS."
Hypnosis/therapy is a cooperative process between client and therapist. The patient may come to believe that this process will be of benefit to him. Some already come to us believing in hypnosis and that is why they choose this form of therapy. What patients believe the trance to accomplish is far more important than what the hypnotist thinks it can accomplish. Some enter trance more easily than others. Clearly, differences in personality types affects the resistance or willingness to cooperate even though they may be highly motivated. In an article entitled: 'Typology and Trance: Developing Synchronicity in Hypnotic Induction' a study published in the MEDICAL HYPNOANALYSIS JOURNAL (June 93) Brenneis and Boersma stated "...using Jung's concept of psychological types consideration may be given to specific preference traits which lend themselves to the trance experience or inhibit comfortable movement to the unconscious realm. Suggestions for induction techniques can then be developed based upon the characteristics of each distinct preference of each individual client. Using this approach to induction allows the therapist to tailor inductions to be based on the clients' (personality) preferences." There seems to be a trend not only in clinical practice but also in the corporate world to understand the special traits of the individual either to provide them with a therapeutic technique or by recognizing their uniqueness in the corporate world to access their specific mental talents. Recent publications appear to recognize and validate more
and more the findings of Jung, especially his contributions to the understanding
of topology.
Assessment preceding therapy is an established procedure
while word association tests and other projective techniques (such as Figure
Drawings) are becoming established Standard Operational Procedures, more
and more therapists appear to including an evaluation of their clients'
temperaments proir to treatment.
Based on Jung's Psychological types, Myers-Briggs adapted
those findings and presented them in a clear and orderly fashion
in their work, 'A Guide To The
The main goal of the MBTI is to uncover the four basic preferences which according to Jung direct the use of perception and judgment. Those preferences as explained in the MBTI manual, "affect not only what people attend to in any given situation, but also how they draw conclusions about what they perceive ". In the process of using that instrument, one needs to keep in mind that the findings are not designed as scales for measurement but as traits and behavior patterns. I would recommend that the readers allow themselves to take inventory and obtain insight into themselves. 'Please Understand Me - Charachter & Temperament Types' by Keirsey and Bates is available to the general public. Based on the MBTI, it is written clearly and includes the identification and description of the 16 types. What are the concrete benefits of knowing peoples' Types:
Keirsey explains "Suppose it
is so that people differ in temperament and that therefore their behavior
is just as inborn as their body build. Thence we do violence to others
when we assume that differences are flaws and afflictions.
As therapists, we may tend to forget that people are different from one another in a fundamental way and treat patients only from our own temperament type or 'world view'. We may also need to be reminded that those differences are neither good nor bad....they simply are. How can the knowledge of different temperaments be of
value to the work of the
ADJUSTING THE HYPNOTIC INDUCTION TO THE CLIENT. For the Introvert:
For such a type the induction will acknowledge their needs.
Let them be introverted without judgment. It is suggested that a familiar
trance experience be used. Always respecting and allowing their need for
privacy and time.
For the Extrovert:
For these clients, it is suggested that the induction
be congruent with their life experience, possibly
focusing on the person or situation with which the extrovert is preoccupied.
Sensing Type:
For the sensing type it is suggested that attention should
be paid to details of the trance rather than to the
overall experience and eliciting sensations based on previous experiences.
Intuitive Type:
The approach of the induction should include looking at
future possibilities while using techniques of story
telling, metaphors and symbols. Since daydreaming
and imagination are their characteristics, those can
be used.
Thinking Type:
The process of induction should take into account the
above and allow them to develop their own style of
going into trance.
Feeling Type:
The induction needs to focus on specific feelings. It
is suggested that past experiences will facilitate
entering a hypnotic state, allow the client to feel accepted.
The above are examples of how understanding temperaments and types can be an helpful adjunct to structuring an induction based on the understanding and awareness of the clients' temperaments or typology. As illustrated above, each preference has its own characteristics.Acknowledging
and recognizing them will certainly enhance rapport.
References:
Maurice Kouguell Ph.D., BCETS. (Click here for Biography) Director: Brookside Center for Counseling and Hypnotherapy 997 Clinton Place, Baldwin New York 11510 phone/fax 516 868-2233 e-mail contact@brooksidecenter.com Brookside Center Web Site http://www.brooksidecenter.com/ |
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