Radha Mohan — Baroda.

Healing through hypnosis is called hypnotherapy. Hypnosis is defined as an altered state of consciousness where your logical, analytical faculties are reduced sufficiently to allow deeper levels of your subconscious mind to be utilized for the benefit of creativity. Ancient Indian texts of Raja Yoga by Patanjali emphasize that Yoga is total control of body and mind through the systematic practise of yam, niyam, asan, pranayam, prathyahar, dharna, and samadhi. In hypnotherapy we use all the 8 limbs of Raja Yoga but mainly 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 to achieve total transformation of mind and body that Yoga brings by initial concentration and then detachment, which enhance the creative power of man. Thus hypnotherapy is a lost Indian tradition in psychotherapy. Hypnotherapy is now accepted as a legitimate and valuable treatment for all psychosomatic diseases and habit disorders and psycho-neurosis and is widely applied as a therapeutic science in the Western world. In an indirect way it has been practised as Yoga Nidra at the Bihar School of Yoga in India by Swami Satyananda, which is akin to modern hypnotherapy where the conscious mind is put to ‘nidra’ or sleep while the subconscious/unconscious mind’s healing faculties are activated for re-creation of health.

Email the author: "Dr. Mrs. Radha Mohan" <drradha6@rediffmail.com>