Regression and Abreaction

[Don]

I have recently been communicating with a hypnotist in the U.K. From what I can tell he is a well-respected teacher, has a hypnosis school, etc.

Our primary difference, once we get past the barriers of a common language,:rolleyes: is this:

He contends that he was trained by Gil Boyne and that "most" hypnotherapists in the U.S. use regression to cause combined with obtaining an abreaction. He also believes that regression, as practiced by hypnotists, is simply to get an abreaction from the original cause and that this would resolve the problem.

I have contended that this is not true. I have stated that of the hundreds of hypnotists I've met, communicated with, and trained with, every one of them avoids or quickly eliminates abreactions. Further, the regressing to cause on dealing with that only is a rather dated approach and that today hypnotist will also forward pace and even future pace to make sure that events/feelings/ideas between the original event and even into the future are resolved.

In fact, this person seems to equate hypnotherapy with hypnotic regression and abreaction (unless it's the type of hypnotherapy he teaches, of course).

Now, I've been studying hypnosis for a long time and very actively for a decade, and I've never heard anyone sharing his opinion.

So I'd like to ask this of the people here:

1) Do you equate hypnotherapy with hypnotic regression and abreaction?
2) Do you know of any hypnotists who practice this way?
3) Do you try to get abreactions?
4) Do you know of any hypnotists who try to get abreactions?

I ask this because he finds it hard to believe that most hypnotists in the U.S. do not limit themselves to regression with abreaction, and I find it hard to believe that many hypnotists in general practice limit themselves to regression work or try to get abreactions.

What do you think?

Thanks, in advance, for your responses.

[pmdigi]

who is also a psychotherapist took me back through traumas and abreaction(s) and I think it was some of the best work we did so far. She's not limited to only that though by any means. She saw I was having trouble because of some past traumas and she called it "surgery" - I was (am) really glad she did.:)

[Poodle]

and none that I know use abreactions. They are to be avoided at all costs. Yes, regression to cause can be fantastic but it does not mean reliving that cause. If I'm not mistaken our lovely Merlin recently made a post about that.

This is also how Bob B. gets rid of fibromyalgia - regress to cause (a previous trauma) and "heal" it up, not relive it!!

Gil Boyne started ACHE and I know of NONE of the graduates from these schools that want abreactions.

As far as I knew it was just psychologists that thought abreactions were cool. No thanks. I have other tools that will still produce the same results without my client having to relive something bad TWICE. ONCE was more than sufficient.

Now if this teacher you are writing about is the same one I know, he is also a licensed psychologist. I nearly fell over when he said he takes ten sessions to get rid of stress and the advice that is passed out cannot be passed out by a hypnotherapist.

My two cents.
Pood

[Simple Guy]

Hi Don,

Here are my answers:

1. No
2. No
3. No
4. No

Also, it could be that there may be some language issue by the person you are communicating with in distinguishing between an abreaction (emphasis on the ab as in abnormal) and catharsis, the latter of which can be intended and helpful sometimes. I doubt it, though, as you probably fleshed out what he/she meant.

[Poodle]

Gil is a member of this Forum. If he still has a pc, send a PM. I remember he was selling out but I wonder if the interest really ever totally fades.

[Jack]

Hello Don,

First, some of my colleagues in the US use regression to cause and abreaction to obtain a result. But, to my knowledge it is only a small part of the armoury; exactly the same as it is here in the UK.

1) It would surely be foolish to equate hypnotherapy with RTC and abreaction alone. It is one aspect of a complex therapy. Your correspondent is losing his marbles.

2) Yes, I know of several 'hypnotherapists' who practice that way. They too are becoming marble free.

3) Personally, I rarely try to get an abreaction. That is not to say that I would not, and have not, if or when the welfare of the client demanded it. I would use a slap around the head with a wet haddock if it resulted in problem resolution.

4) Ditto (2)

Disclaimer: I have never used a haddock for therapy and no fish have been hurt during any session conducted by me.

Jack

[Merlin]

1) Do you equate hypnotherapy with hypnotic regression and abreaction?

No

2) Do you know of any hypnotists who practice this way?

Many. It's still taught.
Jerry Kein, or any old schooler

3) Do you try to get abreactions?

No. but I do R2C at times.
But there may not be an abreaction involved.
I have also discovered that the mind will create artificial abreactions if it learns that is what the hypnotist wants.

4) Do you know of any hypnotists who try to get abreactions?

Yes. Large numbers still do.

[Merlin]

I think abreactions are fraudian.

[Don]

Merlin, I assume that the Isle of Avalon can be considered part of the UK, no?
:)

[John B.]

1) Do you equate hypnotherapy with hypnotic regression and abreaction?

No

2) Do you know of any hypnotists who practice this way?

See below

3) Do you try to get abreactions?
No, but I do regression work

4) Do you know of any hypnotists who try to get abreactions?

Maybe.

Kein & Banyan use an affect bridge for the regression. The patter goes something like, "There is a feeling inside that you don't like but that has everything to do with why you are here today. I'm going to count and with each number I say, let that feeling become stronger. (Count bringing up feeling) Now I'm going to count down and as I do, follow that feeling back to a previous time you felt it strongly."

Of course, that might produce an abreaction, but that is not the goal, and the therapist should begin the regression prior to the onset of an abreaction. I know of nothing in Kein's or Banyan's teaching that actually seeks to cause an abreaction.

If you define an abreaction to be any physical manifestation associated with a past memory, rather than any STRONG physical manifestation, you might see the above approach to an affect bridge as being abbreactive.

As part of "Trans - Personal" approach hypnotherapy training, I was taught to invoke an affect bridge in a less direct, gentler manner than described above.

[Don]

I just received the bulletin for the NGH, a hefty document with a couple of articles and lots of advertising for their upcoming convention. There are lots of classes offered, including several on using regression as well as PLR.

Only one of them mentioned abreactions, and that is one to be given (at a large extra charge) by C. Roy Hunter. Hunter, the ad says, was certified by Tebbetts in 1983, and began teaching "professional hypnosis" just four years later.

Coincidentally, there was an article in this journal that mentions that Erickson follower Rossi "sadly commented [that] the true physiological nature of hypnosis has been lost; nobody recalls the old healing convulsions..." Sounds to me like he's talking about abreactions.

Is it possible, then, that it is "old school" hypnotists such as Hunter are using older technology? Is it possible that some are still teaching it as required? Has the technology of hypnotherapy advanced beyond this such that abreactions are no longer required or valuable?

I think back to the original works of Mesmer. Although I would contend that he was not doing hypnosis--it was more like Reiki or Healing Touch, or Laying on of Hands combined with suggestion--he did write that there is no healing without a "crisis" (i.e., an abreaction).

As the person I mentioned in the original post commented, psychologists today (by which, I assume, he means those who practice CBT), feel that abreactions can be dangerous (they can get physical) and even deleterious due to re-traumatization. I told him that I fully agree which is why most hypnotists I know and know of don't use them, and if they occur, quickly eliminate them.

Is it simply that abreactions where once valuable but now the technology has gone beyond that?

[Jack]

I have much respect for Roy Hunter and his books 'Art of Hypnosis'and 'Art of Hypnotherapy'. both of which should be staple diet for novices, IMO.

I also have respect for Tebbetts both as a therapist and as a teacher.

That said, both are 'old school' and neither, to my knowledge has, or in Tebbets case, had, any training in NLP, which, again IMO, should be an intrinsic part of hypnotherapy school training, and which modifies the old approach to RTC and abreaction using a different model.

As I said earlier if an abreaction is necessary then that is what is used; if RTC in a specific form is required then ditto. Any hypnotherapist worth his salt will use an abreaction to effect change, if one occurs or is instigated. There should be no danger if the hypnotherapist know what he or she is doing, but in the hands of a fool there may be.

Has the technology gone beyond abreactions? Well, I think there is a misunderstanding of what we mean by 'abreaction' here - if a violent convulsive response is created then perhaps the therapist has lost control, but often 'abreactions' may occur several times during a session and
be unnoticed by a novice, but used by the more experienced.

Perhaps methodology may have gone beyond what we would consider a classic abreaction, but ultimately what is happening in the subconscious of a client when change occurs is the same, whether achieved by an abreaction or by the tediousness of CBT, or indeed the relative speed of NLP methods.

All depends what you mean by 'technology'.

Jack

[Merlin]

I have a large collection of omni tapes.
on more than one he preaches the desirability of abreaction.
I don't know about current classes, but there are many past omni students

[Merlin]

Is it possible, then, that it is "old school" hypnotists such as Hunter are using older technology? Is it possible that some are still teaching it as required? Has the technology of hypnotherapy advanced beyond this such that abreactions are no longer required or valuable?

Is it simply that abreactions where once valuable but now the technology has gone beyond that?


yes
yes
yes
yes

[Henrik]

To equate hypnotherapy with hypnotic regression and abreaction sounds strange to me.

To avoid abreactions at all costs also sounds strange to me.

I think Jack said it well.

I enjoy the work of Zivorad M. Slavinski, and his methodologies called PEAT and Aspectics, will IMO sometimes cause abreactions. Nonetheless they are (the methodologies), again IMO, very useful. Maybe Doc, as he is familiar with and use PEAT in his work, will share his views on this.

Henrik

[pmdigi]

Don, This is just a layman's observation (mine) but I hope it's relevant. I met my wife at Esalen Institute on the Big Sur California coast. I lived and worked there for a few years during the seventies. There they used to do alot of gestalt process work (learned from Fritz Perls). I think Bandler used to do Gestalt work and Fritz Perls was one of the models they used for NLP. I think in "Frogs and Princes" Bandler compares gestalt therapy with hypnosis (talking to someone in an empty chair = positive hallucination etc.)Anyway, I did and saw alot of gestalt work there. They didn't call it "abreaction" - sometimes they used the word "catharsis" sometimes they called it "karma cleansing" or "process work". Anyway there was a whole lot of what we might call abreaction or catharsis what with the crying, sobbing, weeping, and then the screaming, yelling, hitting, fighting, pounding pillows etc. - no one was ever hurt - the aggression was always taken out on the big gestalt pillows - and it was usually done in groups so there was always plenty of people to help out in different ways. Also the workshop rooms were heavily carpeted and everybody sat around in a circle on big gestalt pillows. I just wonder what the big deal is around "abreaction" - it's just an expression of feelings and emotions and sometimes people would go through shaking and seizures and stuff like that and it was all always just taken in stride with people there making sure no one hurt themselves or others.

[Henrik]

Merlin, it would be fun and useful to once sit in your change chair and see and feel how you work.

[Don]

I just wonder what the big deal is around "abreaction" - it's just an expression of feelings and emotions and sometimes people would go through shaking and seizures and stuff like that and it was all always just taken in stride with people there making sure no one hurt themselves or others.

1) In psychotherapy it can be very useful, but the truth is, most hypnotherapists I know have not been trained in what to do with such an abreaction.

2) Abreactions can cause physical harm. What you're describing took place in a "safe" space.

3) You also seem to be taking it out of the context, here, which is that people relive a past event and have an abreaction in response to that event. The result is that it can literally re-traumatize the person.

4) This bring me to the next point. There are two aspects to cause an abreaction. The information behind the abreaction and the emotional, psychic charge that is released by the abreaction. It is certainly true that an abreaction can release that psychic charge, but I question whether that, in and of itself, actually resolves the issue. Without clearing and resolving the information that exists and is hidden within the emotionality of the psychic charge, I would contend that the cause of the abreaction--and at least one of the causes of the unwanted behavior--remains. This is likely to either cause a remanifestation of the unwanted behavior or the transference of the psychic energy to a different--possibly worse--unwanted behavior.

On the other hand, if you discover what the client needs to learn--thus resolving the unresolved emotional content that caused, or was one of the causes of the unwanted behavior--there become no reason for the unconscious to maintain the psychic charge. In short, by finding out what the cause is and helping the mind clarify what is involved (psychologists call this resolving the issue, hypnotists call this obtaining learnings) there is no longer a need by the unconscious mind to manifest the unresolved issues in an unwanted behavior and the psychic charge which some dispel via abreaction is automatically dispelled without an abreaction at all.

So I would suggest that the value of abreactions is now as obsolete as a swinging pocket watch.

[Terry]

Don, when I first read you lead post, I was just as indignant as you, then I read on, and realised that abreaction is a word that can have several meanings, some less violent than others, and I recognised that I intentionally invoke and encourage abreaction in a victim of sexual assault in order to help them recover from the anger, fear, and even guilt that they live with for years after the event. I won;t go into detail here since this is an open platform, but reversing the positions for the client does work, and results in catharsis and eradication of all feelings for the event.....
Yes, it can be a tool, though not one I like to use often. Certainly it is not a nescessity in order to get satisfactory results unless you wish to keep the client coming back so as to make a greater profit....:eek:

[Jack]

1) So I would suggest that the value of abreactions is now as obsolete as a swinging pocket watch.

If I had a watch, I would use it, if necessary. If it was unnecessary then I would use something more useful. Anything at all.

If necessary.

Forgive me for repeating myself, but nothing is obsolete if it works, and 'abreactions' occur during sessions and are the basis for much if not all changework, often without the conscious awareness of the therapist.

Is that valuable? Depends upon whether the client finds it so and it moves towards or facilitates problem resolution.

The Concise Oxford dictionary defines the word 'abreaction' as:

'The free expression and release of a previously expressed emotion'

I would contend that without any 'abreactions' whether visible or unnoticed then hypnotherapy and indeed NLP are fairly useless.

And without any form of abreaction, hypnotherapy becomes no more than listening to a therapist talk. The word 'Psychology' springs to mind.;)

Jack

[Docresults]

Don, Jack and ALL,

I'm with Jack on this one. I suspect when one uses the word 'abreaction' a whole continuum of possible meanings are ascribed.

Some may picture and feel mild emotional response and others may picture and feel violent responses. And others, something in between. I suggest it will be based on the other person's definition of abreaction.

As Henrik mentioned in an earlier post sometimes when doing Spiritual Technology's (any of them) and often doing Energy Psychology's and even Matrix there can be visual evidence of mild to medium abreaction and just as in a hypnosis session when it shows up it is most useful to acknowledge and utilize whatever shows up.

"That's perfect! That's just an emotion. It isn't solid. Let go of resistance NOW, RELAX and allow it to flow right on through... out to the place where the rapids calm down and everything flows peacefully." (If one were doing Shallow/Deep PEAT add touch and breathe, if an Energy Psychology like EFT add the phrase keep tapping and notice on the intensity goes down, If using Emotrance add feel it in your body and soften it and notice which direction it wants to flow--[also useful for hypnosis].)

(I mean with Matrix, people lying all over the place some crying, some convulsing, some laughing, some twisting into weird looking yoga like positions. It sure looks like abreactions to me.)

I suspect when one does not have an abreaction to abreactions and utilize whatever shows up as perfect for what the client needs and utilizes it the more successful both practitioner and client will me. (Just my suspicion.)

To Your Best,
Doc Houston

P.S. Don what is the name of your new novel?

[Connie]

I've seen several "abreactions," some mild, some more intense, some are negative emotions, some are positive emotions (one girl in class it looked like an energetic euphoria.) I've never thought abreactions were something to "go after," but they are something to utilize when they happen in whatever way possible to help the client. Jack said it best!

[John B.]

I have a large collection of omni tapes.
on more than one he preaches the desirability of abreaction.
I don't know about current classes, but there are many past omni students
It's been a couple of years since I viewed GK's regression tapes, and the ones I saw had been produced about 15 years ago. He does mention abreaction in the context of regression, but only in the sense that it might occur and the nine words to say if it does.

He does advocate illiciting an emotional response during the Forgiveness stage of the therapy which he bases on Fritz Perl's chair/deathbed model. Whether encouraging the client to express and let go of those feelings of hurt and anger by pounding a pillow results in abreaction or a catharsis is a matter of semantic detail.

I also agree with Jack thoughts.

[skip]

1) Do you equate hypnotherapy with hypnotic regression and abreaction?

No. In fact I equate it with neither.


2) Do you know of any hypnotists who practice this way?

Yes with a caveat discussed later./

3) Do you try to get abreactions?

Only a fool would try to get abreactions?

4) Do you know of any hypnotists who try to get abreactions?

No with a caveat.


If you were to change the term 'abreaction' to 'catharthic response' you would find many 'hypnotists' who would fit this fellows concept.

Unfortunately.


skip

[Abra-melin]

The only reason abreactions occur is that the hypnotherapist is trying to overlay his/her belief and values system on that of the client. Not only is it dangerous to leave an abreaction "floating", it's reckless. The unconscious program will only make change when it is being presented with a solution and knowledge that it has either never had before or has not integrated as a possible behavior, but which it can NOW integrate as being in the interest of the subject.

The abreaction occurs when it can not rationalize the new information and sees it as potentially harmful or against its values regime. When the therapist works within the communications and belief system of the client, abreactions are almost not existent.

As for hypnotherapy only working in regressive states! Regression is sometimes good to uncover the root cause of a presenting problem. But the therapy comes from integrating new behaviors / beliefs in this moment which allows the old emotional attachments to be released. Change can only occur NOW when the reactive unconscious memory realizes that the old behaviors are no longer appropriate and it voluntarily releases the presenting problem. IT CANNOT BE FORCED TO THAT. Trying will always produce an abreaction and as a result no change.


I have recently been communicating with a hypnotist in the U.K. From what I can tell he is a well-respected teacher, has a hypnosis school, etc.

Our primary difference, once we get past the barriers of a common language,:rolleyes: is this:

He contends that he was trained by Gil Boyne and that "most" hypnotherapists in the U.S. use regression to cause combined with obtaining an abreaction. He also believes that regression, as practiced by hypnotists, is simply to get an abreaction from the original cause and that this would resolve the problem.

I have contended that this is not true. I have stated that of the hundreds of hypnotists I've met, communicated with, and trained with, every one of them avoids or quickly eliminates abreactions. Further, the regressing to cause on dealing with that only is a rather dated approach and that today hypnotist will also forward pace and even future pace to make sure that events/feelings/ideas between the original event and even into the future are resolved.

In fact, this person seems to equate hypnotherapy with hypnotic regression and abreaction (unless it's the type of hypnotherapy he teaches, of course).

Now, I've been studying hypnosis for a long time and very actively for a decade, and I've never heard anyone sharing his opinion.

So I'd like to ask this of the people here:

1) Do you equate hypnotherapy with hypnotic regression and abreaction?
2) Do you know of any hypnotists who practice this way?
3) Do you try to get abreactions?
4) Do you know of any hypnotists who try to get abreactions?

I ask this because he finds it hard to believe that most hypnotists in the U.S. do not limit themselves to regression with abreaction, and I find it hard to believe that many hypnotists in general practice limit themselves to regression work or try to get abreactions.

What do you think?

Thanks, in advance, for your responses.