In popular culture, hypnosis is often depicted as a form of mysterious mind control, an activity that involves unsavoury characters swinging a pendulum to make someone lose touch with their surroundings and emotions.
In reality, hypnosis is very much a state of mind, one that is used less by conmen and more by medical professionals.
As of late, hypnotherapy has gained prominence due to its ability to help alleviate several types of psychological problems.
And no one can best attest to this than Christine Deschemin, a certified hypnotherapist who uses the science of hypnosis to help people live happier lives.
Her long journey to becoming a hypnotherapist only began after she worked as an engineer and then a banker. So why the career change?
“I was always motivated by intellectual stimulation, and I guess I know how to take risks,” said Deschemin to FMT.
As an engineer, she learnt how the world works and as a banker, she gained an understanding of risk and potential.
Now, as a hypnotherapist, she helps people improve and develop a better understanding of themselves.
“I see continuity in my journey: the desire to push the boundaries, the comfort with risk taking, intellectual curiosity and critical thinking,” she said.
The medical community has been increasingly embracing hypnosis, researching its potential benefits and applications.
“Hypnosis is a state of focused awareness,” said Deschemin, waving off the notion of swinging watches in people’s faces.
Through hypnosis, people have managed to accomplish things like losing weight and quitting smoking. But these are just two of the many benefits it offers.
“Hypnotherapy is a very effective treatment for managing stress, anxiety, depression, pain and even treating skin disorders,” she explained.
“Other applications include childbirth preparation and gastro-intestinal issues such as irritable bowel syndrome.”
According to Deschemin, top Olympic athletes and company executives also use hypnosis to keep themselves in optimum shape.
She iterates that there is nothing unnatural or scary about hypnosis, and in fact, regular people engage in hypnosis quite often.
“You are in that state many times in a day – when you are engrossed in a book, or absorbed in a movie, or doing a monotonous task,” she said.
According to Deschemin, hypnosis may prove to be more useful than ever, now that the Covid-19 pandemic is causing much mental stress for most people.
“Covid-19 has laid bare the deficiencies in healthcare. Hypnotherapy is a fast, non-invasive, non-addictive therapy that can help people reduce stress.”
Vaccine phobia is one issue that Deschemin hopes to tackle with hypnosis, as it is used to apprehend many other phobias.
“Hypnosis is commonly used to treat phobias. Most people are unable to articulate why they fear something. Rationally, they know they should not be afraid and yet, their body exhibits signs of stress,” she expounded.
As such, hypnotherapy is a tool for accelerated learning that is capable of helping a person to overcome the fear of being vaccinated.
Deschemin has been working hard to make self-hypnosis available to all. In order to achieve this in Asia, Deschemin has worked hard on creating a mobile application called UpNow.
“Stress, left unchecked for too long, can turn into anxiety which can, after a protracted period of time, evolve into depression,” she said.
“UpNow removes the barriers to access efficient care because it is an affordable tool to shed bad habits, alleviate anxiety and become a better version of yourself.”
For now though, Deschemin is busy challenging misconceptions about hypnosis, but she is confident that people will eventually warm up to it as more research is done.
“Already, hypnosis is becoming the third pillar of medicine in addition to pharmacology and surgery. However, there is still a lot of advocacy work to be done,” she claimed.
Due to preconceived notions about its nature, hypnosis is a powerful and drug-free medical technique that is not often prescribed despite its benefits.
That being said, the stigma about mental health in Asia is also not helping matters, as people are unable to find help for conditions that are not physical.