Wednesday, September 23, 1981
daily nebraskan
page 9
Self -hypnosis helps individuals
use their talents
By Patty Pryor
Self-hypnosis can be the key to success
in a variety of self-improvement programs,
according to a UNL junior who practices
the technique..
"Hypnosis is more or less helping the
individual in using his own talents, said
Dwight Groth, a special science major from
Lincoln.
Groth offers UNL students a self
hypnosis program designed to improve con
centration and academic performance
through a series of taped exercises costing
$40.
"1 don't hypnotize people," Groth said,
"but it's easy to hypnotize yourself."
The tapes provide instruction and sug
gestions to induce a hypnotic state, during
which the subconscious is opened up to
further suggestion, Groth said.
"The key is to open up the subcon
scious," he said, "so it can take in suggest
ions easier.
"I look at the subconscious as a com
puter, and we can just program into it."
Relaxation plays an important part in
opening up the subconscious, Groth said.
If the mind is in an intensely relaxed
state during hypnosis, he explained, the
suggestions and triggers just flow into
the subconscious easily without any mental
obstacles.
The program Groth offers includes five
different tapes which he said produce this
relaxed state by a variety of methods, in
cluding one called the "elevator of relaxa
tion." In this method, he explained, the tape
counts from one to five, as the "elevator"
descends into an increasingly relaxed state,
with suggestions for self-improvement com
ing in along the way.
Visualizing a scene
Another aid in relaxation is called
visualization, Groth said.
This involves simply visualizing a relax
ing scene, which is then plugged into the
subconscious, where it can be stored to
serve later as a trigger for relaxation in a
stressful situation, such as taking a test.
"One of the best uses (of hypnosis) is
for relaxation," Groth said.
Some studies have concluded that 20
minutes of hypnosis is equal to four hours
of sleep, he said, because of the intense re
laxation it produces.
Groth's program is geared toward
acquiring study habits and test-taking
abilities. This is done through general self
help techniques, such as increasing con
centration, motivation, relaxation and self
confidence. "It's not going to teach you the mater
ial," he said. "It helps eliminate the fears
and anxieties."
"I'm concentrating on self-improvement,"
he added.
Of the three responses to the program
he's had so far, one client is using self
hypnosis for help in losing weight, Groth
said.
The program should consist of half-hour
sessions twice a day for about three weeks,
he said.
At that point, Groth said, an individual
should be able to hypnotize himself with
out the use of the tapes.
"Hypnosis is inherent," he said. "Learn
ing it is mostly a discipline, just learning
the format. Once you know, the steps, it's
real easy.
Daydreaming
"A lot of people say they've exper
ienced something like it (the hypnotic
experience) before, but they never called it
hypnosis," Groth continued. "It's called
daydreaming instead."
Self-hypnosis means learning to induce
this daydream-like experience, he said, and
take it further, for useful purposes.
Fall shots urged
by medical group
September and October
are the best months to get
flu shots, the Nebraska
Medical Association says.
Many times people wait
until later in the season to
get their shots. Often shots
cannot be given when a per
son has already been expos
ed to influenza or is not
feeling well.
The vaccine is changed
periodically and people
must be revaccinated each
year.
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Every Wednesday, 730,
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Check the bulletin board, north entrance
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A good imagination is important to suc
cessful hypnosis, Groth said; which makes
an analytical thinker a poor subject.
"You need a positive attitude and an
open mind," he said, "and the confidence
that it can do something for you."
Although he gives no guarantees, Groth
estimated that 75 percent of his subjects
are hypnotizable.
A common misconception about hypno
sis is that it is a state of deep sleep, during
which you are under someone else's power,
he said.
Hypnotic twice a day
Actually, most people pass through a
hypnotic state twice a day, when first wak
ing up and first falling asleep, he explained.
Hypnosis is not addicting, Groth said,
and there has never been a case involving a
subject who hasn't come out of a hypnotic
state.
A hypnotist does not have to be licens
ed, he added.
Groth began his study in hypnosis while
living in Los Angeles last spring.
He attended a seminar at the police
academy where his uncle, a hypnotist who
holds a master's degree in psychology, is in
charge of hypnotic investigation. ,
Although not well known in Nebraska,
hypnosis is a growing field, Groth said.
Both Harvard and the University of Pen
nsylvania medical schools teach hypnosis,
he said, and some hospitals have used
hypnosis as an anaesthetic.
Some estimates, he said, predict that by
1990 every major medical school in the
country will have a hypnotist on its staff.
"We're just starting to get into it for
personal use," he said.
"It's a healthful thing, and anything
healthful becomes popular, so I think in
the next five to 10 years, itH really catch
on."
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