"We don't swing pendulums"

Dr. Andrea Bannert has been with since 2013. The doctor of biology and medicine editor initially carried out research in microbiology and is the team's expert on the tiny things: bacteria, viruses, molecules and genes. She also works as a freelancer for Bayerischer Rundfunk and various science magazines and writes fantasy novels and children's stories.

More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.

Hypnosis is supposed to help against fear of flying, stuttering or excess pounds. To do this, people put themselves in a lion's shoes or cover themselves with thick protective cloaks. The expert Rainer Schnell * explains exactly how hypnosis works in the interview

Rainer Schnell

Rainer Schnell is a hypnotherapist and director of the Hypnosis Center in Munich.

Mr. Schnell, many people under hypnosis imagine that someone is waving a pendulum in front of their faces and that they are revealing secrets that they actually did not want to tell. Is that correct?

No, we don't swing a pendulum. And that we narcotize people, they don't notice anything, wake up again and can't remember anything - that's not true either. We put people in a relaxed state in which they are tired and sleepy, but no longer either. This is not a supernatural state, anything aloof or esoteric, it feels more like daydreaming. And everyone does that. So therapeutic hypnosis is different from what you are probably familiar with from the magicians on stage.

How do you put someone into a trance state?

At the beginning there is a kind of introduction. For example, imagine walking down a spiral staircase. Counting the many levels is relaxing for most. Breathing is also important. A person can relax very much by exhaling. Basically anything that directs the attention away from the external impressions inwards is helpful. We always take a lot of time for this preparation, it can take 20 to 25 minutes.

But there are also people who internally resist letting go. So what?

That's right, I've had cases like this before. The most important thing is that the client gets involved in the hypnosis. We hold very long preliminary talks to create trust. If we notice that someone is working against it, or entering into a competition like: 'Let's see if you can hypnotize me', we tend to break off the session. That doesn't make much sense.

Then you could say that hypnosis works particularly well with weak-willed people.

Not necessarily. About 40 percent of people are highly suggestive. This means that they easily accept direct influences like those in show hypnosis. But that has nothing to do with the fact that someone has no assertiveness or weak will. But on the contrary. We see that as a strength when it is accessible to hypnosis.

What happens during hypnosis?

In a hypnotic trance, what the hypnotist is saying eludes consciousness. Incidentally, even when we are really awake, we are only aware of a fraction. But that doesn't mean that you don't notice anything during hypnosis, it just doesn't question the person critically. This makes it easier to access unconscious processes and steer them in a different direction. For example, hypnosis can replace fear with relaxation. To do this, we work with metaphors, i.e. images that convey opposing sensations such as calm, strength, strength and self-confidence in the event of fear.

What could such a metaphor look like?

The clients should, for example, imagine a lion and feel their way into the animal, then we insert suggestions indirectly. For example, the lion walks past a cactus that secretes something that gets stuck in the fur - it's prickly, feels disgusting and sticky, and itches. It takes days for the animal to brush its fur again, and even today the wounds that remain sometimes itch. This is a symbol for emotional injuries that have happened in the past, for example. But the lion has learned that the itching is no longer important to him, he no longer perceives it.

Hypnosis can help with various problems. Which ones do your clients have?

People come to me who want to quit smoking or lose weight. Some want to get rid of behaviors that bother them, such as biting their fingernails or pulling hair out. Others have stress, fears and blockages that need to be resolved. For example, they are afraid of being in company, of exams or driving a car. By the way, the fear of free speech or lectures is very common. If all eyes are on the lecturer, he will break out in sweats and palpitations or he will just stutter.

Are there physical illnesses that hypnosis is effective for?

Some cancer clinics use hypnosis to activate the self-healing powers. However, it would be fatal to rely solely on hypnosis in the case of cancer. It should only be used in conjunction with other therapies. But hypnosis also helps with psoriasis, an agonizing skin disease. Something is seething inside people that is visible on their skin. The hypnotist tries to deal with the unprocessed conflict that manifests itself through the complexion. Hypnosis can also be used very well with hay fever - which is what many suffer from it.

And would the lion also help with the pollen afflicted?

It might work too, but with hay fever we work with a different metaphor: We send light through the client's body, which first of all visually detaches the allergen. Then we cover him with a kind of protective coat. Huge pollen rages around him, but it ricochets off him. The person himself remains standing in the middle and can breathe freely. I suffered from hay fever myself and my allergy has improved significantly with hypnosis.

What was the greatest success you have achieved with hypnosis?

I still remember a young girl who fell from a horse at the age of 16 and was subsequently partially paraplegic. We taught her the method of self-hypnosis. After that, it actually didn't take more than two months before she was able to take her first steps again. When I think back to it, I still get goose bumps today.

But that sounds like magic now. How is that possible?

It seems that the girl strengthened her nerves, which were still healthy, through self-hypnosis so that she could walk again. At the same time, she also did physiotherapy.

Mr. Schnell, thank you for talking to us.

Tags:  desire to have children womenshealth healthy workplace