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The
relationship between hypnotherapy and philosophy is all about
clarity. One way to characterize philosophy is that it is the
pursuit of mental and conceptual clarity. An important part of the
philosopher's job is to help ease confusion by clarifying points of
similarity and dissimilarity in concepts and beliefs, and by so
doing, reduce contradictions and inconsistencies that may be lurking
in an individual's thinking. In hypnotherapy, one of the primary
goals is to clear away subconscious mental blocks that may be
interfering with a person's ability to act or feel in the manner
that s/he consciously wants to but is prevented in doing so by
mental conflict. However, the barrier between the conscious and
subconscious minds is not clean or completely unambiguous and there
is a continuous interplay between both mental spheres. Sometimes,
before hypnotherapy can be successful, it is first necessary to
achieve mental clarity on a conscious level. My approach to conscious
mental clarity is the practical application of philosophical method.
To some extent I use philosophical techniques in the "pre-talk"
or interview phase of hypnotherapy, but sessions devoted expressly
to philosophical issues are made available to clients at their
option. Philosophical sessions can range from discussions of
particular issues of interest to more formal philosophical
counseling aimed at resolving some philosophical confusion or angst
that may be interfering with the client's happiness on
various levels. I also moderate a philosophy discussions group on an ongoing basis.
There is a wonderful symmetry between hypnotherapy and
philosophical counseling. Both hypnotherapy and philosophical
counseling are generally considered to be short-term therapies. Most
significantly, both fields see themselves as oriented towards
individuals who are mentally healthy but are seeking to improve
their lives in specific ways. While licensed psychologists or
psychiatrists in some cases may employ hypnosis, and no doubt some
also (knowingly or not) employ philosophical techniques as well,
independent practitioners of hypnotherapy and philosophical
counseling typically see themselves as devoted to helping
individuals who are otherwise mentally healthy to achieve a more
complete realization of their potentiality. I subscribe to the
characterization by Gerd Achenbach, who started the modern
philosophical counseling movement when he opened his practice in
Germany in 1981, that philosophical counseling is "therapy for
the sane." The same my be said about the major share of
hypnotherapy that flourishes today. But Achenbach's characterization
must be considered to be a bit hyperbolic because many if not most
kinds of psychotherapy can be used on behalf of individuals who are
far from being "insane," which is an awful word anyway
that ought to be reserved for cases in which persons suffer from
very extreme types of psychological disorder in which their contact
with reality and, perhaps more important, their ability to function
in it is severely impaired. The phrase "therapy for the sane"
should be interpreted more for effect as a means of underscoring a
distinction from mental health professions that diagnose and treat
psychological disorders. As non-licensed professionals,
hypnotherapists and philosophical counselors do not diagnose or
treat psychological disorders. My goal is straightforward: to assist
clients to obtain mental clarity and personal empowerment, sometimes
employing the context and the backdrop of broader philosophical
perspectives.
My orientation towards philosophy is
pluralistic and multi-perspectival. I am continually broadening my
knowledge and expertise in a wide range of philosophical traditions.
I am a pluralist and from that perspective I see myself very
much in harmony with much of William James' thinking as well as of
pragmatism in general. However, true pluralism requires a
familiarity and intimacy with other traditions, and the philosophers
and philosophical traditions that I am frequently drawn to include
analytic philosophy (especially Wittgenstein's later work and "ordinary
language philosophy"), Nietzsche, existentialism, the
philosophy of the Enlightenment, Romanticism, Stoicism, and
classical Greek philosophy (Aristotle particularly). And while I profoundly
disagree with Hegel's absolutism, I have a strange facination with his
dialectic. I am also currently studying and broadening my interest in mysticism,
particularly Taoism, Zen, and Kaballah. I draw on the evolving
breadth of my philosophical interests which I apply as appropriate
during the course of philosophical counseling.
Perspectivism is somewhat distinct from pluralism in that it is
more focused on particular philosophical perspectives than on
distinct philosophical traditions or broadly characterized
categories of philosophical belief. Nietzsche's perspectivism is, in
my view, extraordinarily powerful and has great relevancy for the
modern age. I share Nietzsche's view (and James' as well) that
categorical thinking not only in ethics but in all areas tend toward
rigidity that can quickly lose effectiveness and relevancy. The
challenge, of course, is to establish a consistent rational grounds
for judgment without rigid rules which can lose applicability and
hence rational justifiability in particular situations and contexts.
Particular philosophical perspectives can be enlivened and enriched
by associations with broader philosophical beliefs, however, this
broader association is by no means necessary nor is it necessarily
applicable. The importance of individual beliefs from a
perspectivist point of view is the rational grounds of the
perspective and also an intellectual appreciation of the diversity
and freedom possible within a rational and ethical context. The
point of philosophical counseling is, in my view, to discover the
richness and power of one's own evolving philosophical perspectives.
Perspectivism provides a dynamic point of interconnection with
hypnotherapy. The renowned psychiatrist and hypnotherapist, Milton
Erickson, developed the therapeutic concept of reframing (later
developed further by Watzlawick, Weakland, and Fisch in Change:Principles
of Problem Formation and Problem Resolution) in which changing
the perspective (or frame) in which a problem is perceived while
still retaining a commonality with the old perspective facilitates
acceptance of change because it is cast in terms that the client can
accept. The commonality between the two perspectives or frames is
the bridge to change. A charming story about one of Erickson's
patients illustrates reframing. A young very freckled little eight
year old girl was angry at the world because the kids at school
teased her about her freckles. Erickson told the defiant girl that
she was a thief! Why? Because she was stealing cinnamon cookies and
cinnamon buns when they spilled on her face and she became a
Cinnamon Face! That new, fun way of looking at herself allowed her
accept her appearance in a special, positive, and adorable manner
that profoundly influenced her therapy and allowed the freckles to
be viewed by her as something pleasing (as cinnamon is pleasing).
(This story is recounted in Sidney Rosen, ed., My Voice Will Go
With You: The Teaching Tales of Milton H. Erickson, W. W. Norton
& Company, 1982, p.152-154). Another, more directly
philosophical example of reframing is provided by Anthony Robbins in
Unlimited Power, in which he recounts the story of an army
general who told his troops who were under heavy attack by the enemy
that "We're not retreating, we're just advancing in another
direction." (from Anthony Robbins, Unlimitied
Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement, Simon and
Schuster, 1986, p.257). If the general simply said that he is
retreating he would have signaled to his troops, as well as send an
internal message to his own psyche that his army had been defeated,
but by reframing the event he put the entire episode in a more
positive perspective that provided both motivation and hope that
victory was still attainable. The fact that the army is retreating
was not changed, but the reframing of that fact powerfully altered
its meaning. Philosophy has been described as the pursuit of
meaning, and the general's reframing of the situation is an example
of finding positive new meaning in an otherwise negative situation.
I prefer to think of philosophy as the search for rational
perspective. And if philosophy is the search for rational
perspective then the general was also a philosopher.
In some ways, however, reframing can be a limitation. The
pluralistic and multi-perspectival approach challenges a rational,
philosophical agent to consider a wide array of philosophical
beliefs and perspectives that go beyond the common denominator that
is required to reframe a particular perspective into one that is
different. Reframing requires enough sameness shared between an old
and inadequate perspective and a newer and more effective one in
order for the tranquil adoption of the new perspective to occur.
Radical pluralism may be seem unrealistic but it is useful because
the thinker is challenged to consider points of view s/he would not
have otherwise considered, and it may be hoped that the outcome
results in a stronger and more cogent perspective. In my view, the
best methodology must incorporate both the more rigorous pluralism
with a strategy of philosophical reframing. Philosophy, unlike
traditional therapy, must constantly strive to think outside the
box. Reframing can help facilitate change, but whether or not the
new perspective that is reframed is philosophically meritorious is a
separate matter. Still, change is perhaps the most fundamental
aspect of life itself, and as a facilitator of change the "gentle
art of reframing" (Watzlawick, Weakland, and Fisch's coinage)
can assume a valued role in philosophical counseling.
Alongside the art of reframing, the traditional philosophic art of
dialogue remains a paramount tool of philosophical counseling. The
establishment of rapport is important in all forms of counseling and
therapy. In hypnotherapy, the absence of rapport can prevent the
successful induction of hypnotic trance. In philosophical
counseling, rapport encourages the fruitful exchange of ideas.
Plato's Dialogues, for many, remain as the most vivid
representation of the nature of philosophical discourse. In truth
(from my perspective) this is a false impression. Dialogue is
essential, but Plato's Dialogues and the Socratic Method
which they exemplify demonstrate the legalistic process of "leading
the witness" forcing a necessary conclusion that is based upon
the contrived nature of the argumentation and the definitions that
unfold in its course. For Isaiah Berlin and many pluralists, Plato
stands at the head of a long line of absolutist thinking that has
dominated most of Western philosophy. The term "absolutist"
is a bit harsh and I would not like to confuse philosophical
absolutism with the political despotism the term is suggestive of.
However, the tradition of rigid definition, starting with Plato and
then modified by Aristotle, and Aquinas, down to Hegel and beyond is
divorced from the ineffable nature of reality and the subtlety of
the of the human condition. The rigidity of the old philosophy began
to get undone in the Enlightenment, most notably by Hume. But it is
Nietzsche's perpectivism and rejection of categorical thinking,
followed by the development of pragmatism and the general movement
in the twentieth century towards non-absolutist and relativistic
frames of reference which have converged to form the real challenge
of modern philosophy. That those like myself who have been
influenced by these philosophical movements reject absolute
definitions and moral rules existing outside of contextual reality
does not mean that we reject truth or morality. But definitions and
rules are, in the final analysis, only guideposts which while
valuable are always subject to revision. The rejection of
categorical thinking means that greater understanding of nuance and
the subtleties of wisdom are required. Certainly, there is no more
powerful tool to help achieve greater understanding than the fine
art of dialogue.
The form of dialogue that I favor steers away from the character of
the debating society that Plato's Dialogues sometimes seem
to suggest, and maximizes the establishment of rapport and the
fostering of a multi-perspectival understanding of the philosophical
issues involved. Certainly, the less polemical approach is more
suitable for philosophical counseling. The ebb and flow of the Tao,
enabling and empowering both sides of a philosophical argument so
that each better understand the other is in harmony with the
pluralistic and multi-perspectival point of view, which values as
many positions as possible before reframing and other techniques
allow some perspectives to emerge as more persuasive or perhaps an
altogether new perspective may instead be synthesized. Martin
Buber's I and Thou captures some of the spirit of
this form of dialogue. (see Michael Kahn, The Tao of
Conversation by New Harbinger Publications, 1995 for a good
statement of this attitude including the Buber/Tao connection). The
Taoist/Buberian form of dialogue, which we can simply refer to as
the Open Dialogue is more right brained than left, less concerned
with winning an argument and more interested in the ebb and flow of
philosophical perspectives, finding the point of least resistance so
that the most effective and friendly approach is utilized while also
remaining on the lookout for new and better solutions. While
dialogue is not ego-less, developing the capacity to understand the
other side and to discover new and challenging points of view
requires a lessening of egoistic interference and a heightened
awareness of what Plato would call Truth or Good that is
transcendent of ego. But Open Dialogue is more illusive than
Socratic Method, and the Truth or Good may not be viewed as taking
the form of an eternal and unchanging ideal. Perhaps Truth and Good
are inherent in the situation and therefore are themselves
transcendent of the ideal! The transcendent is perhaps beyond the
capacity of any ideal to symbolize or express. But our understanding
must strive to grasp it but without the contrivance of convenient
definitions or absolutist ideals. The Open Dialogue is as
well-suited for this task as any method of philosophy, but we must
be eager to use all methods that are at our disposal.
Philosophical counseling is well-suited for individuals who find
questions themselves an integral part of the solution. Sometimes a
question posed as the answer to a question can be downright
annoying, but in philosophy the freedom to question can sometimes be
the best therapy.
Surrounding
Communities
Integral Hypnosis is conveniently located in Newton, MA near the Mass Pike and Route 128 and is within a 1/2 hour drive of the following Greater Boston, MetroWest, North Shore and South Shore communities:
MAP
& DIRECTIONS
| Arlington |
Bedford |
Belmont |
Boston |
| Brookline |
Burlington |
Cambridge |
Chelsea |
| Concord |
Dedham |
Everett |
Framingham |
| Lexington |
Lincoln |
Lynnfield |
Malden |
| Medford |
Melrose |
Natick |
Needham |
| Newton |
Norwood |
Quincy |
Saugus |
| Somerville |
Stoneham |
Sudbury |
Wakefield |
| Waltham |
Watertown |
Wayland |
Wellesley |
Weston |
Westwood |
Winchester |
Woburn |
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