I am planning to do a column to describe clinical hypnosis as a naturally occurring phenomenon. In this case, I am talking about hypnosis which involves suggestion to the idiomotor muscle movements of the arm.
The interesting thing about this is that it also shows a form of self-hypnosis, so natural that the subject doesn't know that he/she is responding to unconscious cues, and produces small muscle movements of the arm. The subject usually denies that he is exerting any control over these movements.
The practice of dowsing is an old method of locating underground water with a wand, often for the purposes of where to dig a well. This practice may still be seen in some areas of the country, with strong believers who attribute the movements of the dowsing wand or rod to the properties of the wand itself.
Kinesiologists use this principle to test arm movements that they say reveal a true answer to a question that asks for a yes or no answer. Theoretically, resistance to an outsiders pressure on the subject's arm muscle reveals a "truth" not revealed in verbal communication. the operator can determine which arm movement is strong or week.The thing is, there is a great deal of unacknowledged suggestion here. I have seen it demonstrated at a Rotary meeting, where the educated audience is largely impressed.
In their book, Water Witching, Ray Hyman and Evon Vogt claim that dowsing is basically a ritual pattern which is intended to reduce anxiety about the uncertainty of locating a well, especially in areas with ground water problems. Hyman (1992), writing further about ideomotor action, describes his experiments with volunteer students in his psychology class which he conducted to show the influence of suggestion. He concluded from his experiments that "under a variety of circumstances, our muscles will behave unconsciously in accordance with an implanted expectation." The source of the muscle movement is wholly within the person holding the "divining rods".
This is fascinating to me because I like to use hypnosis to implant suggestions for the purpose of healing. With such an above described mind-body interaction, I think some physical healing can happen. This is based on the fact that not only muscles, but other organs of the body respond to suggestion. In fact, some negative suggestion probably occurs to our health detriment, without conscious realization or acknowledgement.
I also believe that a therapist does not have to be involved in the enactment of certain healing rituals which can also have the same effect. Those wishing to benefit simply must participate in the ritual, whatever it might be: assigned by a priest, shaman, or practitioner of non-traditional or alternative medicine. Religious ritual should be included in any discussion here.
What if we could harness this power of the unconscious to stimulate the immune system? Some family doctors of modern medicine are realizing that there are methods of non-verbal communication with patients, which help the healing process. An example of this is the routine exam where the doctor touches the patient in a non-threatening manner, such as to apply the stethoscope to check the heart.
In my proposed article, I hope to show that human beings possess within themselves a legitimate source of healing, without having to believe in any magic or superstition.
I welcome your comments
Bill, I have used dowsing myself and have observed others using it on numerous occasions at our home in Elkins, WV. It seems to work though I don't know how.It is so subjective in its application that one cannot tell if the dowsing rods move independently or if minute movements of the arms or hands holding them cause them to swing toward each other. As for the unconscious healing of one's physical body through suggestion, again it is so objective it can't be measured with any certainly but I believe it works sometimes as does the reverse. I've read that the continuous flow of data through our senses is processed and filtered by our unconscious so that only a small part is past to our conscious awareness. What is this filtering process and how is it defined? Is our unconscious in charge of our conscious awareness or vice versa? The idea of the article is a good one, please let me know if you write it. Les Caraher
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