53 pages • 1-hour read
The Hypnotist's Love Story
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Background
Cultural Context: Stalkers and their Targets
The US Office for Victims of Crime defines stalking as a form of harassment that involves non-consensual communication and contact (“Stalking.” Office for Victims of Crime). Stalking can also involve physical or visual proximity, or consist of verbal messages that make the target fear for their safety. Psychology Today identifies stalking as continued behavior or contact that inflicts emotional distress (“Stalking.” Psychology Today).
Stalking is rarely an isolated incident but rather a repeated pattern of contact that persists even when the target has asked the stalker to stop. Most often, the principals have been involved in a relationship of some kind, though there are instances of celebrity stalking, when a person is motivated by an imagined connection. The Centers for Disease Control identifies stalking as a form of intimate partner violence when it takes place between principals who are currently or were previously involved in an intimate relationship. In some cases, incidents of stalking escalate to physical assault and, in the most extreme cases, murder.
Consequences for victims of stalking can include anxiety, insomnia, social dysfunction, and severe depression. The OVC classifies stalking as a crime of power and control. According to the CDC, around 15% of women and 6% of men in the US have been the target of stalking at some point. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports that 1 in 5 women and 1 in 15 men have experienced stalking. Stalking is a crime in all the states and territories of Australia, as well as in all states in the US. In Australia, those who are being stalked can request a court order, variously called a personal safety intervention order (PSIO), restraining order, or apprehended violence order (AVO), to protect themselves, children, or property.
Stalking can also occur through, or be facilitated by, the use of technology. Women, who are more frequently the targets, are more often stalked by men than by women. The AIHW notes that certain attitudes can impact the reporting or level of concern given to stalking incidents, among them the belief that intimate partner stalking can be a romantic gesture.
Social Context: Hypnotherapy and Hypnotism
Hypnosis is a mental state of deep relaxation marked by reduced peripheral awareness and focused concentration. In this state, a person is regarded as being open to outside suggestion, and thus hypnosis is used to help people address unwanted behaviors, deal with ongoing pain, or simply relax. Hypnosis can also be used to treat stress, anxiety, or insomnia, and is sometimes recommended to treat phobias or certain autoimmune disorders. Hypnosis has been used to supplement anesthesia in surgical procedures and to aid healing.
Individuals vary in their ability to respond to hypnotic induction, the method that hypnotists use to help an individual enter a trance-like state. Psychology Today estimates that about 25% of the general population do not respond to hypnotic suggestion (“Hypnosis.” Psychology Today). While there are common misconceptions about what hypnotists might cause people to do, hypnosis is not a form of mind control. A hypnotist cannot compel a person to act against their will. However, the receptivity of the mind in the hypnotic state, and the ability to access subconscious emotions and fears, do raise ethical questions around the level of influence a hypnotist might exert over a client. Hypnotherapists can vary in the tactics they employ and the promises they make for success. While many licensed therapists will use age regression, for example—encouraging a patient to recall memories from an earlier life stage—belief that hypnosis can allow a person to discover past lives is a far less accepted belief in the therapeutic world.
Hypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis as a therapeutic tool and is considered an alternative therapy often prescribed in conjunction with other forms of treatment, for instance cognitive behavioral therapy. Hypnotherapy can be prescribed to treat alcohol or substance abuse, control weight, stop smoking, manage anger, or address grief. The idea is that, by leading a patient into a state of focused concentration, the hypnotherapist can work with the subconscious to address ingrained beliefs that govern patterns of behavior. The Mayo Clinic recommends that hypnosis, particularly when used to treat medical conditions, be conducted by a trained medical provider. Most states and countries require a person to complete appropriate training and receive their certification from an accredited organization to become a licensed hypnotherapist.
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