Spirituality, healing and hypnosis: A psychiatrist's view
Updated: Apr 25
When I first encountered live hypnosis at the county fair, I didn't yet understand the deep therapeutic and transformational uses of this form of deep brain focus.
Over the past few decades, a growing interest in consciousness studies has led to more serious writing about the gifts of the hypnotic trance state, including from medical professionals interested in the wondrous complexity of the human experience.
In this article, the psychiatrist Dr. Marcel Westerlund offers several stories of the work his clients have done to connect to their soul's purpose, including case studies that show how hypnosis can help unlock the stories of the soul.
"Despite disbelief and rejection we have discovered that healing can occur through metaphysical events. As doctors, psychologists and nurses, we are equally sanctioned to practice healing. The main difference is that we lack the strength of having a clear socio-cultural, religious and spiritual acceptance 4 . We are legally accepted practitioners of health and we cure the body and the mind. We have no clear concept of healing the soul, since it has not been a part of our educational concept and normal practice.
Scientific training has for historical, secularised reasons considered thinking to be the only path to the holy grail of science. The body has been left to the doctor and the soul to the priest. It should though be possible to unite science and spirituality for the benefit of mankind. "
enjoy this full paper here: https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/members/sigs/spirituality-spsig/healing-with-advanced-hypnotherapy---a-science-of-spirituality-marcel-westerlund.pdf?sfvrsn=61fd837d_2
