Trances People Live 101

Magazine For Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy

Hypnosis Book Reviews... Trances People Live - Healing approaches in Quantum Psychology Stephen Wolinsky Ph.D Stephen Wolinsky Ph.D began his clinical practice in Los Angeles, California in 1974. Working as a Gestalt and Reichian therapist. He also trained in Hypnosis, Psychosynthesis, Psychodrama/ Psychomotor and Transactional Analysis. In 1977 he travelled to India where he spent six years studying meditation. He moved to New Mexico in 1982 to resume a clinical practice. There he began to train therapists in Eriksonian hypnosis and Family therapy. He conducted year long trainings entitled: Integrating Hypnosis with Psychotherapy and Integrating hypnosis with Family therapy. He is the author of many books and is the founder of Quantum Psychology. In Trances people live Dr Wolinsky has created a unique project that combines his six years of studying in the Far East with his 20 years as a therapy student and practitioner. His unique combination of eastern philosophy, Ericksonian psychotherapy, historic psychotherapy as well as western religion and an interest in physics makes for a fascinating piece of writing. In this book he is presenting us with a new conceptual framework for trance which is easily translatable. His concept is saying that within the bounds of our everyday experiences we are creating a self induced trance. He is almost saying that trance is a new word for feelings. He is able to find an intriguing way to teach others how to experience the transformational insight that 'they are not their problem'. He makes it clear that symptoms are found within our own self-hood but also includes the idea that the psychotherapy experience includes the therapists selfhood. He therefore stresses a great importance on the integrity of the therapist and shares his belief that the therapist-patient identity is a unity and that the therapist honesty and freedom to express himself is central to his own beingness. In explaining and giving meaning to the ideas of Quantum psychology in a way that is easily understood and absorbed he explains the discoveries that were made in the scientific community. Heisenberg changed the world of physics through his discovery that the instrument of measurement as well as the observer of the experiment influences the outcome. This has given way to an array of philosophical interpretations especially that of Fred Wolf (1981) who speculated "How could there be a mechanical universe out there if the universe changed every time we altered how we observe it?" To translate this into language that we can understand, it means that how we subjectively experience events, interactions, and our own inner self is observer- created- created by us. This reality suggests a further one: that we, as the knowers of our experience, choose how an experience is experienced. This is where we delve into the realms of deep trance phenomena, the medium in which our creative activity takes place. This is where we select how experiences are perceived, interpreted, and understood. In this book the phenomena of hypnotic trance is viewed as a self-generated, self-created reality that appears to happen to us. In Dr Wolinsky's view these self-created realities are what can often result in symptoms or problems. Once we can acknowledge the observer-creator within that is creating these trances we can begin a deeper process of assuming responsibility for the part we play in (consciously or unconsciously) creating our own realities. Dr Wolinsky believes that the task of the therapist is one of observing and identifying the self-generated problem state or hypnotic trance and de-hypnotizing the person out of the trance he or she is already in. For the reader there is a wealth of fascinating information, a thorough and clear explanation of the theory, with many examples and case studies to draw from. It gives a very different way of looking at all of the different aspects of deep trance phenomena. In many respects it calls in to question many of the ideas that we have developed and understood and turns them on their heads. Stephen Wolinsky would have us believe that Quantum Consciousness is only bounded by the limitations of our current conception of reality. Could this be the missing piece of the dysfunctional puzzle. If we can learn to identify the kind of trance states that create our problems or symptoms we could have the tool to finally dissolve the 'glue' that holds our problems to us in the present moment. For me this book is a wonderful journey into the world of Quantum psychology, it is easily readable, very enjoyable and immensely thought provoking. Where does it take us, now, with the notion of hypnosis, is it a state where we go or is it life? Reviewed by: Lorraine Flaherty Review by kind permission of The London College of Clinical Hypnosis