Dipankar Patra
Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu
Title: Use of Hypnosis in stoking the fire of creativity
Biography:
Abstract:
In this article, the lead author and hypnotherapist, examine the role of hypnosis in enhancing creativity amongst individuals. In general, Hypnosis is very successful amongst creative people in handling anxiety, dealing with negative self-talk, motivating to stop procrastination, building self-confidence and the release of the creative power of the subconscious.
While examining the existing research literature, the author finds that there are various range of observations by researchers. There are some who feels that hypnosis facilitates generation of new ideas or images and that it facilitates the retrieval of ideas and images into phenomenal awareness. On the other extreme are researchers who feel that no real facilitation of creative insight takes place because of hypnosis. The neo-dissociation theory is used to support this view.
There are various areas where hypnosis and creativity appear to be related constructs, and this has both an observed and a theoretical foundation.
Creativity is examined considering stable personality trait and hypnotisability, especially in relation to 3 interrelated constructs – absorption, imaginative involvement and fantasy proneness. Some type of modification in awareness takes place in the 4 stages of creative process: preparation, incubation, illumination and verification.
Effortlessness is the critical link in understanding similarities between the process underlying hypnosis and creativity. The creative individual as well as the highly hypnotisable subject both have greater than normal capacity for transition from active to a passive mode of thinking.
Attempts have been made to list down various methodological differences which do not lead to confirm whether creative performance increases during hypnosis. Similarly, attempts to study whether motivation and goal directed behaviour alone can influence creativity is also examined. Methodological problems in the study of hypnosis and creativity is attributed to conceptual differences and future research in this direct is essential to unlock this mystery.