We define hypnosis as the natural process whereby we bypass the critical factor of the conscious mind to enter the subconscious more easily. The process produces selected awareness, a focus that is free of the distractions that keep us from detecting dysfunctional patterns and creating new, beneficial ones. This process also occurs in HypnoDrama. 

In contrast to Classic Hypnotherapy that involves the client's lying or sitting down and allowing his or her body to remain still, HypnoDrama is mostly an active form of hypnosis. Moreover, unlike most group hypnosis that entails individuals' remaining in their own intuitive spaces, HypnoDrama encourages, even requires, group interaction to allow entrance not only into the individual subconscious in a deeper way, but also into the group subconscious. 

Just by accessing ones individual subconscious along with the group subconscious or Group Mind, group members enter a very powerful and helpful hypnotic process designed to help them to discover new beliefs and thus new possibilities for changing their lives. 

In HypnoDrama, the primary modality for altering perspective is improvisation, usually defined as making do with what is available. (See, for example, Augusto Boal, Viola Spolin, Keith Johnstone, Ruth Zaporin). 

The practice of improvisation necessitates the participant's moving into the NOW, where past and future, the primary occupations of the conscious mind, are bypassed. In the NOW is the point of power, the space where new choices are possible without the worry about future issues or the anxiety about impositions from the past. 

HypnoDramatic improvisation involves both verbal and movement exercises designed to awaken the group members' awareness of alternate possibilities in their body-mind-spirit. This process helps individuals evolve new perspectives and beliefs and consequently hitherto unrealized emotions and alternative behaviors. 

Many of the usual hypnotherapeutic modalities, such as (but not limited to) suggestion-giving, parts dialogue, future pacing, age-regression, enhancing self-empowerment, are used in HypnoDrama. Other techniques used derive from many sources, including: 
 

• Acting Techniques (Strasner, Hagen, Adler, Meisner, and others), 

• Forum Theatre, 

• Playback Theatre, 

• Storytelling, 

• Body Self-Sculpting,

• David Wiener's Drama Work, 

• The Dynamics of Movement (e.g., Alexander, Reubenfeld, Olsen), 

• Narrative Techniques, 

• Performance Theories 

• Chaos and Complexity Theories 

• Creativity Theories 

• Ritual Theories

 

At the weekend HypnoDrama Workshop, Improvisation for Spiritual Development, the entire group may be invited to go into a formally induced hypnosis at the beginning of the workshop in order to focus even more intently on the NOW. Later in the day, when we work on accessing several past lives for each person, group members enter a light hypnotic trance to better improvise scenes from one or more of each person's past lives. Sometimes, at the end of these scenes, the subject is invited to go into hypnosis in a more traditional way to reinforce further what he or she has learned about enhancing his or her life. No matter how serious HypnoDrama becomes, that seriousness is enhanced by and couched in an atmosphere of free play and downright fun! Such play, which usually begins immediately in the session, dissolves inhibitions, weakens the criticism of the conscious mind, and eases everyone into a hypnotic, intuitive state that promotes spiritual development. Often, to enhance the elemental fun, participants are invited to wear unusual hats or wigs and play with scarves or masks and other such evocative props. In short, HypnoDrama is a philosophy and hypnotic process of spiritual development. It is designed to help individuals and groups emerge from a stuck spiritual place enriched by new possibilities of thought, feeling and behavior to deal more effectively with the increasingly complex and unpredictable modern environment. HypnoDrama uses fun and seriousness to imagine dramatically new and diverse ways to deal with old issues, expand present capacities, and perceive future opportunities.

 

To learn more about HypnoDrama, send us an email.

 

• Tired of your routine behaviors? Want to improvise new roles and characterizations of yourself?

• Wonder what new stories about yourself and the world could emerge if you were to let your body speak freely through body sculpture and dance?

• Wish to deconstruct old patterns of thinking and feeling?

• Want to experience the self-organizing power of surrendering to the NOW?

• Want to approach the edge of chaos to tap its power for recreation of the self?

• Want to marshal your intuition to free yourself and others from old ways of perceiving?

• Want to benefit from the wisdom of a small group willing to help you out of stuck places?

• Want to play and play and play?

 

Then come join us for a day-long or weekend session of HypnoDrama: Improvisation for Spiritual Development and playfully improvise new possibilities for your life!