Hypnotherapy
with Michele Occelli
Episode 6, The Chakra Series
The Third Eye Chakra
A spiritual third chakra, which means “beyond wisdom,” leads you to an inner knowledge that will guide you if you let it. Aka it’s our intuition or in-built navigation system so to speak.
In today’s episode we are chatting to Hypnotherapist Michele Occelli. Combining Ericksonian and ideodynamic techniques he works with both the mind and body of his clients. Establishing new patterns of behaviour and developing skills, create lasting and significant changes in ones life.
What are its main attributes?
Also known by the sanskrit word ‘Ajna’ it is based in the area between the eye at eyebrow level. It encompasses the pituitary gland, eyes, head, and lower part of the brain.
What is Hypnotheraphy?
Hypnotherapy is the practice of using hypnosis in a curative setting. Hypnosis is the process of going into an altered state which we call ‘trance’ in the West. Trance is achieved differently in each culture; and it is very important to point out that all cultures, consistently have developed systems of reaching altered states of consciousness. Some of which may have been chemically induced, such as with psychotropics, hallucinogenics and psychedelics. Other times it can or has been induced through means, which are in fact not very different to Hypnosis as we know it in the West.
In short, it can be described as the practice of accessing a state that is different to the waking state, with a curative or healing purpose. Two of the techniques that Michele combines are Ericksonian and Ideodynamic.
Ericksonian Hypnotherapy was developed by an American Psychiatrist named Erickson. Spanning over 50 years, Erickson's work sparked a fundamental shift in modern psychotherapy and revolutionised the practice of hypnotherapy. It is now considered a highly effective type of therapy.
Braid adopted his friend and colleague William Carpenter's theory of the “ideo-motor” reflex response to account for the phenomenon of hypnotism and came up with the term "ideo-dynamic". Meaning "by the power of an idea", which explain a broad range of "psycho-physiological" (mind-body) phenomena.
History of Hypnosis
Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) who was an Austrian physician developed a system of therapeutics. He is known as the forerunner of the modern practice of hypnotism, which was then known as mesmerism. This is also where the word to “mesmerise” originates from.
In 1775 Mesmer revised his theory of “animal gravitation” to one of “animal magnetism,” wherein the invisible fluid in the body acted according to the laws of magnetism. According to Mesmer, “animal magnetism” could be activated by any magnetised object and manipulated by any trained person.
James Esdaile (1808–1859), an Edinburgh trained Scottish surgeon, who served for twenty years with the East India Company, is a notable figure in the history of “animal magnetism" and, in particular, in the history of general anaesthesia. At that time there were no drugs or anaesthetics to help ease the pain. He is known to have operated a total of ca. 3,000 people, who didn’t feel any pain. This is remarkable considering most operations at that time used to be the amputation of limbs.
It was a Scottish surgeon named James Braid (1795-1860), who first coined the expression Hypnosis in his book Neurypnology (1843). He was mainly interested in the therapeutic possibilities of hypnosis and reported successful treatment of diseased states such as paralysis, rheumatism, and aphasia.
What is trance?
Different people will be able to enter trance in different ways. It is an active, dynamic, psychological state, which happens by loading our awareness with stimuli.
It’s a way of moving from what we call ‘the orienting response’, which is a fundamental mechanism, enabling the automatic detection of and orienting, to unexpected events or changes in the environment.
“We constantly put ourselves into trance, whether consciously or unconsciously.”
Can we tell if we’re in a trance state?
Some people who experience an orgasm will feel blissful; others might feel shame. And yet another person might not even be sure if they had an orgasm in the first place. It’s the same with trance, meaning it’s a very personal experience that will vary hugely from person to person; and is hard to identify.
Some of the explanations of hypnosis sound very familiar with what one would expect from some meditation techniques.
However, as opposed to meditation we are trying to establish a curative relationship, mostly between two people. So there’s a healing objective which is different to the objective of meditation. Therefore, it produces different roadmapping resulting in other effects.
“A lot of meditation techniques overlap with hypnosis to some level.”
To listen to full interview and guided meditation with Michele as well as curated tracklist, click here!
[00:00:00] Tam introduction into the Third Eye Chakra
[00:04:30] Is and Tam chat to Michele
[01:12:30] Third eye meditation guided by Michele
[01:24:45] Songs for the Third Eye
Follow Michele:
For more information on Hypnotheraphy, to book a private session or workshops head to Michele’s website.
Track list:
Gold, Caye
Coma (feat. Anibal), Caye
Purple Rain, Prince Gold, Caye
Teardrops, Womack & Womack
Open Me Slowly, Rena Jones
Bossa a La Calle, Kurup
Amphetamine, Smino
Mono, SidiRum, Jin Yerei
Femme D”Argent & La, Air
Bangalore Whispers, Andi Otto, M. D. Pallavi
Cumbia del Olvido, Nicola Cruz
Wish I Didn’t Miss You, Angie Stone
Lush, Four Tet
