Hypnotherapy Theories
Dissociation
The theory that a hypnotised person was in a dissociated state was first used by Pierre Janet in 1901. He claimed that the conscious and unconscious mind split off from each other when the trance state is induced. Janet also claimed that dissociation can be partial as well as complete.
e.g. in certain inductions and deepners the therapist can use suggestion so parts of the clients body can appear to be hot or cold or not even able to feel them at all.
Neo-Dissociation
Ernest Hillgard borrowed the idea that various process split off from conscious awareness and he also expanded in the idea by using the metaphors of the "cloak of amnesia" and "the hidden observer".
An example of the hidden observer:
A client reporting pain while at the same time another part reports no pain at all, because of this Hilgard suggests that different streams of consciousness operate at the same time & the are separated by amnesiac barriers.
