PandoraStar, Hypnotherapy and Brainwave entrainment
Some of the most profound and useful effects of PandoraStar brainwave entrainment, are the deep trance and meditative states possible…
This article discusses PandoraStar used in hypnotherapy, combined with the following four sequences:
HYPNO7_0
HYPNO5_5
HYPNO4_0
HYPNO2_5
PandoraStar, Hypnotherapy and Brainwave entrainment:
[ PLEASE NOTE: All information here is for educational purposes only. No claim is made for any therapeutic benefit of PandoraStar or brainwave entrainment. It is expected that any use of hypnotic techniques be carried out by trained people only and that all requirements of the governing body of your hypnotherapy qualification and of our commercial user agreement be in place before any such client work is undertaken.
All information here is based on current scientific research backed up by many years of study and shared experience of mine and others in the trained use of hypnotherapy. As with any subject, there will always be advice and even scientific results that are different and in some cases maybe even conflicting to what I share here. I have based my findings on the most common of all this information. Pick and choose what works for you and leave the rest. Any suggestions are just that, suggestions for you to either try or not with your own skills and experience. I hope the following sparks some thinking in you as to how you could use this information to add to your existing knowledge and ability. ]
Some of the most profound and useful effects of PandoraStar brainwave entrainment, are the deep trance and meditative states possible.
By choosing what level of trance is desired for the specific goal of the hypnotherapy session.., a specific frequency or range of frequencies can also be chosen to magnify and speed up the effect of hypnotic inductions and therapeutic use of suggestion, metaphor, memory retrieval and processing, and installation of new habits to name a few.
Brainwaves (electrical brain oscillations) during trance states are widely studied and agreed upon in scientific research. There are some phenomenon that are harder to prove.., such as the role of Gamma (approx 38 cycles per second (Hz) and above) in relation to the more common Theta (approx 4-8Hz).
This particular relation is important though for the purposes of hypnosis and brain activity, and is known as Theta/Gamma coupling or phase linking.
The reason the role of Gamma is harder to prove is that the higher the frequency of a brainwave, the closer it gets to frequencies of ‘noise’ generated by electrical equipment that the common EEG (Electroencephalogram) equipment measures.
EEG is the most common measure of brainwaves but it has to be noted that measuring brainwaves from outside the scalp by way of sensitive electrodes (which is what an EEG cap does) is like listening through the wall of an indoor stadium and trying to pick out each individual musical instrument from the whole orchestra.
Approximations can be made on the overall state of the brain and even approximate locations of these brainwaves, but pin point accuracy is not possible. Other techniques such as fMRI can be used to more accurately pin point areas of the brain by way of changes in blood flow, but that then becomes its own limitation because it can ONLY measure change and not consistency like EEG can.
Combining the two and other methods is of course the best way to be as accurate as possible.
Why use PandoraStar brainwave entrainment with hypnotherapy?
The hypnotic induction is arguably the most important part of any hypnosis session. Without a suitable level of trance the work that follows will be at best harder to consolidate and take longer to achieve.., and at worst will not have any long term effect at all.
By using a proven effect called the frequency following response (the basis of brainwave entrainment where an external stimulus can effect and alter an internal brain state) and a proven target frequency based on research of the electrical brain activity in those who have been hypnotised before.., you can dramatically improve your chances of having a client in the desired state to accept suggestion and instruction for improvement in whatever area they have come to you for.
And there are brainwave states that have been shown to dramatically increase the likelihood of your hypnotherapy session being effective.
So armed with the ability to create those states at will.., and the higher your success rate with clients, the more clients you will get by referral and repeat visits in the future for other goals.
And those of you who practice consistently will know that the best and most cost effective marketing for you is always going to be word of mouth and repeat business.
This could be seen as being about adding a point of difference between you and other hypnotherapists both in success rate and uniqueness, and therefore getting yourself more clients.
One researched fact here is an example of the benefit of consistent reliable brainwave patterns…
Although it cannot be 100% concluded that ALL hypnosis sessions need or result in Theta wave activity.., there is a growing amount of peer reviewed scientific evidence, that suggestions and instructions for change given during a hypnotherapy session while certain Theta brainwaves are present, have a significantly higher chance of being accepted and acted upon.
The scientific suspicion in fact is, that without Theta brainwaves present during a hypnosis session.., it may not even BE hypnosis at all, and suggestions may not be accepted or acted upon.
Theta brain activity accompanies a number of mental and physical activities.
For the purposes of hypnosis, one of the main activities here that Theta brainwaves facilitate is the coding and retrieval of memories.
Almost like they are the record and playback function of the brain.
For that reason alone, consider what it would do for your practice as a hypnotherapist if you could consistently get people into the ranges of brain activity where they are most open to re-programming or de-programming of habits of thought, action and experience.
What happens to brainwaves during hypnosis?
Standard brainwave patterns for everyday life are mainly in the range of 0.5-80Hz (cycles per second).
There are brainwaves outside of these levels but they are less common. I’m not going to explain each brainwave here but suffice to say that standard waking consciousness is in the range of 12HZ to approx 38HZ.
This is known as the ‘Beta’ range and is characterised by alert activity.
Just below Beta is the Alpha range typically stated as 8-12Hz.
And just below that is the Theta range of frequencies at around 4-8Hz where most hypnotic sessions will end up occurring.
Below Theta is Delta where deep trance is possible for some but sleep is often the result for most (0.5-4Hz).
Hypnosis is basically the changing from an outside focus to a more and more inward one. And the brainwaves follow the same pattern as they get slower.
During a hypnosis session the client (and sometimes the practitioner to a lesser degree even) will close their eyes and almost immediately go into an Alpha brainwave state.
Light levels of trance will tend to stay in low Alpha with occasional dips into high Theta and with some Beta waves still present especially if the client is required to talk out loud or is using goal orientated visualisation.
As the induction continues and the person relaxes, Alpha will give way to Theta waves and the focus will be more inward and less interaction is likely.
Theta is where almost all useful trance work occurs.
If deepening continues then the next step is to slow right down into Delta waves where the ability of most (but not all) people to communicate outwardly or even stay awake is reduced considerably unless they are an experienced meditator or hypnosis user.
It’s worth knowing that if you want to get verbal feedback from your client that you will introduce Beta (or at least high Alpha) waves back into the mix and that that can reduce the intensity of the trance if done too much.
Now this is not to say that this is not a good idea. Getting verbal feedback is a very valuable way to guide and direct a client within a trance state and done in the context of a medium level trance will not negatively effect the session and can and does have very powerful results.
Just be aware that if you want a deeper trance and also want interaction then you may need to bring the client up a little into high Theta to talk, and then drop them back down into medium or low Theta again to continue.
With experience you will realise that you probably already do this anyway either on purpose or as a side effect of your training and technique.
And in fact you can use this rise and fall of depth of trance on purpose in what is known as ‘fractionation’ to create an even deeper and more stable trance.
More on that in another article and something I have incorporated into my TRANCE programs for PandoraStar.
So this knowledge demonstrates the importance of knowing what you want the goal for the session to be. [PandoraStar program choices can assist you in this and more user interface ability and features are being developed here too]
So within the Theta range there are of course levels of depth and usefulness also.
Theta for ease of discussion can be grouped into low, medium, and high Theta bands of frequencies and all have been measured in varying amounts and at different times using EEG technology during the different levels and stages of hypnosis.
Stated again.., although it cannot be concluded that ALL hypnosis sessions need or result in Theta wave activity.., there is a growing amount of evidence that suggestions and instructions for change given during a hypnotherapy session while Theta brainwaves are present, have a significantly higher chance of being accepted and acted upon.
More recent research also shows that there is a relationship between Theta and the higher Gamma waves (40Hz and above). It seems that there is a coupling or synergy between them and that one may even drive (be in control of) the other.
The most common theory with promising evidence is that Gamma waves increase with the length and depth of a hypnotic trance state and that they are in fact the overseer of the processing of information, memories and coding of knowledge that Theta waves are actively responsible for. A kind of organiser and connector of brain activity to create coherent physical and mental life.
This is my wording and understanding of the many papers I have read on the subject.
[Again as stated above, inconclusive and in some cases contraindicative data can also be found but it is less common. So by the law of averages it makes sense to think is has a good chance of being accurate]
How do I use PandoraStar brainwave entrainment with hypnotherapy?
This is where the scientific research combined with standard hypnotherapy practices and understandings becomes really valuable.
Getting someone into a trance state using brainwave entrainment is one thing. Add to that, that if you know your goal in the session.., and you know what dominant brainwave frequencies are most conducive to that goal; then you can short cut the hit and miss process of getting the right level of relaxation for the purpose of the session you’re aiming for.
And of course being that every client is different and may respond differently to different levels of relaxation (some may need a deeper state than others for a desired result for instance), you now have a measurable way of making adjustments to the entrainment side of your sessions that can then be replicated again.
As an adjunct to this article, I have created four different hypnosis programs for PandoraStar owners to suit four different sets of goals for a session and taking into account the research on Theta/Gamma coupling. For example, one is for where interaction and/or creative visualisation will be needed and another is for emotional release work and memory retrieval. More info on each, when to use them, and some associated research is included in the description with the programs on the PandoraStar owner access server.
You can let PandoraStar do the role of hypnotising and maintaining a desired state, while you do the role of guiding and therapeutic intervention.
Added to the benefit of the frequencies being produced, is the benefit of Ericksonian style utilisation statements such as “ feel yourself going into the light” or “allowing the light to filter into every cell, relaxing you as your unconscious makes the changes… etc etc”.
Don’t get me started on language patterns or we’ll be here all day, Lol
The PandoraStar itself then also becomes and anchor (conditioned link) to reinduce the trance state easier next time.
Personally, I would also record the session audio and email the MP3 to them to use between sessions. The recorded session will again act in itself as an anchor of sorts to help reinduce the desired state produced by the PandoraStar session.
Again, this also adds a point of difference to what other hypnotherapists do.
Both the PandoraStar and other practices like emailed recordings can be that for you.
What if I don’t know what frequency to use?
For PandoraStar owners I’ve made this easy.
The bottom line though is that brainwave entrainment is a tool to add to your hypnotherapy practice.., not a replacement.
So even if you chose a frequency that is not ideal for your goal.., as long as it is in the lower bandwidths of Alpha, Theta or Delta (preferably in Theta); the worst that will happen is that they will go too deep or not deep enough in that session. And your experience as a hypnotherapist will have taught you how to make a trance state deeper or less and how to adapt and utilise whatever is in front of you.
It’s true also that on very rare occasions, people will not like the brainwave entrainment and want just your voice.
And there are of course issues of safety to adhere to with brainwave entrainment that may exclude a few people from using it.
There is of course no one magic bullet for hypnosis.
Some people as you will be aware are just harder to get to relax. Any tool you have that helps expand the range of people you can help is one worth considering.
That’s why you keep learning new techniques and expand the tools you have for different people.
Most people, have a truly amazing experience and feel revitalised and rested after a PandoraStar session with or without hypnotic guidance.
And then of course there is the option to do sessions without any hypnosis at all where you are a simply an observer and facilitator of different conscious experiences. There is more to explore than just going down in brain frequency after all. You can go up too!
Research papers on the subject of brainwaves and hypnosis are too numerous to do each idea justice so I will include one only. This one contains a good summary of a number of the studies that have been done (most of which I have read) and dozens of links to more detailed papers if you choose to explore further…
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4361031/
Curious about how PandoraStar can help you in your hypnotherapy practice?
Take a trance and try it for yourself.
A little hypnotist humour there. Haha
Lance :)
PandoraStar Hypnotherapy Sessions
Each session length is 40 minutes
Each session has background resonant matched Gamma in line with the coupling theory talked about in the accompanying article to this called “PandoraStar, Hypnotherapy and Brainwave entrainment”.
Please also read this:
Each session is based on an approximate 40 min hypnosis session within an hour long consultation. The program can be stopped at any point after about 15 minutes but ideally 20 minutes to make the session shorter. Longer sessions can be continued after the program fades out at the end, or you can adjust the length of the second to last step of the program yourself to make any length you like.
If you want a slight change (length or otherwise) to any of these programs and don’t feel confident in doing it yourself, then please feel free to ask me and I will do it for you. I will then either do so just for you or share it as another option here for all to use.
The first 1.5 minutes of the induction phase is at 10Hz and is simply aimed at getting the person used to the experience of flickering light.
Note: that each lower brainwave level version of HYPNO takes one more minute of induction time to reach the target frequency. This should make it easier to remember.
You don’t have to stick to the exact timings for the induction phases. These times are included as a rough guide for you and will not interfere with you having a longer or shorter induction.
All sessions are also suitable for self hypnosis or listening to recordings of hypnosis or meditation.
All recommendations for each program are suggestions only. Every client will respond differently. Some may need a deeper session while some may be so susceptible to hypnosis that they go deep with even a medium level. And some (although this is rare) may not be susceptible at all.
It is hard to categorise 100% where a particular hypnotic result may occur. For example some people can get pain control in even a light trance while others will need to go deep.
There is a reasonable amount of evidence to suggest that the 4-6Hz range in particular is more useful for emotional work as memories seem to be more accessible in this brain state.
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HYPNO7
Base frequency 7Hz
High Theta
Medium trance level
Induction phase is 6 minutes
Suggested uses:
· Trance work where frequent interaction or talking is predicted (too much interaction at deeper levels of trance can add too many higher brainwaves and cause the person to come out of trance unless you pre-frame it properly) …
· Creative visualisation…
· Processing and reinforcing of new learning’s and decisions from deeper trance work…
· For people who go deep easily and are hard to get to follow instructions.
It’s actually surprising how much great trance work you can do at this medium level and especially if the person already lives a lot of their lives in higher frequencies. Sometimes going deeper is counterproductive.
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HYPNO5.5
Base frequency 5.5Hz
Mid Theta
Deep trance level
Induction phase is 7 minutes
Suggested uses:
· Emotional trance work…
· Dealing with and releasing trauma…
· Accessing memories…
· Recoding memories…
· Accessing resources, happy states and building new or breaking old habits…
· Metaphor and storytelling…
· Direct hypnosis where suggestions of well being are delivered without any input from the client…
· Minimal interaction (although if you pre-frame that they will drop back down into deep trance again after each interaction, this can work too) …
· Low enough for regression type work for some.
Spontaneous healing often occurs around (but is not reserved to) this level of trance.
5.5 Hz in particular seems to be a peak value of Theta found in studies of brain responses to Theta stimulation and measurement.
This is where the bulk of your work will likely be. People wanting to stop doing something or start doing something will most likely respond well to this level.
You may wish to do a session at this level to gather information and resources and then back it up later with a slightly deeper session where you act more as a source of affirmations and direct suggestion to consolidate any previous sessions. Or for many people this will be deep enough to do all of it.
Here’s an example of research showing the presence and usefulness of this frequency for work around memories.
5.5Hz and memory retrieval:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30198823
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HYPNO4
Base frequency 4Hz
Low Theta
Very Deep trance level
Induction phase is 8 minutes
Suggested uses:
· Direct suggestions to the unconscious mind…
· Out of Body type experiences…
· Messages from higher self/spiritual guides…
· Regression…
· Shamanic experiences…
· The border of sleep so can result in this if tired…
· Stage hypnosis type responses…
· Pain control (anaesthesia) (although this can happen to varying levels in any depth of trance) …
· Simplistic metaphor requiring no mental input from client…
· For similar uses to 5.5Hz if the person is very analytical and their conscious mind needs to be right out of the way.
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HYPNO2.5
Base frequency 2.5Hz
Mid Delta
Very Deep trance level (mainly for experienced clients)
Induction phase is 9 minutes
Suggested uses:
· Similar to 4Hz but for more experienced hypnotic subjects…
· Possible ‘coma’ type trance where person seems stuck in trance (This can happen in low Theta too)
2.5Hz is within the normal realms of sleep so unless there is that experience by the person, or continuous suggestion to relax but be unconsciously alert to what you are saying, they may just fall asleep.
This can be a very good place to get pain relief and healing though.
It’s in this range of brain activity while we sleep that HGH (Human Growth Hormone) is released that is responsible for body AND brain repair and growth.
Honestly, research on how effective brainwave entrainment is at doing the same as sleep in this is up for debate, but there are examples within our community of almost miraculous results and enough possible causality to suggest that it does.
If you use this or 4Hz and want useable information from the client to discuss and use in other sessions you will need to give that suggestion a few times to ensure as they come out of trance, they get or maintain information from their unconscious mind to their conscious mind.
Final note: As I’ve mentioned, these are guides only and many more things are possible with hypnosis and at varying levels of trance than I have listed here.
Experiment for yourself and trust in your knowledge and hypnosis training to guide you to the results you desire.
Lance
(Hey look, my name rhymes with Trance)
