Patent No. 5159640 Apparatus for carrying out hypnotherapies

 

Patent No. 5159640

Apparatus for carrying out hypnotherapies (Bick, Oct 27, 1992)

Abstract

An apparatus for hypnotherapy which has a plurality of headphone stations for the respective subjects and a central station which can switch a control group therapy sound reproducer to all of the headphone stations for initiating, deepening and withdrawal from hypnosis stages. The headphone stations are associated with individual sound reproducers for the individual suggestion programs and a microphone can be selectively connected at the central station. A rushing water sound generator can be selectively connected to the modulation stages of the central station or the individual loudspeaker stations.

Notes:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Psychogenic-therapy methods using suggestive treatment with a therapeutic and prophylactic character are gaining increasingly in importance, since there exists a very high probability of a positive influencing of the subconscious Through this treatment, in a deep physically and psychically (hypnotic) relaxed state--which is in itself already of great therapeutic effect--, the negative mental (disturbing) factors, which are fixed in the subconscious mind and evoke (subconsciously) misguided behavior, are replaced suggestively by positive, mental-motivating elements.

Notwithstanding the necessity for different individual, treatments for executing the aforementioned exchange, it is, in order to relieve the therapist in charge, unavoidable and possible to carry out at least the first stage of maintaining and deepening of the relaxation condition by means of appropriate equipment.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is thus the object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that permits hypnotheraphy in the preceding sense.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This is achieved according to the invention in that a plurality of headphone stations, which permit the therapeutic treatment of several patients simultaneously, and which are alternately switchable between a control part, common to all headphone stations, with a sound-reproduction stage for the introduction of the hypnosis in a group or the return out of the hypnosis, and, in each case, a sound-carrier reproducer for conducting individual suggestion.

With such means, the physician conducting the therapy can henceforth simultaneously reach via sound carrier or microphone several patients wearing headphones, and exercise a suggestive influence on these patients for the introduction and deepening of the hypnosis. Between the introduction or deepening of the hypnosis and further deepening or returning, a common intermediate switching-over to the sound-carrier reproducer, individually allocated to each headphone, can take place, so that each patient receives individual suggestion, which has previously been compiled and prepared with the therapist.

Experiments have led to exceptional results in this connection, particularly when the sound carriers for the individual suggestion formulas are spoken by the same therapist who also speaks the introduction, deepening and return formulas. When taken into consideration, then, that on the one hand a single hypnotherapy session takes about 1 hour, namely, about 5 minutes for greeting and seating the patient, about 20 minutes for the hypnotic introduction, about 5 minutes for the individual suggestion and again about 30 minutes for deepening and returning, and on the other hand, that, with such an apparatus according to the invention, up to 12 and more patients can be attended to simultaneously, the significance of such an apparatus becomes obvious both for therapists and patients.

In a further embodiment of the multi-functional hypnotic apparatus, said sound-reproduction stage for group therapy comprises at least one sound-carrier reproducer as well as a microphone which may be switched on alternately. This enables the therapist to play the introduction, deepening and returning programs alternatively from sound carriers, as tape, CD or the like, or to speak via microphone. Preferably, secondary devices are provided to immediately counter any disturbances in the arrangement.

Furthermore, it is of advantage to make the microphone alternately connectable with a room loud-speaker and/or station loud-speakers and/or the headphones of said stations, which further ameliorates the individual operation of the arrangement by the therapist.

It has been found that certain sounds, as in particular the rushing of the sea, act sedatively to a high degree. To utilize this here, it is moreover intended to allocate an appropriate sound-generating unit to said common control part, which should be selectively switched on and alternately switched over to an intensifier and modulation stage of said individual sound-carrier reproducers or to a modulation stage for group therapy downstream of said sound-reproduction stage in order to bring the rushing of the sea by itself as well as also for the group and individual suggestion superimposed onto the headphones. Preferably, the sound-generating unit is, moreover, a controllable, time-controlled threshold stage downstream of said sound-generating unit in order to adjust the volume of the rushing sound to the course of the therapy.

Moreover, additional echo and/or resonance stages can be connectable.

For a time-controlled, automatic course of a therapy session, it is moreover intended to allocate a timer to said common control part, which brings about a switching-over of said group sound-reproduction stage to said sound-carrier reproducers and back. For example, the timer can make a first switching after completion of the hypnotic introduction after about 20 minutes for about 5 minutes over to individual suggestion and then a back-switching for about 30 minutes to group information for deepening the hypnosis and returning out of the hypnosis.

A light-control means may also be controlled by said timer.

In order to give the therapist the possibility of controlling the sound-carrier reproducers of the headphone stations, they are appropriately arranged in the region of the group sound-reproduction stage. However, this demands an extreme marking or characterization of the devices as to the coordination thereof with the headphone stations in order to avoid confusion of the individual therapy information as much as possible.

It is more advantageous to place the sound-carrier reproducers of the headphone stations there also, which gives the patient the opportunity of having his individual sound carrier with him (additional, positive, suggestive effect) and to place this in "his" station (which puts aside the feeling of an interdiction and increases the sense of self-worth).

Moreover, said individual arrangement permits a subsequent extension of the hypnotic apparatus whenever desired.

-----------------------------------

Moreover, this apparatus is extendible by means of further sound-carrier reproducers for the central sound-reproduction stage, for instance, for reserves or also for the utilization of subliminal processes. The same also applies with regard to an extension of the apparatus by light-producing and light-influencing as well as resonance- or echo-producing switching arrangements.