Üsküdar Üniversitesi Traditional and Complementary Medicine Practice and Research Center (GETIPMER) and Üsküdar Üniversitesi Continuous Education Practice and Research Center (ÜSEM) hosted the Deputy Dean of Near East University Faculty of Health Sciences, Prof. Dr. İpek Tokem Ergür, as the guest of the “Clinical Hypnosis Talks” program.
In the program held via Zoom, Prof. Dr. İpek Tokem Ergür provided information on the topic of “Plasticity Changes in the Brain in Hypnosis and Meditation.”
“Words are the most important weapon on humans!”
Prof. Dr. İpek Tokem Ergür, emphasizing the importance of hypnosis; “Actually, there is a very important thing in hypnosis, and that is words. Words are the most powerful, important, and magnificent weapon over people. So, what happens in hypnosis? Hypnosis is actually a very different state of awareness. It involves a controlled detachment from the environment. Certain information and suggestions are received by the central nervous system without any criticism. In fact, when criticism is involved, it’s not hypnosis. During hypnosis, attention is drawn to a very specific area, and efforts are made to maintain concentration. There is also a reduction in sensitivity to many unwanted information inputs from the surroundings. For this, a very strong state of concentration is necessary in hypnosis.” she stated.
“There are many types of hypnosis”
Prof. Dr. Tokem Ergür, referring to the types of hypnosis, said: “There are many types of hypnosis. The thing most often confused with self-hypnosis is meditation. We often encounter the question, ‘Is what is called self-hypnosis meditation, or is meditation self-hypnosis?’ Because in self-hypnosis, there is no other intervention. The person tries to perform events such as controlled detachment from the environment on their own. In formal hypnosis, on the other hand, the person is under the influence of a hypnotist and willingly enters their influence. However, in formal hypnosis, the person should not criticize individually, and if they have placed a certain trust in that hypnotist, they do not criticize and can easily surrender.”
We have as many neurons as our communication…
Prof. Dr. Ergür emphasized the importance of communication in hypnosis. Ergür stated; “Communication is a very important issue in humans. The more a child can communicate emotionally and physically, the greater the structural plasticity and the number of neurons in their brain. When a baby is born, it has millions of neurons. Some of these are pruned when not used. The unused ones go away, and only those that will be useful remain. But if communication and interaction are very high, these remain in much greater numbers, and pruning is significantly reduced.”