Alchemical Hypnotherapy - Therapy You Grow Out of
By Debbie Unterman
First printed in Thought Trends - August
1990
It is a radical concept for a therapy to be created in order to make
itself obsolete to its clients, but these are radical times we're living
in. With the tearing down of the Berlin Wall and the boundaries of Eastern
Europe, it's time to pierce the walls of our own making as well. Through
a new system of therapy known as Alchemical Hypnotherapy, a person can
contact the source of their own problems quickly and easily. It enables
them to achieve lasting results in much less time than through traditional
therapies or traditional hypnosis by being their own therapists.
The reason it can work so quickly is because it takes the best of talk
therapies and hypnosis and uses them both together. During a two-hour
session a client spends most of the time in a conversation with their
own subconscious mind. While lying down in a light to medium state of
trance, (also known as the alpha state) they feel peaceful, yet still
completely aware of all surroundings. The Alchemical hypnotherapist
acts in an interactive way with the client, like a tour guide, helping
them clear emotional traumas and connecting them with the different
aspects of themselves. These aspects Carl Jung calls "archetypes",
including the Inner Child, Inner Mate (or animus), and other Inner Guides.
The term "alchemical" is used to illustrate turning the base
nature of our mortal consciousness into the gold of self-realization.
This process is not a quick fix. To completely step into the cauldron
and experience the full spectrum of techniques an Alchemist has to offer,
takes about six months of sessions ranging from once a week to once
a month. But, this is a far cry from the ten years it could take for
a thorough analysis.
The important key to lasting success is the clients' commitment to work
with their guides, because it's the daily contact with their guides
that changes their lives. David Quigley, the originator of Alchemical
Hypnotherapy, explains the role of guides in his book
Alchemical Hypnotherapy: A Manual Of Practical Techniques. (See Below)
"Contacting our Inner Guides and
using their power unites all the disparate elements of the subconscious
mind into a powerful force for the transformation of ourselves and our
world." Quigley explains the way he found this process at the lowest
point in his life. "In my desperation, loneliness and pain, counseling
didn't help because it was love I needed. In a powerful vision I could
only understand as schizophrenia, a beautiful woman spirit appeared
to me and promised to lead me home. Frightened of my impending insanity,
but more terrified of suicide, I followed her. She led me on the Alchemical
Journey and then taught me how to lead others."
"Impending insanity?" Maybe. But professional psychotherapists
began to take a different view of these inner voices in the late 80's.
In the September 1989 edition of Dissociation, a professional publication
for therapists working with Multiple Personality Disorders (MPD), psychotherapist
Ann Adams reveals the findings of a study in which she investigated
therapists' experiences with Internal Self Helpers (ISHs). The therapeutic
term has been coined to explain the phenomenon of patients with MPD
discussing their Inner Guide with their therapist. These ISHs were described
by the majority of therapists interviewed as "entities-having nearly
total recall of life experiences, who reported information accurately
most of the time, never exhibited delusional thinking-and gave advice
to the client and therapist which was frequently helpful."
The study concluded that these ISHs are mostly knowledgeable, reliable,
and helpful-possessing unifying, centering and protective functions
within persons with MPD." Nearly 60% of the therapists surveyed,
who were reporting on experiences with a total of 340 ISHs, believe
that every person "has a part of himself which is similar to the
ISH."
This is a key difference between traditional and Alchemical hypnosis.
The former works more along the theory of reprogramming the subconscious
mind through repetition, like affirmations, while the latter trains
clients to utilize the vast resources lying dormant in their subconscious.
It includes the rich symbology and the guidance that lives within, but
is sometimes difficult to tap on one's own.
One incest survivor saw a shark living
in the extra pounds around her thighs, which she had been unable to
shed for years. Traditional therapies, which involve a client talking
to a therapist, usually on a weekly basis, can skirt some important
issues, which tend to elude our conscious ability to figure out. As
good a Sherlock Holmes as someone may be, it's hard to "figure
out" that there's a shark living in someone's thighs because he
believes he needs to protect her.
The array of techniques, which make up the process of Alchemical Hypnotherapy,
can be seen as high technology for change, which acts to empower people
to take an active role in their own healing process. A good candidate
for this process is someone experiencing loneliness, depression, addictions,
phobias, or other problems. We also work with uncovering the subconscious
causes of illness in conjunction with medical treatment.
Anyone desiring more self knowledge, and a closer relationship with
their inner ISHs can benefit from this process. Once you begin this
journey, if you can continue nourishing the contact with your guides,
it is a source of empowerment that can last a lifetime.
Another way to experience the process personally is by becoming certified
as an Alchemical Hypnotherapist, because it is impossible to complete
the course without thoroughly experiencing the process on yourself.
Nearly one third of the training takes place in small groups with students
doing sessions on each other. Since Quigley began in 1983, more than
2,000 people have been trained to practice Alchemical Hypnosis world-wide,
and nearly 20 are active in the Atlanta area.
Debbie Unterman was in David Quigley's first graduating class of students
in 1984, and is presently acting as an Alchemical Trainer in the Atlanta
area. She can be reached at dunterman@aol.com or 404-289-2343.
Alchemical Hypnotherapy - A Manual of Practical Techniques
Often described as the definitive
Alchemical text, the 95 page book describes all the techniques
and concepts basic to Alchemical Work. This is a textbook of many
hypnosis trainings in schools throughout America, and is the perfect
introduction for someone new to this kind of work. $11.95
plus shipping and handling
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