Can older people be hypnotised?

Can older people be hypnotised is a question I am often asked on the telephone by prospective clients. The question sometimes comes for concerned relatives or the mature person themselves.

As a clinical hypnotherapist (AHA), psychotherapist (PACFA) and naturopath (ANPA) I can comment on the physical and psychological elements of the question.

We first must replace the word ‘older’ with ‘mature’ to avoid being condescendingly ageist. You may be of advanced years but not necessarily unduly feeble.

When you’re looking after yourself, you may be fitter after fifty than you were when you were twenty years of age. It all depends on your individual circumstances.

Hypnosis is a two-way process

As with anyone, you may want to undergo hypnotic treatment. As hypnotherapists we are here to help you with what you want. That requires a willing commitment on your part.

Some relatives think we can hypnotise the mature person without their permission. (1) That would be unethical and deceitful.

A large part of hypnotherapy is you the client, having trust in us the therapist. This way you have acceptance of the suggestions we make to you and the cognitive and physical changes that we’re helping you make.

You may have had no experience of hypnotherapy before, but we have to spend thousands of hours training how to help you. We’re professionals and know what we are doing, so trust in the process.

 

Has physical deterioration reduces your hypnotisabilty?

That depends on the kind of physical deterioration. If we’re talking about a restricted range of movements that has not affected your mental process, then you’ll be fine.

If you have advanced diabetes, had a heart attack or stroke, that has affected your cognitive process then you may have lost some cognitive ability to engage in hypnosis.

If you have senile dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, then you will certainly have lost mental capacity and the capability to remember suggestions. (2)

Hypnosis changes the brain’s structure by forming new synaptic connections and information processing routes. The brain shrinks as we age. For some people there is an automatic loss of the brains ability to repattern its neurological networks.

What if I’ve had a long-term mental illness?

We must be careful here in what we call a mental illness. There are genuine physical mental illnesses like schizophrenia or extreme bipolar disorder that mean you’ll need a referral from your psychiatrist.

Mood disorders like anxiety, depression or phobias are not generally mental illness but personality disorders. (3) They are very much helped by hypnotherapy, so they don’t stop you from having hypnosis at any age.

Any medications you are taking may however have side effects that make you less able to process suggestions.

Because I’m a naturopath, as well as hypnotherapist, I will also ask you to make certain physical changes in your daily routine to improve the outcome of treatment.

Willingness to be different

Many mature people don’t like changes, it’s called age anxiety. (4) You may feel vulnerable and have got too much comfort in what’s happening, so you fear change. You have your way of doing things and want to stick to that.

Change however is the juice of life. We all must change all the time because life and the world change – change is part of life.

If there is a problem that you’re experiencing at any age it’s not going to go away on its own. You need to take positive action.

 

 

Hypnotherapy in older age

So, the answer is yes, no matter what age you are, you could experience hypnosis to help you move forward in your life. Age alone is not a barrier to hypnotherapy.

In many cases as a mature person, you may possess more wisdom and life experience. These are extra skills you bring to therapy to help you improve your life.

Hypnotherapy is a comfortable way to negotiate with your unconscious mind that runs your automatic thoughts, behaviours and emotions.

In fact, hypnosis also helps you maintain better mental and physical health because it induces alpha and theta wave brain activity oscillations. These states of mind help you repair and renew your brain. (5) And of course, there is the extra benefit that hypnosis is a very pleasant and relaxing experience.

Dr Tracie O’Keefe, BHSc, ND, DCH clinical Hypnotherapist, Psychotherapist, Naturopath & Medical Nutritionist and Orthomolecular Practitioner, PACFA Registered Mental Health Professional. She has a particular interest and experience in working with quality of life in longevity. You can connect by zoom anywhere in the world. Telephone 0403 398808

(1) Varga, K. (2021). Possible mechanisms of hypnosis from an interactional perspective. Brain Sciences, 11(7), 903. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11070903

(2) Murman, D. L. (2015). The impact of age on cognition. Brain Sciences. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4906299/

(3) Balaratnasingam, S., & Janca, A. (2014). Normal personality, personality disorder, and psychosis: Current views and future perspectives. Brain Sciences. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25415496/

(4) Rupprecht, F. S., Martin, K., & Lang, F. R. (2021). Aging-related fears and their associations with ideal life expectancy. Brain Sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11108603

(5) Jensen, M. P., Adachi, T., & Hakimian, S. (2015). Brain oscillations, hypnosis, and hypnotizability. Brain Sciences. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2015.00114