Hypnosis and Self-Trance
Hypnosis is a treatment technique used almost universally
with patients with multiple personality disorder.
Initially, hypnosis may aid in diagnosis through
the elicitation and identification of alter personalities.
Hypnosis may also help the patient to recall traumatic
information that has been hidden behind amnesiac
barriers and to communicate between and with alter
personalities. Finally, hypnosis may assist the patient
with stress reduction, relaxation, and other forms of
self-healing treatment, including integration or fusion
rituals (Braun, ]984; Caul, 1978; Putnam, 1988; Ross
& Gahan, ]988).
According to Bliss (1984), multiple personality
disorder itself results from the patient's ability to engage
in self-hypnosis. Persons with this disorder used
self-hypnosis to protect themselves and to survive;
their memories and feelings related to childhood
abuse are hidden under self-hypnotic amnesia. Alter
personalities carry the memories of abuse and were
considered by Bliss (1984) to be independent trance
states. The ability of most people with multiple personality
disorder to enter hypnotic states easily, even
with the most inexperienced hypnotist, strongly affirms
this thesis. Hypnosis during treatment, there·
fore, uses the patient's skill or strength to promote
healing