April 3

Regression Hypnosis for Surgical Trauma

Traumatic Memory Resolution

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Have you ever had a client bounce back in regression to a scene or situation involving medical treatment? What about clients who have anxiety about undergoing medical treatment? Can past surgeries be related to a client’s presenting issue? How do you resolve these kinds of events?

The key to complete resolution is to unplug all the connections between the trauma of the past event and the presenting symptoms.  This includes surgical trauma. Note: Trauma expert, Dr. Robert Scaer, devotes an entire section to the subject of trauma resulting from surgical intervention in his book, Trauma Spectrum: Hidden Wounds and Human Resiliency.  

In this post I will share a client case of regression-to-cause hypnosis and the steps I use to resolve the client’s issue which was rooted in surgical trauma.

The key to complete resolution is to unplug all the connections between the past event and the presenting symptoms. This will put an end to the client’s presenting issue.

Release the feelings that are trapped in the event.  This will restore balance to the client’s mind-body system resulting in more clarity. Greater clarity will allow the client to report more detail making it easier for you to uncover all the aspects contributing to the presenting issue. Uncovering all the contributing aspects will allow you to unplug all the connections to the presenting problem.

A Case of Surgical Trauma

I worked with a client who’s presenting problem was lack of confidence in her work and intimate relationships.  The feeling behind this problem was a pervasive feeling of dread.  We followed the feeling back to childhood and, eventually, into an event at 2 years of age where she was undergoing open heart surgery.

Dr. Robert Scaer defines trauma as an event of facing a perceived threat while in a state of helplessness.  This event certainly qualified as a traumatic experience! 

Note: This was not something that had been revealed during the intake. During the post-hypnosis interview the client admitted that, while she had been told about the surgery, she had no conscious memory of it, whatsoever.  She was surprise at being able to remember so much of the experience in such vivid detail.  The feelings, of course, were very real.  And so were her results!

The following are aspects which were uncovered and resolved through the healing process:

  • Being separated from parents, especially Mom (alone, scared)
  • Mom’s feelings – Mom’s feeling worried/scared (so I’m feeling worried/scared)
  • Being in a strange place (hospital) – sounds, smells, bright lights (alone, scared)
  • Being surrounded by strangers (surgical staff) – (alone, scared)
  • Unfamiliar objects – masks and gowns – (scared)
  • Being tied down to the table, unable to move – (powerless, terrified)
  • Having a tube put down the throat and not being able to cry out – (terrified)
  • The heavy feeling of the anaesthetic (the worst part of the experience)

What locked the symptoms into the body was the thought “I’m going to die”.  This decision generated the heavy feeling (sensation) of anxiety (emotion of fear) in her chest (body).  

Resolving this thought released the cause of the client’s pervasive, debilitating feeling of impending doom that was blocking her ability to feel confident.

Note: The above  list of contributing aspect shared here, while specific to surgical trauma, will be consistent with many other situations of trauma.  e.g., abuse.

So that's it. If your client has a traumatic experience in their past that involves surgery, and that event is related to their presenting issue, their subconscious mind may very well take you to that event.  When that happens, you'll know what to do. You can use the following 13-step trauma protocol to thoroughly clean out any traumatic event completely. 

You're welcome!

13-Step Trauma Resolution Process

This event proved to be the Initial Sensitizing Event (ISE).  The process I used to resolve this case of surgical trauma completely is as follows.

  1. Uncover and release all negative thoughts and emotions trapped in the event so the Child feels safe.  e.g. confusion, fear, anger, guilt
  2. Uncover what decisions are being made by the Child.  (very important)
  3. Once the Child can move through the event feeling calm, bring in Adult wisdom to reframe the situation.
  4. Instruct Adult to help the Child understand what’s happening so that s/he can feel confident and trust her ability to make good decisions.
  5. Test to ensure Child accepts the suggestions Adult has offered.  (If not, what does the Child need to accept?)
  6. Gather up all changes – knowledge, wisdom, understandings, better feelings, and learnings – as resources to help Client in future.
  7. Carry these resources forward through Subsequent Sensitizing Events (SSEs) as you grow the Child up in the process.
  8. Resolve any residual issues in SSEs and compound transformations.
  9. Integrate these new resources at Adult level of awareness (i.e., client in the chair.)
  10. Call upon Adult wisdom to evaluate and make the connection between what happened then and the symptoms in present life.  (very important)
  11. Gather up new level of understanding and wisdom and carry them forward into the future.
  12. Test the results of having made these changes in future events or scenarios and compound positive expectations for future.
  13. Bring this experience back to Client in present time and anchor as future vision to guide them.

About the author 

Wendie Webber

With over thirty years of experience as a healing practitioner, Wendie brings a broad range of skills to her approach to regression to cause hypnosis. She combines a gentle, yet commanding way of presenting with a thorough, clear and systematic approach to helping healing practitioners to make sense of regression hypnotherapy.

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