Going beyond words

Did you ever try to put into words something that you were feeling, or something important to you, but words were elusive?  I had never really heard of this, until I began studying hypnosis.  I used to think that I just couldn't communicate well, even when I was filled or even brimming over with emotion.  Sometimes there were just no words to describe what I was feeling, but, boy, was I feeling something!  Sound familiar?

We students used to practice with each other, bringing each other into an hypnotic state, and the student practitioner would follow the intention of the individual through dialogue while the subject was in a state of hypnosis.  I worked with a fellow student who was struggling with Multiple Sclerosis.  As we walked into her hypnosis session, she felt a great healing moment, but could not describe it.  At that point, I had, in the past, as a student of hypnosis, felt frustration at not being able to know what it was that had happened, or able to hear from the client, or in this case, fellow student,what it "did" for her. 


As she emerged from hypnosis into a regular wakeful state, she said that she felt a joy that went beyond words.  It was so simple, yet eloquent.  More importantly, she felt physical and emotional relief.  Even though, as clinicians, we want to quantify and describe, the most important piece is that the person who is suffering is able to gain relief!