©Erika/BAL
At first glance, angkringan (food stall) on Jl. Pakel Baru Selatan, Sorosutan, Umbulharjo, Yogyakarta. It looks like a normal angkringan, a cart at the front and a lesehan (a spot for sitting on the floor while eating) table behind it. However, two years ago, this Angkringan Mbah Hadi began to be used as the headquarters of the Jogja Hypnotic Community (KHJ) every night of the week. They enlivened the angkringan with small talk, life stories, and experiences, as well as discussions about hypnosis. Not only this place to exchange ideas, but this place is also a forum for the community to practice hypnotherapy for their clients.
The Jogja Hypnosis Community is a community that accommodates hypnosis practitioners in Yogyakarta. In 2013, this community began with four Ahmad Dahlan University Citizenship Education students who experienced a confidence crisis. They were then embraced by a law lecturer and taught hypnosis techniques. Armed with this knowledge, they hold seminars and hypnosis training in various places. Until finally, the idea emerged to establish a Jogja Hypnotic Community.
The Jogja Hypnotic Community, which currently has 80 members, has entered the third generation in its management. “In the middle of 2013, I joined this community and then I formed a committee in it,” said Eko Widiyanto, Chair of the 2013-2017 KHJ, as well as one of the hypnotherapists in this community. Currently, Wahyu chairs KHJ.
In maintaining its existence, KHJ divides its members into four divisions: performance division, street, hypnotherapy, and self-development. The performance division focuses on hypnosis as a medium for stage entertainment. Meanwhile, the street division provides entertainment on Yogyakarta’s streets to introduce the community to the public. “The street division usually holds hypnosis shows at the zero kilometer point,” said Eko.
The next division is the hypnotherapy division. This division functions hypnosis as a therapeutic medium. “Mental health problems are problems that clients often complain about, such as lack of self-confidence and phobias,” said Eko. Unlike the other three divisions, this division is filled by hypnotherapists. The experience of these hypnotherapists is proven by the license. They can obtain the permit from various institutions that regulate hypnotherapy in Indonesia, one of which is The Indonesian Board of Hypnotherapy (IBH).
Eko mentioned several things that distinguish hypnotherapists from psychiatrists and psychologists. First, a hypnotherapist is not entitled to give a prescription to his clients; the right is a psychiatrist. Second, hypnotherapists work in the client’s subconscious mind, while psychologists work in the client’s conscious mind. “A hypnotherapist also has no right to diagnose his client. Providing diagnosis falls into the realm of a psychologist, “explained Eko.
Eko explained, the hypnotherapy process usually takes two hours, divided into two sessions, 90 minutes for consultation and 30 minutes for therapy. Before entering the therapy phase, clients need to go through the consultation stage with a hypnotherapist. This stage is crucial because it affects the therapeutic methods taken while entering the client’s subconscious mind. Hypnotherapists must also carefully analyze client problems to avoid mistakes during the hypnotherapy process. “During the consultation, we will correct the wrong paradigms in the client’s mind,” said Eko. At the end of the consultation, the hypnotherapist will perform an imagination test on the client to measure the sensitivity to suggestions from the hypnotherapist. “Hypnotherapists also need to ensure that the client understands the words that will be said when the client enters his subconscious,” added Eko.
Based on the results of the consultation, the hypnotherapist will determine the appropriate method of therapy. “The therapeutic method applied by KHJ refers to the standards set by IBH,” said Eko. These methods include conditioning, forgiveness therapy, submodality interventions, and so on. Conditioning is the first method in hypnotherapy. “At this stage, the client is hypnotized to enter his subconscious. Then hypnotherapy can be done,” said Eko. In handling trauma cases, hypnotherapists give suggestions to forgive someone who caused trauma to the client. This method is called forgiveness therapy. There are also methods of submodality interventions that make trauma or fear less scary. “Therapy ends with prayer. Then the hypnotherapist will test the success of the therapy, “said Eko. He also added that the hypnotherapist would continue to communicate with his client to ensure progress in the client’s condition after therapy.
Raden, a hypnotherapy client who has self-confidence problems, said that she has benefited from the hypnotherapy he has been through. “Before I was treated, I was very nervous when I would appear in public. After being treated, I feel better, “said Raden. He also added that the hypnotherapy he experienced was different from the general public view of hypnosis. Instead of being made unconscious, he was asked to concentrate on finding a solution to his problem.
Apart from the benefits of hypnotherapy, Prof. Kwartarini Wahyu Yuniarti, MMedSc., Lecturer at the UGM Faculty of Psychology, said that need wisdom before deciding to consult parties who have not studied psychology or psychiatry. He noted that hypnotherapy will bring benefits if used with the right procedures, but will be a source of harm if used by just anyone. “Hypnotherapy is therapy with hypnosis techniques. Our conscious mind is only about 3-5%, while the remaining 97% is subconscious,” explained Prof. Kwartarini. According to her, the role of the subconscious mind is so significant that it can make the slightest effect it can have impact on the mental condition of the person who has it
Meanwhile, dr. Wahyudi, Clinical Psychiatrist of Mitra Keluarga Hypnotherapy Yogyakarta, argues that the subconscious mind’s large role makes hypnotherapy more effective in dealing with mental health problems than other types of psychotherapy. Wahyudi also said that hypnotherapy had no side effects at all. “But there is one mental health problem that cannot be handled through hypnotherapy, namely schizophrenia,” said Wahyudi. He explained that people with schizophrenia find it difficult to concentrate and communicate even though both are the keys to hypnotherapy.
Apart from hypnotherapy, the Jogja Hypnotic Community also has events outside of hypnosis. The self-development division organizes these events. Some of these events include personality analysis through hand lines and handwriting (graphology). Besides, this division also holds foreign language classes, such as English and Japanese. These events are usually held at their headquarters and are open to the public. “The existence of this division proves that the hypnotic community is not limited to hypnosis activities,” said Eko.
On September 14, 2019, KHJ held free hypnotherapy at Angkringan Mbah Hadi, attended by eleven people. “Of the eleven people yesterday, the problems that were complained of included problems of self-confidence, fear, anxiety, and problems of sexual orientation,” said Eko. KHJ is indeed often held free hypnotherapy. However, even though it’s free, the community will usually provide a charity box for anyone who wants to donate to the organization.
Author: Bangkit Adhi Wiguna, Salwa Azzahra Fadilah (Intern)
Editor: Hanifatun Nida