See CNN Medical Producer, John Bonifield’s, 6/10/10 article, “Health Lessons from ‘The Wizard of Oz’” for ways that nurses, psychologists, and hypnotherapists have used metaphors from the The Wizard of Oz in their work. Below is the excerpt on its use in hypnotherapy:
Hypnotherapists have even used the story of “The Wizard of Oz” to put kids into hypnosis.
When some 8-to-13-year-old children weren’t responding to traditional cognitive-behavioral therapy, hypnotherapists in Montana developed an individualized hypnotic treatment based on metaphors found in Dorothy’s adventures. According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, to induce hypnosis the therapists suggestively told the children:
“In the Wizard of Oz, the Straw Man wanted brains, the Tin Man wanted a heart, the Lion wanted courage, and Dorothy wanted to take Toto and go home to Kansas. They wanted these things very badly. So, they went to the Wizard for help. At first the Wizard seemed bothered. He called himself the ‘great and powerful Oz’ and sent them away. Later, he sent them out to bring back the witch’s broom. When the Straw Man, Tin Man, Lion, Dorothy, and Toto returned with the broom, they were surprised with their own success. They discovered that the Wizard was just a regular man and wasn’t really a Wizard after all. They also discovered that they already had brains, a heart, and courage. Then, the Wizard gave them each something to show they were smart, loving, and brave. And Dorothy discovered she had within herself, the power to get her and Toto back to Kansas.”
After hypnosis, by applying the metaphors, the children were more capable of defining their goals and realizing they already had within them some of the things they thought they were missing. Read the whole article here.
