A completely new style of stress reduction through hypnotism has become popular with white collar workers in Changchun following traditional pressure-reduction methods such as exercise and body building and amusement.

Changchun psychological counseling center's hypnotist Zhang Lihua is at present stationed at the center to offer advice on stress reduction through hypnotism. Clients seeking help are usually in their thirties and forties with relatively high cultural level and belong to the high-income white collar stratum. They all have fought hard for their business and family and achieved a certain level of success, but almost everyone who visited the center felt a sense of pressure, anxiety, tense moods, even leading to physical ailments.

Reporters observed the entire scene of a man undergoing hypnotic treatment. The hypnotist arranged for Mr. Li to lie on a bed, relax his body and in the midst of soothing music, the hypnotist used her low whisper to say "relax your body, slowly close your eyes, your eyes feel heavier and heavier..." Under the hypnotist's guidance, Mr. Li slowly drops his head and seems to enter a dream-like state.

Zhang Lihua explained that hypnotism uses people's psychological suggestibility, making human consciousness narrow its focus and then give up the problems on their mind as well as eliminate random thought inside one's head, thus reaching a relaxed state.

It was learned that in Changchun hypnotism costs a bundle, between 200 to 500 yuan per session (US$25 to 60). But more and more people come to seek this form of stress reduction.

(Chinanew.cn September 22, 2005)