Spectrum was a long-running weekly radio documentary series which captured the essence of New Zealand from 1972 to 2016. Alwyn Owen and Jack Perkins produced the series for many years, creating a valuable library of New Zealand oral history.
In this Spectrum documentary, an unnamed hypnotherapist from suburban Wellington talks to David Delaney about her work and what it involves.
The programme opens with a brief description of her workspace, with emphasis on it being a very normal practice despite the questionable reputation of hypnotherapy.
She then goes on to describe what drew her to the practice, what she believes it to be, and what sort of personal problems her patients approach her with. She gives examples.
David Delaney asks about the difficulties hypnotherapists face in their work, her relationship with the medical profession, and more detailed questions about the work itself.
They then go on to explore what it is like to be hypnotised – using Ruth, a volunteer – and record a condensed example of a therapy session regarding quitting cigarette smoking.