Hryhorri Skovoroda’s theory on the inner voice and its application in hypnotherapeutic rest: an exploratory case study approach

The Ukrainian philosopher, Hryhorri Skovoroda proposed that ultimate happiness, health and reward depend on a human being’s awareness of one’s inner voice and respect and implementation thereof in one’s personal goals. He emphasized that every human being is a dignified person in the Creator’s eyes and is constantly guided by the inner voice or the Holy Spirit. Skovoroda’s theory can be considered to be highly relevant for human beings who are searching for spiritual entities in understanding themselves. Skovoroda referred to the inner voice in a number of different contexts. Fundamentally he referred to the inner voice as the voice of God, the voice of the Creator, the Holy Spirit. Thus he developed two core propositions. Firstly he found that the human being is a spiritual entity. Secondly, he found that the human being is capable of being influenced by “earthly dust” however he viewed the inner voice, the spirit, as much more powerful then external influences. The concept of spirituality and its relationship to the inner voice is clear in Skovoroda’s theory and thus spirituality will form a key concept of this literature review. Against this background, listening to one’s inner voice can be seen to be uniquely relevant to the role spirituality plays in hypnotherapeutic rest because it allows the patient to reflect inwardly without being influenced by any direct external source, such as, imposing suggestions, asking the patient questions or telling them what to do. This forms the essence of my current study, where I have found after many years in clinical practice, that when patients are given the opportunity to listen to their own voice whether it be in quiet hypnotic rest or their own “inner dialogue”, “reverie” or “contemplation”, they can reflect and make their own decisions. It will be shown that an exploration of Skovoroda’s theory on spirituality is a valuable and unique contribution to the field of hypnosis because hypnosis enhances human capacity to a great degree and thus enables human beings to reach within themselves for guidance in their path of life.