Hypnosis

What is it?/Origins?

Hypnosis is often considered a technique used to enter a person into a trance like\focused state.

Hypnosis can

• Alter the state of mind resulting in altered thoughts, emotions and behavior
• Heighten\hyper suggestibility
• Diminish peripheral awareness

What is it used for?

By altering the state of the mind and heightening suggestibility, Hypnosis is used for

• Changing attitudes and habits
• Dealing with physical and emotional pain
• Recalling memories and events
• Confidence and self esteem
• Concentration and focus
• Dealing with\managing fear
• Enhance the healing process

You can use hypnosis yourself to relax, distress and instill positive notions in your mind. This can be done using learnt hypnosis techniques, visual and audio guides.

How does it work?

Scientific tests on brain activity indicate that the state bought upon by hypnosis exhibits characteristics that set it apart from say for example sleep, or the more closely related, day dreaming. Just as with daydreaming, though we are still awake and aware, we allow the awareness of our peripheral surroundings to diminish.

When undergoing hypnosis, one is put into a state of relaxation so that the conscious mind becomes subdued while the subconscious mind takes front seat. In this state where the conscious mind is relaxed, the subconscious mind is more open to suggestibility, including suggestions of a therapeutic value.

Our subconscious mind is responsible already for much of our actions such as breathing and takes over completely when it is time to sleep. Therefore when suggestions are registered within the subconscious, during our waking moments, these are rooted and being processed in the background.

Take for example, hypnosis used as a tool to stop smoking. In this trance like state, when a person is told that they no longer feel the need to smoke, the subconscious is far more likely to accept this and be a catalyst for our actions and thoughts during our waking moments. The usual physical relationship with smoking may continue initially but the habit of smoking and the importance may otherwise diminish.

Is it safe?

To help you understand the safety of hypnosis, some points should be emphasized

• Hypnosis does NOT take away your free will
• It can NOT be induced on you unless you allow it to
• You can NOT get stuck in hypnosis, you have the ability to pull yourself out of the trance like state whenever you choose
• When you fall asleep you are no longer under hypnosis. You are still awake when you are hypnotized and aware of your surroundings

Using hypnosis to recall memories or deal with trauma should be carried out by a trained\experienced practitioner. Attempting to do this could otherwise result in undesirable and permanent results.

Real or Placebo?

Many skeptics of hypnosis, particularly as a therapy, are concerned that the results of hypnosis are a result of the placebo effect.  Placebo effects are the changes in symptoms bought on by a person’s psychological belief in the treatment rather then the effects of the treatment itself.

This is one of the reasons why there is much mystery and indecision surrounding the benefits and legitimacy of hypnosis.

• The explanation of the placebo effect and the workings of hypnosis are much the same, where the patient is placed in a state of increased suggestibility resulting in a psychologically induced change. A skeptic may say it is a placebo effect, while a hypnotist may agree
• It is difficult to scientifically trial hypnosis where a distinction between hypnosis and placebo is blurry