What is Hypnosis?

What is hypnosis? Understanding hypnosis is important because many people are confused about what it truly means. The misconceptions surrounding hypnosis prevent many people from making an informed decision on whether it can be an asset to their lives or not.

In the past, hypnosis was described as a form of unconsciousness but this has changed through the years. It’s now described as a “trance-like mental state that is induced by an organized pattern of suggestions”. These suggestions can be anything. For instance, when you are engaged in a movie, you are in a state of hypnosis. When you engross yourself in a song, you are in a state of hypnosis. When begin to feel as if you have “tunnel vision,” you are in a state of hypnosis. Whenever you enter into a trance like state, you have become hypnotized in some way.

However, this trance-like state is just a part of the whole process that is involved in hypnosis. This is because there are actually two types of hypnosis. The most well-known type is the trance-like state, typically associated with a hypnotist, but there is also a type called “walking hypnosis”.

It was given this name because you don’t have to be in a trance to be hypnotized with this method. It is defined as: a naturally occurring trance that one can enter whilst performing a monotonous repetitive task, such as walking or gardening, or in sedentary pursuits such as listening to a lecture or reading, in which one's attention drifts from the task into a trance-like state, often known as "zoning out.” As you can see this type of hypnosis is something that occurs very naturally.

As for why people can be told to do things when they are hypnotized, this is simply due to the fact that they are hypnotized they are open to suggestions. In other words, they react a certain way because they accepted the suggestions that are given to them by the hypnotist.

In this state the brain is not asleep but instead, it is in a relaxed but focused state of mind,a receptive state. That’s why the person who is hypnotized will follow the directions or suggestions of the hypnotist. The brain wave activity is changed to a state that is similar to the alpha state, which is the state of mind between the waking state (called beta) and the delta state which is when you first fall asleep. The alpha state is pleasant and relaxing and it’s when the mind is the most open to both verbal and visual suggestions.

Yet it must be noted that being hypnotized will not make you do things against your will, this is a huge myth. You must be open to the suggestion you are given before you will respond to it positively. Another myth is that you can be made to give out personal information that should be kept private. However, you may discover some inner truths about yourself that can help you improve the quality of your life.

Anyone can be hypnotized if they are willing to be open and allow their mind to relax. Hypnosis is a very important tool that can help you make changes to enhance your life. People use hypnosis to lose weight, quit smoking, think positive and eliminate fears to name a few. There are many ways that being hypnotized can help make you a happier healthier person.

There are several methods that can be used to hypnotize. You can see a professional that will set up sessions for you or you can use one of the many methods designed for self-hypnosis. If you decide to use self-hypnosis it’s advised that you spend a little time learning as much as you can about the method you plan to use. Keep in mind that hypnosis is a learned trait so the more time you spend training yourself to respond to it the more effective it will be.

Author: Bowen Beyer Johnson
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