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What is Hypnosis?
History
The Sub-conscious and the Human Mind
The Brain
Unconscious Hypnosis
Conscious Hypnosis
Self Hypnosis
Hypnotherapy
Medical Hypnotherapy
Belief / Desire / Expectancy

What is Hypnosis?

When you hear the word hypnosis, you may picture the mysterious hypnotist figure popularized in movies, comic books and television. This ominous, goateed man waves a pocket watch back and forth, guiding his subject into a semi-sleep, zombie-like state. Once hypnotized, the subject is compelled to obey, no matter how strange or immoral the request. Muttering "Yes, master," the subject does the hypnotist's evil bidding.

This popular representation bears little resemblance to actual hypnotism, of course. In fact, modern understanding of hypnosis contradicts this conception on several key points. Subjects in a hypnotic trance are not slaves to their "masters" -- they have absolute free will. And they're not really in a semi-sleep state -- they're actually hyper attentive.

Our understanding of hypnosis has advanced a great deal in the past century.

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History

Hypnosis has actually been around for many centuries, at least to the times of the ancient Babylonians, Greeks and Egyptians.  It was known to Hippocrates, and the word Hypnosis comes from the Greek word ‘Hypnos’, meaning sleep.  It was derived originally from the sleeping temples where people went to dream.   However, Hypnosis is very different from sleep.  

It has, however been called different names, by many different cultures, different religions and different individuals.   The use of chants, drumming, and monotonous dancing rituals to change or alter consciousness, fall under the definition of hypnosis.  Such methods have been used successfully by the Druids, Vikings, Indian Yogis, Dervishes, Hindu Priests and Holy men of all religions, and denominations for centuries.

The father of modern hypnotism was Franz Mesmer, an Austrian physician. Mesmer believed hypnosis to be a mystical force flowing from the hypnotist into the subject (he called it "animal magnetism"). Although critics quickly dismissed the magical element of his theory, Mesmer's assumption that the power behind hypnosis came from the hypnotist, and was in some way inflicted upon the subject, took hold for some time. Hypnosis was originally known as mesmerism, after Mesmer, and we still use its derivative, "mesmerize," today.

Hypnosis is a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination. It's not really like sleep, because the subject is alert the whole time. It is most often compared to daydreaming, or the feeling of "losing yourself" in a book or movie. You are fully conscious, but you tune out most of the stimuli around you. You focus intently on the subject at hand, to the near exclusion of any other thought.

In the everyday trance of a daydream or movie, an imaginary world seems somewhat real to you, in the sense that it fully engages your emotions. Imaginary events can cause real fear, sadness or happiness, and you may even jolt in your seat if you are surprised by something (a monster leaping from the shadows, for example). Some researchers categorize all such trances as forms of self-hypnosis. Milton Erickson, the premier hypnotism expert of the 20th century, contended that people hypnotize themselves on a daily basis. This deep hypnosis is often compared to the relaxed mental state between wakefulness and sleep.

In this special mental state, people feel uninhibited and relaxed. Presumably, this is because they tune out the worries and doubts that normally keep their actions in check. You might experience the same feeling while watching a movie: As you get engrossed in the plot, worries about your Job, family, etc. fade away, until all you're thinking about is what's up on the screen.

In this state, you are also highly suggestible. That is, when the hypnotist tells you to do something, you'll probably embrace the idea completely. This is what makes stage hypnotism shows so entertaining. Normally reserved, sensible adults are suddenly walking around the stage clucking like chickens or singing at the top of their lungs. Fear of embarrassment seems to fly out the window. The subject's sense of safety and morality remain entrenched throughout the experience, however. A hypnotist can't get you to do anything you don't want to do.

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The Sub-conscious and the Human Mind

The human mind is like an onion with many layers.   The outer layer is our Conscious mind, which helps with our daily decision-making processes, working according to the reality principle, it is realistic, logical and proactive, especially in new situations, where we have to apply rational thought processes to work out what to do and how to do it.   However it can only deal with between 5 and 9 things at any one time, and can be easily overloaded.

The Subconscious, or main hidden layer of the onion, works on ‘Auto Pilot’ i.e. reacting according to the pleasure principle, in that, it seeks to avoid pain, and obtain pleasure and survival, regardless of external considerations.   It is concerned with our emotions, imagination, and memories as well as our autonomic nervous system, which controls our internal organs automatically.   These four main functions are very closely interlinked – in other words the mind affects the body affects the mind.   It is powerful and very clever at dealing with many complex instructions at any one time, but is not ‘intelligent’, it does not know the difference between reality and fantasy.

There is growing evidence now, that, the conscious mind, is located in the left-hand side of the brain and the subconscious mind is located in the right.   Each hemisphere has very different attributes or functions.

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The Brain

Unconscious Hypnosis

We often use self-suggestion in everyday life, in the form of spontaneous thoughts or observations.  Thoughts such as "I cannot stop smoking₁ no matter how hard I try", or "I'll never be able to do this^!” are often powerful but very negative self-suggestions. 

We are also continually subjected to 'unconscious hypnotism' in our daily lives, by parents, teachers, peer pressure₁ politicians, etc.   The ‘Media’ such as Newspaper and television advertising, for example, try to persuade us to do things by repetition of adverts that reinforce the suggestion that ‘this product will do such and such or that product will make you look so and so.’ 

Even if the advert is one we’ve learned to hate, we get to know the product.

If you have ever found yourself at the checkout counter not knowing why you put something into your basket, this may be the reason. If we are unaware of such suggestions, and then take them on in a negative manner, it can cause problems, and eventually even illness.  Your subconscious mind, accesses the vast reservoir of information that lets you solve problems, construct sentences or locate your keys. It puts together plans and ideas and runs them by your conscious mind. When a new idea comes to you out of the blue, it's because you already thought through the process unconsciously.  Your subconscious also takes care of all the stuff you do automatically. You don't actively work through the steps of breathing minute to minute -- your subconscious mind does that. You don't think through every little thing you do while driving a car -- a lot of the small stuff is thought out in your subconscious mind. Your subconscious also processes the physical information your body receives.

The subconscious regulates your bodily sensations, such as taste, touch and sight, as well as your emotional feelings. When the access door is open, and the hypnotist can speak to your subconscious directly, he or she can trigger all these feelings, so you for e.g. experience the taste of a chocolate milkshake, the satisfaction of, contentment, and any number of other feelings.

Additionally, the subconscious is the storehouse for all your memories. While under hypnosis, subjects may be able to access past events that they have completely forgotten and bring up these memories, so that a related personal problem, can finally be resolved.

In short, your subconscious mind is the real brains behind the operation it does most of your thinking, and it decides a lot of what you do. When you're awake, your conscious mind works to evaluate a lot of these thoughts, make decisions and put certain ideas into action. It also processes new information and relays it to the subconscious mind. But when you're asleep, the conscious mind gets out of the way, and your subconscious has free reign.

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Conscious Hypnosis

Our subconscious mind often stubbornly prefers to cling on to known behaviors and symptoms.  Even when they are negative, and interfere with our peace of mind and quality of life.  As far as our ‘mind’ is concerned change is potentially scary.

 In order to make positive changes and become mentally fit, you must consciously be aware of the need for change_.   You must actively become motivated to ‘get better. ’ You need to be prepared to devote the time and effort necessary for doing the mental relaxation exercises.

We all know that getting your body into great physical shape involves more than merely thinking about going to the gym. Mental fitness calls for the same level of dedication.   Once at the ‘mental-gym’ you may find you also need a trainer, to help you attain your desired ‘mental fitness’ level.  This is why learning to relax, is part of the process, learning how to keep the critical conscious mind occupied (focused) so that you can exercise that part of your mind, to make changes that are beneficial for you.

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Self Hypnosis

For years, it has been maintained that all hypnosis is essentially self-hypnosis.  It is certainly impossible to be hypnotized by someone else unless you allow it to happen. 

Self-hypnosis is a way of safely bypassing the conscious mind and should only be practiced on the advice and guidance, of a professional therapist.   Once you have learned how to hypnotize yourself, practice will enable you to put yourself in that 'state of mind' whenever you wish to, safely, quickly and easily.  You then learn to relax and collect your thoughts, so you can cope with ‘Life’. Learning to react, rationally to any and all situations.   Changing a negative outlook into a more positive outlook.

Deep relaxation and focusing exercises during hypnosis, work to calm and subdue the conscious mind, so that it takes a less active role in your thinking process. In this state, you're still aware of what's going on, but your conscious mind takes a back seat to your subconscious mind. Effectively, this allows you and the Hypnotherapist to work directly with the subconscious. It's as if the hypnotism process pops open a control panel inside your brain.

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Hypnotherapy

In a therapy session, a hypnotherapist may hypnotize his or her subject in order to work with deep, entrenched personal problems. The therapy may take the form of breaking negative patterns of behaviour, as with mass habit-control programs. This can be particularly effective in addressing phobias, unreasonable fears of particular objects or situations. Another form of Analytical Hypnotherapy involves bringing underlying psychiatric problems up to the conscious level. Accessing fears, memories and repressed emotions can help to clarify difficult issues and bring resolution to persistent problems.

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Medical Hypnotherapy

Doctors and spiritual leaders all over the world claim that hypnotic suggestion can ease pain and even cure illness in some patients. The underlying idea behind this is that the mind and body are inextricably intertwined. When you suggest to the subconscious that the body does not feel pain or that the body is free of disease, the subconscious may actually bring about the change.

There is a great deal of anecdotal evidence to support this idea. Using only hypnotic suggestion as an anaesthetic, thousands of women have made it through childbirth with minimal pain and discomfort. Countless cancer patients swear by hypnosis, claiming that it helps to manage the pain of chemotherapy, and some former patients credit their recovery to hypnotherapy. Many Arthritis sufferers have said that just learning how to relax has helped them to deal more effectively with their pain.

The most widespread example of hypnotic behavioural modification is habit-control hypnotic treatment. In this application, a hypnotist focuses on one particular habit that is embedded in your subconscious (smoking or overeating, for example). With the "control panel" to your mind open, the hypnotist may be able to reprogram your subconscious to reverse the behaviour.    Always remember, ‘you’ have to want the change’.

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Belief / Desire / Expectancy

The most important factor regarding the application of hypnosis is a combination of three things. Belief, Desire and Expectancy. You must Believe it will work...have a genuine Desire for it to work and...Expect that it will work. If these three factors are in place, then you are willing and open to suggestion.

Some changes require a different approach, understanding and strategy but can all be achieved through hypnosis.

We are all victims of habit. Most of us hardly ever recognize our positive habits, like exercise or a healthy diet; we look at those as expected. We do however focus on all of our negative habits, like over eating and smoking. There are two things to understand, habits are a conditioned response in the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind does not know the difference between a "good" habit or a "bad" habit. The subconscious mind does not know the difference between reality and imagination.

If you do something enough times, the subconscious mind begins to believe that this behaviour pattern is what you want, and therefore, stores it for you, and makes it part of your natural behaviour.

Then, no matter how much you try to consciously change that behaviour pattern (using what we know as "will power") your subconscious mind wins the mental tug of war and you return to that "stored" behaviour pattern. This is why I refer to "will power" as a downfall for it will not work for the vast majority of people in a permanent or even sometimes short term period. The only way to effectively and permanently make a true change in your behaviour pattern is to change the remembered pattern in the subconscious mind.

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