Are You Feeling Sleepy? Hypnosis Demystified

The popular representation of a mind controlling svengali 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 hyperattentive

Hypnosis is simply a heightened state of awareness that enables your conscious and unconscious mind to better communicate

You’ve heard the expression “If you put your mind to it, you can do anything”

Hypnosis helps you to put your mind to it

Our understanding of hypnosis has advanced a great deal in the past century, but the phenomenon is still a mystery of sorts In this article, we’ll look at some popular theories of hypnosis and explore the various ways hypnotists put their art to work

People have been pondering and arguing over hypnosis for more than 200 years, but science has yet to fully explain how it actually happens We see what a person does under hypnosis, but it isn’t clear why he or she does it

But psychiatrists do understand the general characteristics of hypnosis, and they have some model of how it works It 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 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 do something, you’ll probably embrace the idea completely This is what makes stage hypnotist 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

The predominant school of thought on hypnosis is that it is a way to access a person’s subconscious mind directly Normally, you are only aware of the thought processes in your conscious mind You consciously think over the problems that are right in front of you, consciously choose words as you speak, consciously try to remember where you left your keys
But in doing all these things, your conscious mind is working hand-in-hand with your subconscious mind, the unconscious part of your mind that does your “behind the scenes” thinking 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

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

Hypnosis allows unfettered access to your subconscious Allowing agreed suggestions to become part of you It can switch off cravings (which are mental) or change habits (behavioral) which is what makes it so powerful

Matt Godson Clinical Hypnotherapist
http://wwwfreshstartmethodcom

Stop smoking

Tags | awareness, heightened, hypnosis, hypnotic, hypnotism, imagination, masters, relaxation, resemblance, slaves, stimuli, suggestibility, svengali, trance, worries