Hypnosis: Look into my eyesss! Walk like a monkey! Talk like a piggy! Really?
There is great mysticism surrounding hypnosis and the art of ‘putting under’. While that is an entertaining and exciting notion, hypnosis is actually quite plain and boring. Simply put, it is a state of trance that induces focused attention – and that’s it!
Seriously, nothing else!
In our popular world, Hypnosis tends to be associated with hallucinations and losing control of one’s actions and emotions. While that may seem like the case, it is far from fact. Many scientists believe that hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness. People are able to experience a multitude of feelings and actions while in the safe cocoon of their own mind. Does that mean its voodoo? Nope, it’s not.
An average human being experiences 2 deep hypnotic trances and minimum 2-3 regular trances daily. The 2 deep ones are – just before you sleep, and just before you wake. The little twilight zone of consciousness where we tend to snooze alarms for a little extra time each morning is actually a deep hypnotic trance state.
Regular trance states could be when we are listening to music and still crossing the road safely, or brushing our teeth in the morning but planning our day, or driving our cars instinctively while we talk to our co-passengers. This list is never ending. We are in a hypnotic state even when we get lost in thought and can’t hear what other people ask of us.
Hypnosis is generally compared to daydreaming or ‘losing yourself’ like while reading a book or watching a movie. You are completely conscious during the entire time, but you tend to tune out other external stimuli while solely focusing on a singular point or object. You are inclined to exclude all other thought and reasoning. While in this state, you are highly suggestible. So what is suggestibility?
Suggestibility is the state in which people are inclined to accept and act upon suggestions given by someone else. So what this means is, that when the Hypnotherapist passes on a suggestion to you in the trance state, your mind will probably accept it completely. However, this does not mean that your mind will just accept any suggestion passed on to it.
The human mind is strong and smart enough to understand what is good for you and what isn’t. Your safety and morality remain entrenched during the entire hypnotic experience and at any point, you can simply put a halt to the trance state as you do on a regular basis anyway. Hypnotherapists can ‘never’ make you do anything you don’t want to do.
Entering this altered focused state of mind is a powerful place to be as it improves regular and irregular tasks by increasing efficiency, concentration, and reducing idle times. Tasks, issues, traumas, phobias, and even small problems can be efficiently dealt by the use of hypnosis.