What is Hypnosis?

Introduction:

Lets get this blog started for real with some actual information about hypnosis. That is its main reason for existing, after all! I thought the best place to start would be with an explanation about hypnosis itself, what it is, what the sensation is like, its benefits and limitations. Read on…

Hypnosis:

Hypnosis is a natural state of deep relaxation that is achieved by focusing the mind, thereby removing all unnecessary extraneous thoughts. It is best described as the state you reach just before you drift into true sleep, that point where you are still just conscious but feel totally relaxed and comfortable. For an in-depth description of hypnosis, see my website at http://www.hypnosic.com as well, there’s lots of other information to be had and its also growing as more articles get added.

There is no actual “hypnotised” feeling that can be described in textual terms. However, some people report various sensations, ranging from a feeling of lightness and even floating, to a softly sinking sensation, or even heaviness of limbs in some cases. Most people will feel nothing at all, except that deep sense of inner calm.

What surprises most people who enter the hypnotic state, upon regaining full conscious awareness, was that they were able to hear everything the hypnotist said and that they didn’t feel as though they had been hypnotised at all. That is quite normal, in fact, when a person is in a light hypnotic trance their senses are actually heightened. In my practice, I was often mildly amused, or even a little surprised at some of the comments my patients would come out with while deeply hypnotised.

“That pen of yours is awfully squeaky.” I always thought my old Parker was silent until after I was told this, so I put my ear very close to it as I slowly drew a line and was surprised to hear an almost inaudible whine as the pen moved across paper!

One day I’d just had the gas man carry out maintenance on my boiler when a patient deep in a trance said she could smell gas.

Or after a session I was often told by several patients:

“Do you know, while I was listening to you describe birds singing in the trees, I could actually hear those birds singing. It was so real!”

In actual fact they could hear the real birds singing some distance away in a local park – even though my consulting room was soundproofed and I couldn’t hear them (although I knew they were there as I could hear them when I went outside.

So bearing this in mind, a patient in hypnosis is very much aware of his or her surroundings, despite appearing to be fast asleep. They are not, of course, as hypnosis is not sleep. Once you fall asleep (and it has happened more times than I care to admit) you are no longer in the hypnotic state, you are well and truly asleep! This does often happen, as a patient drifts down into a deeper and deeper trance state, they can go all the way to sleep. When that happens, I have to bring them back a way, often by asking them to answer a mundane question, like: “What day is it today?”

That engages the conscious, rational part of the brain to think if it’s Monday or Tuesday, etc.

Also, when in a state of hypnosis, you cannot be forced to do anything that you would not want to do, or anything that would be contrary to your moral beliefs. Anyone who has watched a stage hypnotic show would doubt that statement, having seen a skilful stage hypnotist reduce even the most apparently strong-willed person into a screaming, baying child, or make them think they are a dog, or to eat raw onions thinking they are apples, or whatever.

What is taking place here, is the power of suggestion – something I will leave for a future posting, as that subject is huge and it would make this posting too big to digest all in one go!

So, to Recap:

Hypnosis is a natural state of relaxation combined with heightened awareness of the senses, where the person feels very relaxed but can still interact verbally or physically with the hypnotist. It is not sleep. It is not magic or hocus-pocus. Its just a very enjoyable, safe and natural state of consciousness.

Almost anyone can enter the state of hypnosis to varying degrees and can regain normal consciousness just as easily.

That’s it for now. Please come back in a day or two for my next posting.

Thanks for your visit

Terry Didcott DHP