What Is Hypnosis?

What Is Hypnosis?

I. Introduction

"We are what we imagine. All that we will become begins with our imagination. With our images we make the world."

Buddha

Hypnosis is a primary tool to reprogram our thoughts at the deepest possible level so we can unlock our hidden potential for amazing things. The use of hypnosis as a therapeutic tool is as old as man himself.

In present time, we divide hypnosis into three terms:

Hypnosis - when we refer to the state

Hypnotherapy - when we refer to the process

Clinical hypnosis - when we refer to therapeutic application

The question is, how can we reach the state of hypnosis?

II. History of hypnosis

Hypnosis has been used under many different names down through the centuries. While there is evidence displaying the use of hypnosis rituals during pre-historic times, one of the first visual accounts was through the hieroglyphics decorating tombs dated at 3000 BC that show ancient Egyptians using it. The Egyptians used healing sanctuaries to heal people with all sorts of problems, both physical and mental, most of which today would be classed as psychological problems. These healing sanctuaries were called Sleep Temples, and were dedicated to the priest Imhotep. In these temples worshipper (also called Seeker) was put into a trance like sleep. Through his dream interpretation and help from priests and priestesses Seeker was awaken to his real self and in so doing could regenerate physically, mentally and spiritually. Much of what went on in the Temples we recognize now as suggestion therapy. The procedure for formal hypnotic induction as it is known and used today actually came from there, is well. The success of the Egyptian Sleep Temples led to their introduction in Greece in 4th Century BC and in Rome 100 years after that. The temples remained popular and functioning during the flourishing period of the Roman Empire. Even now in the UK, we can visit a Roman archaeological site at Lydney Park, Lydney, Gloucestershire, where we can see the remains of a Sleep Temple.

People in ancient times seemed to emphasize the connection between mind and body in healing. Today, modern scientific research is proving that this age-old tenet of medical wisdom is true. What we think and feel has a powerful influence on our bodies. However, scientists came a long way in their studies and research before Medical Association approved hypnosis (a trance like sleep) and defined hypnotherapist (Ancient Priest) as:

"Hypnotherapist - induces hypnotic state in client (Ancient Seeker) to increase motivation or alter behaviour pattern through hypnosis. He consults with client to determine the nature of problem. Prepares client to enter hypnotic state by explaining how hypnosis works and what subject will experience. Tests subject to determine degrees of physical and emotional suggestibility. Hypnotherapist induces hypnotic state in client using individualized methods and techniques of hypnosis based on interpretation of test results and analysis of client's problem. He may also train client in self-hypnosis conditioning."

Going through a history, I could imagine that to reach the state of clinical hypnosis we would need to find a specially trained person (hypnotherapist) whom we could entrust our problems. That person then would analyze them as well as our degree of physical and emotional suggestibility. The next step would be actual hypnotherapy session in which we would be guided through our imagination until we would step into a very relaxed, trance like state. In that state, we would receive suggestions necessary to revise and change our thoughts that are causing problems.

However, knowing this, still I am wondering, why simply saying things does not always work? Why can't we say: "I am fit and slim" to be like that right away?

III. How does hypnosis work?

Let me start from the beginning - hypnosis affects our mind, but which part of our mind? We, as a human have two parts of our mind:

The conscious mind (situated in the left side of our brain) that includes everything we are aware of. This is an aspect of our mental processing that we can think and talk about rationally. Conscious mind also stores all the believes and programmed critical thoughts about our self as well as people and a whole world around us. A part of this includes our memory, which is not always part of consciousness but can be retrieved easily at any time and brought into our awareness. Freud called this ordinary memory the preconscious.

The subconscious mind (situated in the right side of our brain) is a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that are outside of our conscious awareness. It has no critical faculties, and cannot decide within itself if anything is true or false, good or bad. According to Freud, the subconscious continues to influence our behaviour and experience, even though we are unaware of these underlying influences. It can cause many psychological problems simply by a piece of invalid information finding its way into subconscious mind where it is held to be a fact.

During a state of hypnosis, our conscious mind is totally relaxed but our subconscious mind takes over and becomes active. Therefore, if we ever thought about something that we wanted to change in our life, but it just could not happen, now is the chance to achieve it. How? Simple...

Hypnosis works by stopping the mind from doing what it has been doing for so long (it can bypass conscious resistances) and serves to stimulate creativity and lateral thinking in relation to a problem. It can achieve it by replacing internal believe that had been held by subconscious mind with a newer more healthy believe.

Let us come back to my affirmation "I am fit and slim". I look at the mirror and I can hear my conscious mind saying: "No, you are not! Look at those fat folds on your abdomen. You haven't done any exercise for years. You have to do something with it first!" Ok! I am starting from the very first morning - gym. After month or two I am exhausted but my mirror, unfortunately does not have the good news for me. I put even more weight on. "Damn it!"... What I do not know is that when I was working very hard exercising my body, my subconscious mind was trying to comfort me (using patterns from my childhood) by rewarding me with a nice snack for any accomplishment