The Truth About Hypnotism

The Truth About Hypnotism

What is it ? Hypnosis is a natural phenomenon and can be described as an altered state of awareness. Most people have experienced day-dreaming or "switching off" when watching a TV programme, without knowing they have gone into a natural light trance state! What's more, we often get our best ideas and solutions to problems when the conscious mind is switched off. A trained hypnotherapist can help us to use this trance state to communicate with the unconscious mind (which is a very powerful, creative and resourceful part of us), to create the positive changes we want. What it is not ? Hypnosis is often considered a form of mind control. A belief deriving from old films showing people apparently being forced to do things against their will. People may also have concerns from watching hypnosis shows. However, volunteers on such shows have made an inner commitment to co-operate for the sake of entertainment and are not forced to do anything. In fact, it is impossible to override the will, our unconscious minds look after us all the time. If one person were to try to force another to do something against their own value system, the subject would either ignore the suggestion or come out of trance. And let's face it, if it were possible to override the will in that way, how come the banks have any money left in them, or that crime still exists in the world, or that people are not all living in bliss ? What can it do for me ? Many people want to gain more control of their lives and find that they are unable to do so alone. Maybe we do something well and would like to do it better. Maybe there is something we really think we want to do but somehow never get round to achieving. Often our behaviour is unconscious and not always as we would like. We may sabotage our conscious efforts to improve ourselves without knowing why. Sometimes we behave in a way which was appropriate in the past, but is so not longer. For example, a woman wants to become a social worker but finds that she is crippled with shyness. The reason being that as a child she was continually told to go away and not bother people, because her father was an invalid confined to a wheel chair. Her behaviour is therefore no longer appropriate and is holding her back from doing what she really wants. Hypnotherapy can be fun! A hypnotherapist can help you to strengthen the most importat relationship of your life: that between your conscious and unconscious mind. By increasing the rapport between your conscious and unconscious mind, it is possible to find out both why and how you are getting the results you are currently getting, to increase your flexibility and resourcefulness and to give you the ability to shift perspective , tune in to other possibilities and create a life that you are in control of . Therapy, coaching or training can help to solve problems such as:  fear of public speaking  lack of confidence or motivation  phobias, slimming, smoking  loss or bereavement  illness or physical pain You can achieve:  a brighter future  effective decision making  enhanced performance  increased self-esteem  peace of mind  more control over your life  rewarding relationships  pain control and self healing "You are completely relaxed... there is a wonderful warm feeling spreading through your body.... you have a great desire to sleep... your eyelids are getting heavy... heavier... and heavier... you hardly can keep them open any longer... now they are closed... with every word I am saying, you are getting sleepier.... and sleepier.... you are going to SLEEP... deep, sound sleep... deeper and deeper asleep... SLEEP!" You just read the exact words of a hypnotist, using the classical technique of verbal suggestion. His subject is sound asleep. Is this a science — or just a fascinating fraud, a little frightening? Think . . . What is hypnotism? According to the Webster's New International Dictionary: "The induction of a state resembling sleep or somnambulism, which is called hypnosis or hypnotic sleep; also loosely — the induced state of hypnosis..." "There are degrees of hypnosis which have been characterized as lethargic, cataleptic and somnambulistic hypnosis and, again, simply as light and heavy hypnotic sleep, with corresponding variations in suggestibility." A STATE OF SUSTAINED SUGGESTIBILITY In order to gain a better understanding of this greatly misunderstood science, remember these words: Not witchcraft, not black magic, just — on of man's eternal search for a better understanding of his environment and himself, science. Because hypnosis is induced by verbal suggestion, the history of hypnotism dates back to the early stages of lingual communication in precivilized society. It is a great loss to modern science that hypnotism has been studied only in the last 200 years in any organized form. One of the early practitioners in the eighteen century was Franz Anton Mesmer and his technique became known as "Mesmerism", "magnetism" or "animal magnetism." — because he attributed his results to magnets placed at various parts of the human body. It is almost unthinkable, but this tremendous misconception prevails even today. The word "hypnotism" originated from the Greek "hypnos", meaning sleep, transplanted into its present day meaning by the nineteenth century Scottish doctor, James Braid. It has been a proven scientific fact for more than 100 years that "hypnosis" can be induced without sleep (because sleep is a symptom and not the basic character trait of hypnotism) so, the word itself is a misnomer. The above state is usually referred to as "waking hypnosis." HYPNOTISM DIVIDED INTO TWO CATEGORIES From the viewpoint of induction, hypnotism can be divided into two categories: 1. Hetero-hypnosis, the state of sustained suggestibility is induced by a hypnotist. 2. Auto-hypnosis, the state is self induced. The results are both the same. Any suggestion that is carried out a period of time after hypnosis, is known as post-hypnotic suggestion. The use of hypnosis is extremely wide, ranging from psychoanalysis of hysteria and nervous disorder — to an anaesthetic in dentistry, surgery and childbirth. At times, it has been used as a pain killer in WW-II when drugs were not available. On the average, about twenty-five people out of a hundred are highly susceptible to suggestion — meaning that this percentage is very easily hypnotized. Almost all children belong to this group. About 50-55% are fairly good subjects, but it takes a longer period of time to hypnotize them, and the remaining 20-25% may never be hypnotized. The percentage varies with the personality, technique and experience of the individual hypnotist. People who can not maintain focused attention, for whatever reason, can not be hypnotized. NO DANGER IN COMPETENT HANDS No person can be hypnotized against his or her will and it is generally accepted by the majority of practitioners that, while under hypnosis, the subject will not act against his religious beliefs or moral principles. In the hands of a competent operator, there is absolutely no danger involved in the use of hypnosis, for the obvious reason that any suggestion that can be "put in" the subconscious can also be "removed" just as easily. The false, monster-like image created by the radio, television, movies and sensation-thirsty newspaper reporters has done a great deal of harm to the scientific study, development and application of this truly great science . . . hypnotism. STAGE HYPNOTISM Stage Hypnotism is a unique branch of hypnotism which focuses on providing theatrical entertainment for money. Stage hypnotists face many unique challenges that are not encountered in a clinical setting. Timing, pace of the show, and the entertainment value must be maintained by the performer to hold the spectator’s attention for the entire duration of the show. Rigged props and occasional human confederates sprinkled amongst the spectators are not unknown to stage hypnotists. Generally, hypnotists preselect participants before the show to speed up the induction process during the show. The people whom the hypnotist selects are not plants, they are just the best and most susceptible hypnotic subjects available from the current group of spectators. Stage hypnotists walk the very thin line of morality, decency, and fairness. Unless the hypnotist’s demeanor project the highest respect for the audience volunteers during the presentation, the stage show can degenerate into an obscene spectacle of poor taste and psychological abuse. Making fools of people who are willing to participate in stage experiments is the despicable act of a scoundrel. To do stage hypnotism requires the highest ethical level from its practitioners. "Professor" Leitner, the highly respected German hypnotist provided an excellent early model for a dignified, lecture type presentation. A more recent notable exponent of a well-executed stage presentation is Peter Reveen, the Australian stage hypnotist. Stage hypnotists in the theatre and on television have an enormous opportunity not only to provide good entertainment but to correct the public’s perception about hypnotism. Seeing a heavy smoker on the stage reject, with great disdain, the offered cigarette — is something to behold. Hypnotism is one of the great non-invasive, drug free medical treatment methods discovered in the past two hundred years. When hypnotists correctly apply hypnotic suggestions, the results can be phenomenal. The possibilities of using the power of hypnotism are limited only by our imagination. In the future, it can be — and it will be — a very useful instrument for the better understanding of one of the greatest mysteries . . . man himself.

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