All Hypnosis is Self-Hypnosis. Hypnotists simply induct a client into a Self-Hypnotic state. The Self-Hypnotic State is a state of relaxed concentration which anyone can enter naturally. Hypnotists provide their clilents with instruction in how to enter this natural state more easily and effectively.
Have you ever had the experience while driving of suddenly realizing, how did I get here, or not remembering driving that last few blocks, or of spacing out and missing your exit? If you can answer yes to this then you have experienced a form of hypnosis, we call it Highway hypnosis. It is a state in which your subconscious mind took over because it knows how to direct your body in a manner to let you do what needs to be done to drive a car and your conscious mind took a little break, or nap, better known as daydreaming.
Have you ever lost track of time while watching television or reading a book? This too was a form of hypnosis where your conscious mind took a rest knowing that the subconscious is capable of taking care of you. This is known as ‘waking hypnosis’
For many years and even centuries, hypnosis has been perceived as everything from mind control to witchcraft. In reality, it is neither. In fact, hypnosis is far from both of these. Hypnosis utilizes the subconscious mind, allowing the conscious mind a rest or ‘sleep’.
The subconscious mind is what keeps us going day after day, quietly working in the background, allowing us to perform the most mundane tasks without conscious thought. Therefore, as your subconscious mind is responsible for keeping you safe and alerting you as necessary to any dangers, it will not allow you to do anything that you would not normally do or that would be out of character for you as one of its jobs is to protect you.
Common misconceptions about hypnosis:
You will lose consciousness
There is a surrender of will
Under hypnosis I will reveal secrets
I will get stuck in the hypnotic state
I can assure you that all of these are legitimate thoughts or fears about hypnosis but rest assured, none of these things are true for a hypnotized person. If you truly do have any of these fears or others, we are very happy to discuss this with you before your session.
Hypnosis is not:
Mind control- you are still able to choose for yourself whether or not to accept any suggestion that may be given to you. Hypnosis is all about Choices.
“Hypnosis is not mind control. It’s a naturally occurring state of concentration; it’s actually a means of enhancing your control over both your mind and your body." – Dr. David Spiegel, Assoc. Chair of Psychiatry Stanford University School of Medicine
So, what about Stage Hypnotism?
Stage hypnotism differs in the type of suggestions being given. For example, in a regular hypnosis session, a suggestion made be made for a person to feel a greater sense of relaxation. During a stage show, suggestions would be geared more towards having the person perform a certain act (bark like a dog) so rather than a pattern changing suggestion made at the subconscious level, the suggestion is to perform a physical act.
Have I been hypnotized or am I a good candidate? Most likely the answer is yes and yes. As to whether or not you have been hypnotized, you may not realize that you probably already have experienced a form of hypnosis without knowing it, just think of the Highway Hypnosis or Waking Hypnosis mentioned above.
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