Hypnosis: “You are getting sleepy, very sleepy…”
Hypnosis is familiar to nearly all of us, thanks to the stage hypnotist, who can persuade a person under hypnosis to bark like a dog, crow like a rooster, or see a spider on their arm. The stage hypnotist chooses the volunteer carefully, looking for specific signs that prove this person is an easily hypnotized individual. Although all people can be hypnotized, the process happens only with the individual’s unconscious permission.
Hypnotism has very real and valuable uses that can help a person improve his life by changing behavior patterns. Hypnotists for years have been helping their clients lose weight, stop smoking, and lessen the discomfort of childbirth. Hypnotists also assist clients in overcoming serious phobias that can curtail a normal life. The fear of flying, agoraphobia (fear of leaving one’s house), fear of water, fear of spiders and many other psychologically crippling conditions can be helped and/or cured with the use of hypnosis.
Ever since Svengali brought hypnotism into the light of the modern Victorian world, the process, which he called mesmerism, has been misunderstood and feared. Some people still have very real fears about hypnosis and may recall seeing old silent movies portraying the hypnotist as a power hungry madman bent on controlling his client’s mind and will. That cannot be farther from the truth.
Hypnosis is an altered state of mind that can be achieved in one of three ways. It can be induced through the help of an outside person, a hypnotist, who can induce a trance-like condition in the client. A hypnotic state is a natural state of mind and is sometimes achieved when driving for long periods of time, usually on a highway. Have you ever arrived home after a long day at the office and couldn’t remember exactly how you got there? You may have laughingly referred to yourself as being on “automatic pilot”. That is a form of hypnosis. Day dreaming also falls into this category. The third form of hypnosis is self hypnosis in which a person uses techniques that relax his physical body and place his mind in that altered state. This happens during meditation, yoga, and daydreaming as well as other mind-altered states.
Although Hollywood, novelists, and stage hypnotists portray the client as under control, the truth is that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. Let me repeat that again for those who missed it: All hypnosis is self-hypnosis. That is, you cannot be hypnotized against your will, nor can you be forced to perform an action or behavior that is against your own ethical and moral values. The movie, “The Manchurian Candidate”, shows a man who has been given post-hypnotic suggestions that force him to attempt a political assassination. The suggestion only worked because of his psychological state caused by the emotional abuse he received from his mother. In that state, suggestion or no, he could have been capable of shooting someone under the right circumstances. So, please do not fear the process of hypnosis. It only can happen with your subconscious permission and even post-hypnotic suggestions cannot work if they go against your conscience.
What are some of the other fears concerning hypnotism? One is the fear of revealing secrets while in trance. Remember that the subject, that’s you, is always in control. There is no way a hypnotist can force a client to answer any question. That decision is the client’s alone. Another fear is not remembering what happened during the session. Only subjects who are in a very deep trance do not remember the session, and then only if the hypnotist gives that suggestion. Fear of not being able to leave the hypnotized state is groundless, for this is the same state that we all slip into just before we drop off to sleep. This is the same state in which dreaming occurs. If the client does not come back to full consciousness on the suggestion of the hypnotist, it is usually because she has fallen asleep. Snoring may soon commence.
Dr. Bruce Goldberg, in his book “New Age Hypnosis” (1998), states that some clients may fear their personalities being trapped in a past life or a future life while experiencing a regression or progression. Goldberg points out that in over 33,000 regressions with over 11,000 clients in thirty years, he has never witnessed a client who did not return to the present.
What are some of the benefits of hypnosis? This is a partial list:
- Increase of relaxation and elimination of stress
- Increase motivation
- Increase focus and concentration
- Eliminate test anxiety and other self defeating phobias
- Eliminate smoking, lose weight, and correcting other negative behaviors
- Control pain
- Improve self-confidence
- Deal with the loss of a loved one
- Eliminate the fear of death by looking at both past and future lives
- Attract positive people and experiences into your life
- Attract money and prosperous opportunities
- Establish and maintain good health and balance of body, mind, and spirit
- Achieve spiritual insights and evolve spiritually
Hypnotism can also improve your sex life, slow the aging process, prepare you for that important interview, facilitate a better career path, and so on. The list is endless. As you can see, the benefits of hypnosis clearly outweigh any concerns you might have. But, you may ask, how does the process work?
When working with a professional hypnotist, the first step is to agree upon the situation that needs to be addressed. Once that has been decided, the next step is to become totally relaxed. The client may be asked to lie down or to sit in a recliner in a comfortable position. This is not required for hypnosis, however. I have been in a group hypnosis situation in which more than 300 people were seated in a hotel ballroom on straight backed chairs. All were able to achieve a hypnotic state and experience past life regressions.
The hypnotist then gently leads the client into an altered state using relaxation suggestions and techniques that encourage deepening the trance, such as imagining you are descending a staircase or riding an elevator down many levels. Once the desired state has been reached, the hypnotist then gives suggestions on dealing with the behavior or situation or begins the process of regressing the client to a younger age or to a previous earthly life. At the end of the experience, the hypnotist gives the client suggestions to remember the session and to feel peaceful and calm with no ill effects. This is pretty standard procedure. The last step is to bring the client back to full consciousness and to process the session through discussion and questions.
So you see, the process is painless and so very worthwhile. I encourage you to contact a hypnotist for any of the reasons listed above or just to experience a session to see what it’s all about. There is no mumbo-jumbo involved. It is a very scientific process that many medical professionals employ to help their patients and psychologists and psychiatrists use every day in their practices.
To locate a reputable hypnotist, check the yellow pages, advertisements, or the New Radiance Metaphysical Directory.
