Hypnosis
Hypnosis
A client's guide to Hypnosis
What is Hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a natural state of mind. Hypnosis is a form of dissociation in which the mind is so focused on one thing that it ignores everything else. When you are hypnotised your unconscious mind takes over and operates automatically. If you have ever driven home and couldn't remember anything about the journey, or if you have been so absorbed in a book or a film that you lost track of time, then you have been in hypnosis.
All that the hypnotist does is to call up this natural state when required instead of waiting for it to happen at random. When you are in hypnosis your mind is more open to suggestion, that is why you can easily stop smoking, lose weight or get more confidence.
- What happens in a hypnosis session?
- What is hypnosis like?
- How does hypnosis work?
- How do I know if I can be hypnotised?
- How safe is hypnosis?
- Will I reveal my secrets?
- What if I don't waken up?
- How long does it last?
What happens in a hypnosis session?
The hypnotist will sit you in a comfortable chair and after checking that you are ready will then begin an induction. The induction is a form of words designed to lead you into a relaxing and comfortable trance. Although you are deeply relaxed you are actively involved in the process. In hypnotherapy you are not a passive observer, you are always aware of what is going on and following what the hypnotist is saying.
Once in trance the hypnotist will guide you in making the changes you want. At all times you will be aware of what is going on and you can talk, move and even come out of trance if you want to. You will be pleasantly relaxed and you will be able to hear a telephone ring or traffic outside, but in the trance state your mind will dismiss these things as of no importance. You will normally remember everything that was said and you will not lose control.
At the end of the session the hypnotist will bring you out of trance again, usually including suggestions that you are feeling great. You will come out of trance feeling refreshed and alert.
What is hypnosis like?
Most people find the experience of hypnosis very enjoyable. Trance is like a state of deep relaxation, your mind becomes detached from everyday cares and concerns. In trance, nothing seems to matter, you feel you don't have anything to do, anything to worry about. You are aware of the hypnotist's voice, 
of things around you, but it is too much effort to attend to them.
There is no right or wrong way to experience hypnosis. Some people go into trance and report feeling deeply relaxed and sinking into the chair, others report a light airy feeling of drifting or flying. For most people, once you are deep in trance you feel a lovely luxurious ease, and you can choose to forget about everything, detach completely from your surroundings, disconnect from your body and just exist in a timeless formless state until called back. Most people's first words after a hypnosis session is "Wow! That was amazing."
How does hypnosis work?
While you are in trance your unconscious mind takes over, so you react to stimuli but do not consciously evaluate them. Much of your daily behaviour is unconscious. When you are driving and you see a traffic sign you do not start to consider who designed it, or how it got there - you just obey it. You can easily obey the traffic sign while thinking about something else.
In the unconscious state the mind becomes responsive to suggestion. In hypnosis, under the guidance of a professional hypnotist, you can do things you cannot do in normal circumstances. For example, under hypnosis you can alter your heart rate, reduce your blood pressure, make one hand warmer than the other, recall long forgotten events, ignore pain, and perform many other body functions that are normally not within conscious control.
The theory is that because your mind is automatically and unconsciously processing the hypnotic suggestions and the normal process of critical evaluation is absent, it seems to your mind as if the suggestions originate from inside your own subconscious, rather than from outside. Your mind will therefore accept the suggestions as rightfully belonging there and will combine the new suggestions with existing knowledge about itself.
However, your unconscious mind will not accept just any suggestion. The primary function of the unconscious mind is to keep you safe. Anything which goes against your basic values or which might harm you is disregarded. If hypnotists could get people to do anything they wanted then I would just go to the nearest bank and get the manager to give me money. Sadly, it doesn't happen.
Your subconscious regulates all your bodily functions like tast
e and smell, and your emotions. In hypnosis the subconscious is highly responsive to suggestion and so the hypnotist can suggest that you can taste lemon juice, or smell oranges and the subconscious will generate the appropriate responses. You really do taste the lemons, or smell the oranges. Your mind cannot tell the difference between something vividly imagined and the real thing.
This is why the hypnotist can suggest that events in the past mean something different, or are no longer important or are fading away, and the subconscious mind will incorporate these suggestions into a new way of reacting to these things. Similarly, the hypnotist can guide you to imagining a future where you can do whatever it is you find hard to do right now. In hypnosis your powers of imagination are enhanced and the vivid images you create are accepted by your unconscious mind as being real and true. When you are guided to imagining yourself doing something or experiencing something, then the mind cannot tell the difference between that and what really happened, so it will incorporate all the things around that experience into itself. This means that if you imagine yourself speaking confidently to an audience then your mind will believe that you have done it and the feelings of confidence generated by that imagined event will replace any old feelings of fear and inadequacy.
How do I know I can be hypnotised?
Everyone can be hypnotised. If you are able to imagine someone's face, or recall a tune in your mind, or recreate the feel of stroking fur, then you can be hypnotised. The more a person tends to daydream the more likely they are to be easily hypnotised. Strong minded people are excellent candidates. If you have ever been lost in a daydream, or if you have been so absorbed in a book or a video game that you lost track of the time, then you have been in hypnosis. In fact, you have already been in hypnosis many times. Everyone has, and the more intelligent the person the easier they are to hypnotise.
How safe is hypnosis?
Hypnosis is natural and safe. No one has ever been harmed by going into a hypnotic trance. While you are in trance you are aware of everything that is going on, you are not unconscious.
The fun demonstrations seen on stage or TV are specially set up. The people you see really are hypnotised, they are not pretending. But the people who volunteer to go on stage are natural exhibitionists. They are also carefully screened to ensure only the highly hypnotizable are selected. The things people do on stage are things that they would do in normal life, given enough encouragement. The volunteers are aware of what they are doing and can stop at any time. People usually report that on stage they felt as if part of them was watching someone else do the antics and they were happy to go along with the suggestions. But they were aware of what was going on at all times, and could have stopped if they wanted to.
No one can be persuaded to do anything that conflicts with their own safety or their own moral values. If you are asked to do something you are not comfortable with you immediately pop out of trance and back to normal awareness. It happens all the time on stage shows, but they don't televise that bit.
There is nothing in your own mind that can harm you, and modern hypnotherapy does not go back to old hurts and open them up again. Hypnosis is gentle and enjoyable, and most people regularly go into hypnosis as soon as they have learned how.
Will I reveal my secrets?
You will not say anything you would not divulge normally and you won't talk in your sleep or anything like that. If the hypnotist touches on anything that you do not want to deal with then your subconscious mind will just ignore the suggestion. You won't tell the hypnotist any secrets, but you might tell yourself some. It often happens that in trance you become aware of the hidden beliefs that have been holding you back, or identify the source of self sabotage that prevents you succeeding. The hypnotist is skilled in using general suggestions that could apply to many situations and your subconscious mind will pick up the general suggestion and apply it to your particular problem. Once you are aware of it you can deal with it.
What if I don't waken up?
That cannot happen. No one has ever got 'stuck' in hypnosis. It just isn't possible. Hypnosis is a natural state that you go into every day, your mind 
knows how to deal with it. Even if the hypnotist somehow went away and left you alone, your subconscious is still working to protect you. If there was any sudden alarm you would waken to full alertness instantly. For as long your mind is busy with whatever the hypnotist suggested, you will remain in trance, but when you finish you would gradually become aware of your surroundings and you would waken naturally, as if from a gentle snooze. When you leave the session you will be bright and alert and totally out of trance.
How long does hypnosis last?
Hypnosis not only works faster than most other therapies, once the change is made, it is permanent. Once you realise that there is no Santa Clause, you can never believe it again. It simply impossible to go back to the old belief. It is the same with hypnosis. And a good hypnotherapist will leave suggestions that will empower your mind to keep on making the changes you want long into the future. Even after you have left the appointment your mind will still be working in the new way. It is a bit like showing you to cook instead of selling you a sandwich.