Most of my work is not hypnotizing people, but rather, dehypnotizing them. A great many people walk around in a kind of hypnotic state already." Dr. Joshua David Stone
Hypnosis and self hypnosis are incredibly misunderstood in our society. Hypnosis to the ordinary person has a very negative stigma, caused by a misuse of the tool by the stage hypnotists and misinformation perpetuated by the media.
Hypnosis is actually a very common incident which occurs to each of us throughout our day. As I mentioned previously, every time you are a victim or are on automatic pilot you are in hypnosis. Every time you let the subconscious mind run you, you are in hypnosis. Every time another person’s thoughts or feelings affect you, you are in a subtle state of hypnosis.
When you go to sleep at night you go through stages of hypnosis. When you read a book, watch television or drive your car, you go into hypnosis. A person who is a victim instead of a master of his life lives most of his life in hypnosis.
Hypnosis can be described in a number of ways. It is relaxation. It is suggestibility. It is allowing yourself to be a victim in the controlled, protected setting of a qualified hypnotherapist’s office. Hypnosis occurs when the subconscious mind is running the conscious mind when we are doing things by habit, daydreaming, fantasizing, or on automatic pilot.
Hypnosis is not bad. It is a normal state that we go in and out of every day. It becomes dangerous only when we are not consciously choosing or controlling, or in some way monitoring, guiding and directing the process. The term "hypnosis" is usually thought of in terms of a hypnotist hypnotizing another person. In reality, there is no hypnosis except self hypnosis. If you were in my office and I were to give you suggestions to relax, the only effect they would have is the effect you, the patient, would let them have. I, as the hypnotherapist, cannot force suggestions into your mind.
Remember, you cause your own reality. I don’t cause your reality unless you let me, so in reality you are hypnotizing yourself by allowing yourself to accept my suggestions. A person cannot be hypnotized against his personal power or will.
Let me give another example. Let’s say that we have a chance meeting at the market. Imagine that I am someone you really admire, to whom you have given, psychologically, your power. I tell you that you don’t look so well, as though you might have the flu. If you don’t have your power, your bubble of protection up, and your discriminating mind functioning, my suggestions will go right into your subconscious mind. Ten minutes after I leave you will start feeling sick.
I will have unintentionally programmed you to be sick. Maybe what I said was just an inaccurate observation. If you believe it and let it in, it will become your reality even though it wasn’t true. This kind of thing happens all the time.
If someone judges or criticizes you and you feel hurt and rejected, you have been negatively hypnotized. You let another person be the programmer of your emotions. Most of my work as a counselor is not to hypnotize people but to dehypnotize people. Many people are living in hypnosis, and I am trying to get them out of it.
Myths
People would be much more open to hypnosis if it were called by a different name. If it were called deep relaxation, guided imagery, meditation or biofeedback people wouldn’t be so wary.
Another myth about hypnosis is that we lose total control. The classic fear is that someone will program us to rob a bank, have sex with them, or some other crazy thing. It is important to understand that ninety five percent of the time when people are hypnotized they are aware of what is going on.
Secondly, you will never do anything that goes against your moral or ethical values. A good example of this is a stage show where a suggestion is given to five people under hypnosis that they are naked. Two of the people go and hide behind the piano, not wanting the audience to see them. The other three are strutting around unembarrassed.
Why? The same suggestion was given to all five. Each person responded according to his programming. The two behind the piano had programming of being shy about their bodies while the other three were very extroverted about exhibiting theirs.
If you program a sane person to rob a bank, he won’t do it. If you hypnotized a sociopathic, psychopathic killer and gave him this suggestion, he might do it. This is not something a sane person would do. It is possible to pull yourself out of hypnosis in an emergency.
People on stage shows like to act crazy and enjoy the feeling of being in hypnosis. You have to remember that they chose or volunteered to go on stage, and only extroverts would volunteer in the first place.
Another myth about hypnosis is that you won’t wake up, or come out of it. If the hypnotist left the office the worst that could happen is that you would fall asleep and would wake up from the experience as if you just had a nap.
Depths of Hypnosis
There are three basic depths of hypnosis: Light, medium and heavy. These are also called hypnoidal, cataleptic and somnambulistic. In biofeedback terminology these states of consciousness have been described as:
Altered States of Consciousness
- Beta Full consciousness.
- Alpha Falling asleep, waking up, hypnosis, meditation.
- Theta Early stages of sleep, deep hypnosis, deep meditation.
- Delta Sound sleeping.
Occasionally someone will go into a heavy or somnambulistic trance, but most clinical work is done in the light or medium level. The deeper a person is, the more suggestible he becomes. If a suggestion is given in a conscious state, the reasoning or critical faculty immediately rejects or accepts it.
In hypnosis it goes immediately into the subconscious mind. This is the reason for giving yourself suggestions while in an altered state of consciousness. An ideal time for programming is during meditation, or when you are awakening or falling asleep. Programming with suggestions and affirmations still works when you are in a conscious state, but it requires more repetition.
Some people are convinced that they can’t be hypnotized. This is another myth. Everyone who can go to sleep or relax (which, obviously, everyone can do) can be hypnotized. There are those who are not being hypnotized because they choose, either consciously or unconsciously, not to be hypnotized because of some fear of hypnosis or of the hypnotist.
People who are hypnotized never think they are. I have seen stage shows where people were so hypnotized that it was unbelievable. Yet, when they were awakened and asked if they thought they were hypnotized they said "no". I think this happens because of increased awareness under hypnosis.
Meditation and hypnosis are very similar. They are both altered states of consciousness. One of the main differences is the intent of the experience. The intent of hypnosis is for giving suggestions to the subconscious mind. The intent of meditation is for quieting the mind or approaching the spiritual world. The actual altered state of consciousness is not too dissimilar.
Types Of Hypnosis
There are two ways of hypnotizing people. One is called the maternal approach, and the other is the paternal. The maternal approach is what is used for most clinical psychotherapeutic work, and the one which I use. It is the soft, gently, guided relaxation method.
It is possible, however, to hypnotize people with shock types of methods. I have never used this method myself, but I have seen lots of demonstrations of this. People can be shocked into the state of hypnosis almost immediately.
An example of this is when a hypnotist has someone stand next to him with his hand on the subject’s neck. He jerks the neck, without hurting the person and shouts "Sleep!!" I have seen many people go instantly under hypnosis. It is fascinating to watch.
Benefits Of Hypnosis versus Self Hypnosis
It could be of great benefit to you to learn self hypnosis. There is nothing wrong with hypnosis, but you don’t want to have to pay a large sum of money every time you want to do reprogramming.
The methods for self hypnosis and hypnosis are exactly the same. The only difference is that in self hypnosis you do it to yourself, instead of having the hypnotist give you the suggestions. It is occasionally nice to have someone else do it for you, then you can totally surrender to the experience, without keeping a part of you out to give yourself direction.
If you record your instructions on tape, then you can surrender to the experience completely. Once self hypnosis is learned, you can go very deep with no problem.
Children And Hypnosis
Children are excellent subjects for hypnosis. Children have such vivid imaginations that they go right under. Using imagery is one of the quickest ways to put someone into hypnosis. Physical Signs Indicating Hypnosis
There are a number of signs that indicate when a person is in hypnosis. Usually the heart and breathing slow down and the limbs become heavy. There is a disinclination to move.
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