Category: hypnosis

  • What Is Hypnosis?

    What Is Hypnosis

    Hypnosis and its uses in the practice of hypnotism are rapidly emerging as a highly effective science in solving the problems of people. It can be very beneficial in many cases and is also a valuable adjunct to psychotherapy and psychiatry. Yet it is probably the lowest risk procedure available from the stand­point of contraindications.

    Yet few complementary procedures are less understood, or more plagued by misconceptions and misunderstandings. Before considering what hypnosis is, perhaps it would be appro­priate to establish what it is not!

    Most hypnotists, on interviewing a new client/patient, will ask the client what he or she thinks hypnosis is. Replies range from sleep, to uncon­sciousness, to surrender of mental powers and control, to magic, to voodoo. All are in error.

    Hypnosis cannot be sleep. In most cases the subject is fully aware of communication and is able to respond on request either verbally or by signal.  Nor is unconsciousness involved. A subject asked to make a specific movement will comply with the request unless it is objectionable, in which case there will be a refusal.

    There is no surrender of mind or control. A person who does not want to be hypnotized cannot be hypnotized or be induced to do or say anything that violates personal stan­dards of behavior or integrity. There is neither magic nor voodoo involved.

    Any hypnotist can explain the actions or behaviors seen in stage, film or television shows, where the subject seems to follow directions mindlessly.

    Actually, hypnosis is better described than defined. It is often considered an altered state of conscious­ness featuring “selective perception,” a process in which the subject (who is in control) chooses to see only what is relevant to his task, blocking out everything else. Hypnosis involves guided concen­tration. The guidance, however, may be provided by a qualified practitioner or, in the case of self-hypnosis, by the individual subject. Self-hypnosis, which can be taught by a properly certified hypno­tist and learned by virtually any client, can provide the recipient with a lifetime of benefit.

    WHERE DID HYPNOTISM ORIGINATE?

    The basics of hypnotism go back to ancient times. Those who have read Jean Auel’s memorable book, “Clan Of The Cave Bear,” will remember accounts of magic, healings, inherited memories and revelations performed or created by the “Mogurs” and “medicine women” of prehistoric clans. Hypnotism. In the early centuries of our own land, the medicine men of Indian tribes performed seeming miracles. Hypnotism. Wider, non-secret usage began in the 1700’s in several forms under different names.

    There were periods of progress and periods of stagnation in the development of modem hypnotism. Medical interest and acceptance expanded following World War II when the use of hypnotherapy proved especially helpful to surviving battlefield casualties suffering from shock, injury, battle fatigue and various psycho­logical disorders. As understanding increased hypnotism began to be recognized as an important adjunct to counseling psychology, psychotherapy, psychiatry, and also medical fields including neurology, obstetrics, emer­gency medicine, burn therapy and others.

    Hypnosis is finding increasing usage in dentistry and other areas where pain control is important. All humans (and possibly several animals) have two distinct minds – the conscious mind and the unconscious mind. The unconscious mind is vastly larger and more powerful than the conscious mind, yet it is the least understood and used by mankind. Actually, the great “unconscious” mind has two functional elements, the subconscious and the superconscious, the former the storehouse of memory, the latter dealing with the spiritual.

    DOES IT WORK?

    The subconscious mind receives and retains, neither accepting nor rejecting, all the messages we receive from our backgrounds, whether genetic, social, religious or experien­tial, plus all the conflicts (little or big) that enter our lives daily. When for whatever reason the conscious mind (which deals with everyday living, logic, reason, etc.) becomes overloaded, the subconscious prepares us for what is considered appropriate action (usually fight or flight). However the subconscious mind does not analyze, as does the conscious mind, but accepts all messages in the literal sense.

    In essence, hypnosis is a means of communica­tion between the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. Many human problems, habits, stresses, anxieties, attitudes or apparent deficiencies can be traced to interpretations by the subconscious mind which, when under­stood by the conscious mind, can reduce or resolve specific problems.

    The subconscious is also the seat of all memory. Traumatic events can be buried or suppressed in the subconscious. A major benefit of hypnosis is its ability to uncover and bring into the light of understanding the buried information or experi­ence that may be the cause of a troublesome problem.

    WHAT YOU WILL EXPERIENCE

    Your first visit with your hypnotist will, primarily, be exploratory. You will learn about hypnotism and become comfortable with it. Your hypnotist will discuss your interests and your desires to determine if hypnosis can accomplish what you want to achieve.

    If you both feel that it will be worthwhile to proceed, your hypnotist may give you some small tests to determine your type of suggestibility, your ability to relax, your skills at visualization-procedures which help your hypnotist adapt to you as an individual so as to design programming personalized for you which will be acceptable to your subconscious, retained and acted upon in a manner leading to full achieve­ment of your goals.

  • Individual Hypnosis Can Combat Stress and Anxiety

    Stress and anxiety are things we deal with daily. This begins the moment you wake up in the morning until the time you come home. If you were a better person, you know you shouldn’t let this control you. For those that need help, individual hypnosis may just be the answer you are looking for.

    But why should you try individual hypnosis? Well unlike conventional drugs being sold in the market, it does not have any serious side effects. You can attend as many sessions as you want until you feel you don’t need it anymore.

    What happens during individual hypnosis is that you get to relax and rejuvenate so you are able to return back to reality feeling refreshed and ready to take on the next challenge.

    To make this happen, you have to understand what hypnosis is and it is a process by which an individual is able to leave his conscious mind and then go to the subconscious state.

    The only way this can work is with the right attitude and the willingness to be hypnotized otherwise you are just wasting your time. This is known as the first stage of hypnosis called preparation.

    A hypnotist will guide you further before the session begins by asking you some questions and then figuring what keywords you will best respond to later on.

    When the specialist sees you are ready, you will now be instructed to sit down comfortably or lie down. They will tell you to focus your attention on their voice or by gazing at a fixed object.

    If this does not work, the hypnotist will try other means to get you into the zone and another option is called progressive relaxation. It is slower than gazing to an object or listening to the hypnotist’s voice. Slow music is played in the background and then the hypnotist will talk to the patient until he or she is finally in an induced state.

    Just like other problems that can be solved using hypnosis, stress and anxiety are caused by certain events or even people.

    Sometimes, these are things beyond our control especially if the one causing stress is your boss so the purpose of hypnosis is to overcome that by helping you forget about the negative energy so you are able to perform better the following day.

    Individual hypnosis could also let you see things from another angle so you don’t get mad but try to understand the individual or the event causing that stress so you are able to act properly when the situation presents itself.

    There is no doubt that hypnosis can help combat stress and anxiety. If it has worked for others, there is a chance that this could also work for you. The only thing that a specialist will ask from you is your willingness to do it because nothing is going to happen if you are skeptic about this technique.

    The willingness to take control of your life and not have stress or anxiety control it is the objective of individual hypnosis. If you don’t have time to visit the hypnotist, try out some self-hypnosis recordings which you can buy at the records store that are just as effective as a one on one session with a specialist.

  • Is Hypnosis Real?

    A lot of people who begin their research into hypnosis often ask the question “Is hypnosis real?” This is a very valid question, and is not one that should be dismissed.

    The answer is of course that hypnosis is very real, but with hypnosis being an unregulated industry, there are a number of so called “gurus” and “hypnotists” who really don’t have a level of training that is consistent with more professional hypnotists.

    This can of course lead people to believe, after one or two failed attempts with hypnosis, that hypnosis doesn’t work. The reason hypnosis fails is never because hypnosis doesn’t work on the person. Everyone can be hypnotized, despite what some hypnotists may say. It simply comes down to the skill of the hypnotist concerned.

    Recent research into hypnosis has shown that people can be broken into two “suggestibility” types. These include physical and emotional suggestibility. One easy way to think of it is that emotional suggestibility is more common to people who are introvert, whilst physical suggestibility is more common to people who are introvert.

    Hypnosis has come a long way within the past thirty years. What was once a field that was used merely as a way to treat psychological ailments and for entertainment, has now become a field that can be used to persuade people to do many, many things.

    Traditionally, hypnosis was used very directly, and it is still used in this manner today by many hypnotists. The fact of the matter however, is that only physical suggestibles respond to direct suggestions. Emotional suggestibles respond to indirect suggestions, and it wasn’t until the time of Dr. Milton Erickson that a new discreet form of hypnosis began to emerge.

    Erickson devised ways to use hypnosis in discreet settings, in a way that co-operated with a person, as opposed to a way that worked against them. Erickson allowed the apparent 50% of the population that “couldn’t be hypnotized” to be hypnotized. So when people ask “Is hypnosis real?” just remember that it may be due to a failed experience by a hypnotist who wasn’t aware of this new suggestibility typing.

    In order for someone to be hypnotized, their suggestibility typing must first be identified. Once this is done, inducing someone into a state of hypnosis becomes a very easy process.

    So as you can see, the answer to the question “Is hypnosis real?” is a definite “yes”, however it comes down to the skill of the hypnotist concerned as to whether or not hypnosis will be effective on you, now whether or not “is hypnosis real”.

  • Reframing Your Thoughts

    A great way to improve your thoughts and bring them into a positive light is through reframing. Reframing is a technique in Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) where an undesirable behavior or trait is conferred a positive intention.

    A very brief explanation of NLP is any psychotherapy which uses a voice message that is intended to condition the conscious or unconscious mind.

    Now, back to reframing. When you reframe a thought you change the words or meaning to create a different point of view.

    You have established beliefs that have been constructed throughout your life. You were taught them by your parents, mentors, etc all I am sure with positive intent in mind. However, those beliefs today may no longer suit you or your desires for your life experience.

    Individuals may find themselves stuck in the beliefs of the past, which make it difficult to change current behaviors or thoughts.

    You can reframe your thoughts without the aid of a professional. However, as a hypnotist, even I need help reframing at times.

    To reframe a thought, you should pay close attention to your conscious when making a decision. When you arrive to a conclusion, evaluate how you got there. Was it because you always have thought that way or that is the way the majority thinks? Or was it a thought that you would never have had it the past?

    An example of a good reframe is a story that someone is telling you. As you are hearing that story you may come up with a number of different ways that you think it may end. In fact, you may be so anxious to get to the end you may try and complete the story with all the things you have imagined. When the story ends with a conclusion you never thought of, you have been reframed. The conclusion completely changed your preconceived notions to a new way of thinking.

    From the example above, imagine all the different ways you could have come to a conclusion. Even if these conclusions don’t make sense to you now, imagination provides a good tool to reframe your thoughts.

    If you use your imagination while making decision and come up with a positive choice you would not have made before, Congratulations you have just experienced a reframe. Now that you have a better idea of reframing your thoughts is, you can now use it with all decisions and see how positive the results may become.

  • Conversational Hypnosis

    Throughout the years of practicing hypnosis I have gotten one question often. My clients have asked me how to use hypnosis in everyday life.

    Some people have the knack for speaking, writing, etc. hypnotically. There are many books on the subject, however the reality is that using hypnosis in everyday life is automatic once you master it. Using hypnosis techniques in your daily life can become part of your personality if you so desire.

    Before I go any further, I want to clarify that using hypnotic techniques are not evil or manipulating. They are a way to establish great rapport with and individual based on how they think.

    Since I do not have a page dedicated to him, I would like to introduce Steve G. Jones he’s a world renowned, super-educated hypnotherapist. Steve is an expert on how to use hypnosis in both everyday life and therapeutically. After all, that’s just about the only thing Steve has done with his life, professionally speaking, for the last 24 years.

    Steve has created an 18 module system to give you almost-absolute control in everyday situations. You can find out more about his program by going to http://www.hypnosistocontrol.com.

    There are two limiting factors when it comes to conversational hypnosis with Steve’s program:

    The individual must have an IQ of 90 (which goes for hypnosis, not just conversationally) and the use of conversational hypnosis can be used on one individual at time.

    If you want to get an edge in everyday communication, lead other people towards your goals and you promise to do it ethically… I urge you to find out more about Steve’s program.

    There are others out there if you want to do the search but from this hypnotist’s standpoint, Steve really provides some great information.

  • Patrick K. Porters Relaxation Stress Reduction Program

    As you already know stress can do a number on your mind and body. In fact according to the American Physiological Association 2005 Facts on Stress:

    43% of Adults suffer adverse effects from stress

    Over 66% of all doctors visits to family doctor are for stress related symptoms.

    64% American Adults are looking for ways to reduce stress

    Stress has been directly linked to six leading causes of death. Heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver and suicide.

    Are you having trouble dealing with your stress? No matter what you try, do you still feel it?

    There are many ways to deal with stress, but the one way that I have always felt massive relief from was mind technology or hypnosis.

    As a hypnotist, I have seen the results of stress reduction often. My mentor Dr. Patrick Porter has now developed a stress free program you can get online.

    For those of you who do not know Dr. Porter, he is an award-winning author, consultant, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker. With 24 years of experience operating the largest self-help franchise, he has become a highly sought-after expert within the personal improvement industry.

    Some of the benefits of Dr. Porters Stress Free Program are becoming more productive; feeling calmer, improve your sense of well-being and much more.

    With Dr. Porters Program you get 5 audios:

    Experience Dreamtime and
    Achieve Your Goals
    Putting Future Events Into Perspective
    Reducing Uncertainty And Doubt
    Eliminate Negative Thinking
    Making Peace With Your Past

    You also get an Insomnia Bonus:
    Sleep Deep and Awaken Recharged

    You get it all at a 50 percent savings! Simply go to Patrick K. Porters Stress Reduction Program site and review it for yourself.