WHAT IS HYPNOSIS?

Hypnosis, self-hypnosis and hypnotic suggestions have played a major role in healing for thousands of years (see the hypnosis history page for details).

Hypnosis or hypnotherapy is a technique that gets the mind to focus on something that induces an altered state of consciousness. This altered state is characterized by hyper-suggestibility, and often, certain brainwave patterns that are associated with relaxation and creative thought.

Hypnotism can be done verbally, using techniques that get the mind to follow the words and concepts being said by the hypnotist, or it can be a visual or aural stimulus that "entrains" the mind.  

The World Health Organization says 90% of the general population can be hypnotized. Actually, just about everyone has experienced hypnosis. Common forms are a child drifting off to a bedtime story. Or daydreaming. Or "highway hypnosis", where the line and drone of a road trip induces a hypnotic state. Or like when you drive somewhere and don't remember driving or even remember seeing the usual landmarks. You are on automatic pilot. 

Hypnosis is also involved when you become so involved in a book or movie, that everything else going on around you is blocked out. Someone can talk to you and you don't even see or hear them. When you concentrate that strongly, you automatically slip into a hypnotic state.

Self-hypnosis is very useful for relaxation. But the real value of hypnosis is the changes you make to your sub-conscious. Using self hypnosis tapes or CDs that have positive affirmations or suggestions/programming, you can create remarkable automatic positive changes in your life (as long as you really want the changes to occur, and you keep your mind open and receptive to making them).

During hypnotism, positive and healing suggestions are able to sink deeply into your mind much more quickly and strongly than when you are in a normal, awake state of mind. 

And rest assured, only positive suggestions will work. All research has demonstrated that while in the hypnotic state, you cannot be made to do anything against your moral values. 

All of our habits, and the thoughts that control our behavior, come from our subconscious mind. Research says that 98 percent of everything we do, comes from our subconscious programming. It's called subconscious mind because it is deeper than our conscious mind, and "under the surface", often outside our "conscious" awareness.

It's a lot like a computer program that runs in our brain and feelings, virtually controlling our lives. We are unaware of the thoughts and feelings that reside there, but they are more powerful than the thoughts and feelings we are aware of. 

Did you ever forget an appointment that you really didn't want to keep? Then when it was "too late", you remembered it?  Your subconscious mind knew, and blocked it. Then when the "threat" was over, the conscious mind was allowed to remember again.  

It's sort of like there is a door between your conscious mind and your subconscious mind that is normally closed. When you relax, your brainwaves slow down into alpha or theta speeds, and the door can be opened. 

Meditators experience that, and it gives them access to greater mind powers, and inner peace. This also happens during parts of the sleep cycle. The door opens for a bit, images and thoughts come out of your subconscious mind, and we have realizations and dreams.

During hypnosis, the door is also opened, and positive changes can be "suggested", changing your subconscious programming in ways that help you change your self or your life the way you want to. It can also let you remember forgotten memories if you want to use it that way.

Hypnotists use rhythmic words or stories called a hypnotic induction, to focus your attention and concentration so you will go into that natural, normal hypnotic state. Once in the hypnotic state, the door opens and suggestions to help you can go right into the subconscious mind. 

The list of ways hypnosis and self-hypnosis have been used to help people is very long. It includes:

• weight loss
• stopping smoking
• building self-confidence and self-esteem
• improving academic performance at every age level
• improving test taking ability from children through high school, college, medical and law schooland the National Teacher Certification Exam
• pain management
• eliminating anxiety, fear & phobias
• stress management
• insomnia and other sleep problems
• helping to heal physical problems

The most powerful tool we've ever seen or heard of for accomplishing these things and many others is our self-hypnosis tapes and CDs.