Hypnosis Revealed
Since most problems are created by our imagination and are thus imaginary,
all we need are imaginary solutions.– Richard Bandler
What cannot be empirically proven but can have enormous positive effects. Hypnosis.
What is Hypnosis? Here is where it all gets a bit murky.
Give me a dozen hypnotists, including myself, and you will get at least a dozen definitions.
In some ways, hypnosis can be compared to guided meditation or mindfulness; the idea is to set aside normal judgments and sensory reactions, and to enter a deeper state of concentration and receptiveness.
Here are four insights into the mind to clarify a somewhat ephemeral subject
- I often compare being hypnotized to losing oneself in a book, a movie or surfing the Internet. The outside world ‘disappears’ and a person’s mind is completely absorbed in what she’s reading or watching.
- Think of the two parts of our mind like an iceberg. The 10% of the iceberg above the surface represents the conscious mind, which guides us when we are awake. The 90% below the surface represents the subconscious mind, where one’s entire life is recorded.
- The subconscious mind is the control center for the mind/body connection and regularly sends messages (habits) to the conscious mind, telling it what to do.
- As you enter into hypnosis, you bypass the conscious mind and access information in the subconscious mind. In a sense, reality becomes altered to a new reality. And, you don’t know it!
LIFE FACT: The mind and the body are connected
There is no debate over this issue.
I have done thousands of stage shows, pushing hypnosis to it’s limits to motivate, inspire and educate.
Here is a video clip of one of my most powerful demonstrations.
Even though some stage hypnotists and TV shows have damaged the public image of hypnosis, a growing body of scientific research supports its benefits in treating a wide range of conditions, including pain, depression, anxiety, and phobias. Recent studies have confirmed its effectiveness as a tool to reduce pain.
I have also used hypnosis for decades on a clinical level to help others overcome negative habits, reduce pain, prepare for surgery, let go of fear, reduce tremors from Parkinson’s, enhance the flow of the creativity, help athletes and much, much more.
So What Exactly is hypnosis?
Here’s my take.
Hypnosis is a trance-like mental state in which people experience increased attention, concentration, and suggestibility. While hypnosis is often described as a sleep-like state, it is better expressed as a state of focused attention, heightened suggestibility, and vivid fantasies. It can also be defined as an altered state of consciousness where the subconscious level of the mind is in a state of hyper-suggestibility.
If you have any doubt that you have not experienced hypnosis, think again. We experience hypnosis all the time. Think about all the subliminal messages in media ads or the effect that negative news has on you.
How often do you daydream? Daydreaming is hypnosis. When we are just about to fall asleep and when we just wake up. These are also examples of hypnosis. When we are driving a car on a highway and our mind is far away, this is called ‘highway hypnosis’. I might even go so far as saying, we are in hypnosis most of the time.
Hypnosis does not start or end. It’s just our ability to accept uncritically our own beliefs. Unfortunately, a lot of times our self-limiting beliefs are not exactly ours; thus, they are limiting us. They are not our true beliefs but rather imposed on us by our parents, teachers, friends, partners.
Hypnosis Revealed: This is an incredible tool to change our belief systems for the better
I focus on ‘Hypnosis’ here to represent a therapeutic phenomenon. Hypnosis is just a tool meaning that hypnosis itself will not result in any change. Holding the best paintbrush in your hand will not give you a masterpiece.
Most professionals in the field agree that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis, and the hypnotist is just a leader who guides us to the state of hypnosis and teaches us the techniques that will allow us to use our natural ability to change the way we think, feel and behave.
A good hypnotist masters the art of listening. We all have all our answers but at times we need someone to guide us to discover our answers and teach us the mental tools to achieve what is most beneficial to our lives.
The bottom line is that a clinical hypnotist helps ordinary, everyday people with ordinary, everyday problems using individual hypnotic techniques.
IMAGINE THAT!
James Mapes is the founder of Quantum Leap Thinking™, creator of The Transformational Coach™, expert on the psychology of “applied imagination,” best-selling author, highly acclaimed business speaker, consultant, seminar leader and personal excellence coach.