By
Alan B. Densky
THE DEFINITION OF HYPNOSIS
Hypnosis is a state of
hyper-suggestibility where the conscious and subconscious (unconscious)
minds dissociate. It is a state of mind where the subject is more likely
to accept the operator's suggestions.
You have been in hypnosis
many times without even realizing it. If you have ever watched a sad
T.V. show and reacted with a tear in your eye, you have been hypnotized
by the television. You entered a state of increased suggestibility where
you uncritically accepted the suggestion of sadness on the TV screen
and reacted with a sad emotion, your tear. In other words your reasoning
ability, which is contained in your conscious mind, was bypassed. You
did not reason that the show was just a play; you accepted the action as
being real. So you reacted with real emotion.
WHO CAN BE HYPNOTIZED?
It has been found that all normal people are hypnotizable to a greater
or lesser extent. People with less than a 70 I.Q., those of the moron
level or lower, generally are not hypnotizable. People who are in an
active state of psychosis generally are not hypnotizable. Most senile
people are difficult or impossible to hypnotize. I have found in my own
private practice dealing with a large number of retired people as old as
85 years of age, that hypnosis is a potent and beneficial method for
most people. The person's motivation is the key to success.
DO I HAVE TO BE A "DEEP" SUBJECT FOR SUCCESS?
For the therapeutic applications of hypnosis we most often deal with,
depth of any kind is not required. You can be the lightest possible
subject and still receive all of the benefits from hypnosis that the
deepest subjects will obtain. I strongly feel that over the years, far
too much importance has been placed on how deep a subject is. If the
subject is deep, it could be beneficial. This however, is not
necessarily the case. Actually, with the latest hypnotic techniques like
Ericksonian Hypnosis and state of the art "NLP" (Neuro-Linguistic
Programming), depth is one of the least important aspects, which
contribute to success.
ARE THERE ANY DANGERS IN HYPNOSIS AND SELF-HYPNOSIS?
There are basically no dangers to the practice of self hypnosis. It is
impossible to "get stuck" in hypnosis. The worst thing that could
possibly happen while a subject is in hypnosis is that she might fall
into a natural state of sleep for 20 or 30 minutes. She would awaken
rested and out of the state of hypnosis.
MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT HYPNOSIS
There are many misconceptions about hypnosis. Most of them are due to
the stage and television acts. Ironically, it is because of the fact
that the television can hypnotize you that these misconceptions are so
strongly entrenched in people's mind.
IS HYPNOSIS SLEEP?
The largest misconception about hypnosis is that it is sleep. Nothing
could be further from the truth. If you are asleep, you are unconscious.
If you are unconscious, you cannot hear anything. If you cannot hear
anything, then the hypnotist cannot help you. Hypnosis is a state of
keen awareness. The subject is wide-awake and aware of everything around
her. This misconception stems from the stage hypnotist's use of the
word "sleep" as analogous to the hypnotic state. When the old time
hypnotist swung the watch in front of the subject's face, he told the
subject that she was getting "sleepy." He then told the subject to go to
sleep. What he meant was to go into a hypnotic sleep; not a natural
sleep.
IS THERE A HYPNOTIZED FEELING? The second
largest misconception is that there is a hypnotized feeling. There is no
hypnotized feeling. I repeat, there is no hypnotized feeling. Most
people feel very relaxed when in hypnosis, as relaxation seems to be the
essence of hypnosis. Some people feel heavy. Some people feel light.
Some people have other sensations and feelings. Other people have
absolutely no feeling that they are in hypnosis, and believe they have
not been hypnotized when they most definitely have.
CAN THE HYPNOTIST CONTROL ME?
NO!
The hypnotist cannot make you do anything against your will. There is
always an observing ego state. Should the hypnotist make an offensive
suggestion; this ego state would reject the suggestion. You will
probably come out of hypnosis if the hypnotist makes an offensive
suggestion.
CAN THE HYPNOTIST MAKE ME DIVULGE MY SECRETS?
You will not divulge any secrets while in hypnosis unless you want to
do so. The hypnotist does not have any control over the subject. Quite
the contrary, the subject has more control over herself since at this
time she has control over her own subconscious mind. The subject can
easily reject any suggestion the hypnotist makes, no matter how simple
or complicated the suggestion might be. The subject can open her eyes,
emerge from the state of hypnosis, and walk out of the room at any time
she chooses.
MUST PEOPLE TELL THE TRUTH WHEN IN HYPNOSIS?
NO! People can lie when in hypnosis.
DO HYPNOTISTS HAVE SPECIAL POWERS AND VIBRATIONS?
This
is a common misconception. The hypnotist does not have any special
powers, nor does he have any special vibrations with which to hypnotize
you. Actually, all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. The hypnotist leads the
subject into a state of hypnosis. In other words, the ability of
hypnosis is in the subject.
WHY DO PEOPLE FAIL TO REACH THEIR GOALS USING HYPNOSIS?
Perhaps
the biggest reason for the inability to reach one's goals through
hypnosis is an inadequate amount of practice where self-hypnosis is
concerned. The greatest reason for the return of a symptom or "relapse"
is the premature discontinuance of hypnosis with the Hypno-therapist or
recorded program. While self-hypnosis is important, it is generally the
hetero-hypnosis with the hypnotist or recording which has the greatest
impact upon the subconscious mind. This is because of the training and
experience of the hypnotist vs. the lack of training and experience of
the client. Some people are penny wise and pound-foolish. They mentally
set an amount of time or money that they are willing to spend for help.
And then they prematurely discontinue their sessions because, "I can't
afford it." Or, "I didn't lose 50 Lbs. in two days." If a person or
method is really helping one to make their desired changes, then it is
priceless and it should be continued. It is for this reason that follow
up hypnosis is generally recommended even after a symptom seems to have
disappeared completely.
Self-hypnosis should be an ongoing affair on a daily basis. Ultimately, YOUR SUCCESS IS UP TO YOU!