Self-hypnosis is known to be an excellent way of making positive personal changes -- a great aid to those who are serious about self-improvement. But what is it, exactly? Hypnosis has been defined as a state of heightened suggestibility in which the subject is able to uncritically accept ideas for self-improvement and act on them appropriately. When a hypnotist hypnotizes her subject, it is known as hetero-hypnosis. When an individual puts himself into a state of hypnosis, it is known as self-hypnosis. In both cases, the subject has achieved a heightened state of suggestibility. Even in hetero-hypnosis, the subject, not the hypnotist, really controls the response to suggestions. Actually, all hypnosis is really self-hypnosis. The subject enters into the hypnotic state when he or she is completely ready to do so. This may require from one to many attempts before it is achieved. Even if the subject insists that he wants to be hypnotized immediately, he may be resisting hypnosis unconsciously.
In self-hypnosis the same thing can take place. The subject is anxious to achieve self-hypnosis, but somehow the state eludes her. What's wrong? It may be that she is unconsciously resisting it, hasn't conditioned herself sufficiently, or has achieved the hypnotic state and doesn't know she is in the state. This last statement may be surprising, but we will examine it in detail a little later on.
Most experts agree that about 90 percent of the population can be hypnotized. My own feeling is that probably 99 percent can be hypnotized. Who among us is not influenced by suggestion? Aren't we all, as we have seen, influenced by the suggestions of advertising? Don't we all have a tendency to believe what we read in the paper, hear on the radio or see on television? Aren't we all convinced that a name-brand article is better than the generic equivalent?
My contention is that we are all suggestible and, therefore, being hypnotized or hypnotizing ourselves is just a matter of increasing the suggestibility that we already possess. Doesn't the hypnotist begin by suggesting relaxation? Doesn't she usually begin by requesting the subject to fix his attention on a particular object? Next, she may suggest to the subject that his eyes are becoming heavy and tired. As soon as the subject closes his eyes, she suggests that he will be in a deep hypnotic state. With each step, the hypnotist is guiding the subject along directed lines to get him to accept further suggestions without question or doubt. When the subject achieves the ultimate state in this procedure, he has been hypnotized.
Let's continue to explore this idea. Suppose I say to you, "I'm going to stick you with this pin. It won't hurt." Would you let me stick you with the pin? Obviously not. Let us suppose that you have been hypnotized and I repeat the same suggestion. What happens then? You readily accept the suggestion as being factual. Should I proceed to stick you with the pin, you do not even flinch. In fact, you do not even feel the pain. This is what enables doctors to use hypno-anesthesia for surgery patients.
Achieving hypnosis, therefore, is a matter of directing this suggestibility that we already have in order to enter the hypnotic state.
One question that arises is: "If I'm under hypnosis, how can I give myself suggestions?" During the hypnotic state, it must be remembered, the subject is always aware of what is going on. He hears what is said, follows directions and ends the state when told to do so. In the self-hypnotic state, the subject is in full control. Therefore, he can think, reason, act, criticize, suggest or do whatever he desires. He can audibly give himself suggestions, or he can mentally give himself suggestions. In either case, he does not rouse from the hypnotic state until he gives himself specific suggestions to do so. Many fear that if they audibly give themselves suggestions, they will "awaken." In hypno-analysis, and in some guided imagery processes, the subject answers questions during the hypnotic state. Having the subject talk does not terminate the state. You can keep the talkative subject under hypnosis as long as you want. Furthermore, the subject can be sitting erect with his eyes open and still be under hypnosis. Carrying this further, the subject may not even be aware that he is under hypnosis. He can be given a cue not to remember when the therapist makes a certain motion or says a certain word that he will go back into the hypnotic state but still keep his eyes open. Only an experienced hypnotist could detect the change.
Another frequently asked question is: "How do I get back out of the self-hypnotic state?" You merely say to yourself that upon counting to five you will open your eyes and wake up feeling fine. Many times the subject falls asleep while giving herself posthypnotic suggestions. This is not undesirable since the suggestions will spill over into the subconscious mind as she goes from consciousness to unconsciousness. However, listening to hypnotic tapes while you sleep is probably not effective, although there is still debate about this.
A popular myth about hypnosis is that the subject surrenders his will to the hypnotist in the process of being hypnotized. Many believe that once the subject is hypnotized, the hypnotist has complete control of the subject and the subject is powerless to resist suggestion. Both beliefs are completely in error. I believe the first misconception comes from seeing Hollywood movies where the hypnotist requests the subject to look into his eyes. The hypnotist suggests to the subject that as he continues to look into his eyes, without speaking, he will fall into a deep hypnotic state. This, then, becomes a matter of who can out stare whom. The subject usually begins to blink his eyes and the hypnotist follows this up with rapid suggestions that the subject's eyes are becoming watery and heavy and that the subject will fall into a deep hypnotic sleep just as soon as he (the subject) closes his eyes. This procedure gives the impression to the observer that the subject is "willed" to go under hypnosis. It appears that once the hypnotist concentrates or wills sufficiently, the subject succumbs. Actually, the hypnotist in this technique is not looking into the eyes of the subject. He fixes his attention on the bridge of the nose of the subject.
The concept that the subject is a helpless automaton stems from the weird movies where the "mad scientist" has hypnotized subjects into behaving like zombies. Naturally, there is usually a beautiful girl in the movie and she, too, has been hypnotized. Even though the audience is sophisticated enough to realize that this science-fiction drama is purely entertainment, the theme is repeated sufficiently in novels, comics, and television to make an indelible impression on the subconscious mind. It's the technique of telling the "big lie" so many times that it becomes believable. We are all influenced by this procedure.
Following the reasoning that the subconscious mind can be affected, you can see that a problem could present itself even though the subject consciously wishes to be hypnotized. Unconsciously, there may be poor rapport with the hypnotist, and this can create an unfavorable climate for hypnosis. When this is the case, the client doesn't respond until the hypnotist establishes good rapport with the client. I am sure that you sometimes have said, "For some reason I don't like that person." If pressed for an answer, you'll usually reply, "I can't explain it, but I just have a feeling about him." Actually, your subconscious reactions are influencing your thinking and you "feel" a certain way. The same thing takes place in business transactions. You either like or dislike the proposal presented to you. You may say, "I have a bad feeling about this deal." You may not be conscious of the reasons, but your subconscious has reacted automatically because of previous experience along similar lines.
Now that you understand more about what self-hypnosis is and how it works, how it can improve your life, imagine what changes you can make with this wonderful tool. Hypnosis is powerful and can be used to create changes that you desire. Don't wait-start now to program your subconscious mind with positive messages YOU choose, rather than the negative messages we are surrounded by daily.
Click to learn more about Hypnosis or Melbourne Hypnotherapy or even more about Hypnosis Melbourne Suburbs.
Cindy Locher, C.Ht., is a Clinical Hypnotherapist living and working in Minnesota. Cindy's passions are helping others find health through natural, holistic means. She specializes in hypnotherapy for such issues as insomnia, weight loss, smoking cessation, tinnitus, stage fright, and release of fears and phobias. Visit her on the web at http://www.mn-hypnosis.com
No comments:
Post a Comment