Please read our Disclaimer

What is Hypnosis?

A very simple definition of hypnosis would be "a state of physical and mental calmness during which attention is directed inwardly". It is a daydream-like state in which an individual's self awareness is at its peak and the mind is optimally receptive. In essence, the hypnotic state allows us to deal directly with the subconscious mind, bypassing our conscious mind and its accompanying critical faculty therefore preventing the knee jerk rejection of any suggestions that go against our current belief system. We'll look at the critical faculty in more detail at a later stage so let's look at a more formal definition of hypnosis now as offered by Wikipedia.

Wikipedia describes hypnosis as '... a mental state (state theory) or set of attitudes (non-state theory) usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a series of preliminary instructions and suggestions.^[1] Hypnotic suggestions may be delivered by a hypnotist in the presence of the subject, or may be self-administered ("self-suggestion" or "autosuggestion"). The use of hypnotism for therapeutic purposes is referred to as "hypnotherapy"'.

Photo by Danilo Rizzuti

As you can see, hypnosis is a relatively straightforward procedure, fare removed from the mystic dark art it is so often portrayed to be by Hollywood. I am often amused when people are adamant that they would refuse to be hypnotised because it is evil, against their beliefs or because they have some other strange reason. I wonder what these people would say if they knew that they experienced forms of hypnosis on a daily basis? How often have you driven on a long trip, perhaps in rain with the rhythmic swishing of the rain wipers lulling you into a drowsy state? Have you ever started with fright after a long session of daydreaming about something or someone? Have you ever immersed yourself so deeply into a book or movie that you lost track of time? These are all perfect examples of the hypnotic state. Dangerous or evil? Rubbish!

Let's conclude: Hypnosis is a very relaxed physical and mental state during which your attention is directed inwards and little attention is directed towards the outside world. During this state, you attention can be directed with a laser like focus on any issue that you wish to resolve or highlight. Your mind is extremely susceptible to suggestions that can gently guide you towards new beliefs or behaviours, making it the perfect time to suggesting the cultivation of new habits or discarding of old negative ones.

This may sound like no big deal to you now but as we explore hypnosis further, you will begin to understand how powerful this tool can be in changing your life to an extent that hardly seems possible.

Let's look at what hypnosis feels like.

Back to Top of Page