Hypnosis is a state or condition in which you are relaxed and willing to cooperate with the suggestions of the hypnotist. It is similar to sleep because you are very restful and have ready access to your imagination as an aid to cooperating with the suggestions of the hypnotist. Like a daydream, you lose some awareness of your surroundings as you concentrate on your waking dream. But, unlike sleep you able to take action, often based on the suggestions of the hypnotist. It also differs from sleep because you are focused on or specifically attentive to the voice of the hypnotist.

Movies often portray hypnotism as a trance in which you can be “commanded” to commit crimes or do other things against your will. In reality, the hypnotist should not be considered an authoritarian figure who forces you to submit to his will, but rather a coach that leads you to thoughts and ideas you find acceptable. The “suggestions” of the hypnotist are just that, suggestions. You need to cooperate with the hypnotist to become hypnotized and remain hypnotized. You retain the ability to break out of the hypnotic session if you feel threatened or become anxious about the suggestions.

Like many aspects of life, the ability to be hypnotized follows a bell shaped curve. Statistics show that about 10% of the people have great difficulty being hypnotized while around 15% are very responsive to hypnotism. The vast majority fall somewhere in between these extremes.

Common Uses of Hypnosis

You have probably heard about dentists or doctors using hypnosis as a way of managing pain. Some dentists may use hypnosis to direct the attention of their patients away from the dental procedure, perhaps focusing on music, instead of using a local anesthetic to relieve pain. Doctors and nurses sometimes use hypnosis to help cancer, burn, or arthritis patients to relieve pain.

Hypnosis has been used to enhance performance, often sports performance. It can help an athlete learn to focus their attention on the immediate actions to be taken and ignore distractions. Tiger Woods is one famous athlete who uses hypnosis as a way to enhance performance and gain an advantage over other competitors.

Hypnosis have been used as an adjunct treatment to help people stop smoking or lose weight. While hypnosis will not, of itself, cause you to stop smoking or lose weight, it can help change your attitudes and habits. For example, patients who previously had trouble following a dietary plan found it much easier to follow the plan after several hypnotic sessions.

What is Self-Hypnosis?

Self-hypnosis is hypnosis that is self-directed. You can induce hypnosis by making suggestions to yourself to relax in the same way that an external hypnotist can make suggestions. You can also suggest changes in attitudes, new ways of thinking about situations, and the importance of taking certain actions in the awakened state.

With some experiences at actual hypnosis and some training you can perform self-hypnosis whenever it is convenient for you. You do not have to make and keep appointments when it is inconvenient. Many people favor self-hypnosis for this reason alone.

Additionally, many people consider listening to audio recordings of a hypnotist as a form of self-hypnosis. While this is technically considered just another form of hypnosis, many recordings provide a silent interval after the induction phase where you can make suggestions on specific attitudes or behaviors that are important to you. This combines hypnotism with self-hypnotism and provides latitude or freedom for you to use the recordings for a variety purposes.

Overall, hypnosis is a medically and psychologically tested and approved technique for guiding your thinking regarding situations and events. It can be used in many areas of life to help you make positive changes including helping you lose weight.

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