The Truth Behind Hypnosis - Using Hypnosis to Change your Life
Hypnosis: Inside and Out
Hypnosis is often used in place of harmful prescription medication to treat a wide variety of ailments. But what is hypnosis used to treat?
The practice of hypnosis is called “hypnotherapy”, and is used either as a solitary treatment or in conjunction with other treatments.
Hypnotherapy is practiced by a trained licensed professional hypnotherapist. Hypnosis is often used to treat the symptoms associated with emotional, behavioral, habitual, social, and medical issues.
Hypnosis can help people deal with:
Labor and childbirth
Irritable Bowl Syndrome discomfort
Post-op surgery bleeding and pain
Dental treatment recovery
Migraine headaches
Chemotherapy nausea/vomiting
Weak immune systems
High blood pressure
Skin diseases
Asthma
Negative behaviors like eating disorders, smoking, drug use, bedwetting
Anxiety disorders, stress
Atopic and psoriasis dermatitis
Phobias
Hypnosis is used to help relax a person, allowing them to become much more relaxed and comfortable. For example, a person with chronic pain will reach a new level of relaxation after a hypnotherapy treatment. This new state of relaxation will help them fight depression, avoid problems at work and home, and help them better cope with the pain overall.
Hypnosis works better for some people than for others. It is essential that the participant be motivated for the treatment to work. It is also key to the success of hypnotherapy for the individual to be ready to take on the suggestions that come out of the session
With hypnosis, there are options. Which technique should you choose? This depends on your personal preferences, and what you want to accomplish. A consultation with a trained hypnotherapist will help you determine the technique that is best for you.
A Brief History of Hypnosis
In one form or another, hypnosis has existed since the beginning of time. For example, animals that hibernate are practicing one type of hypnosis. They are practicing self-hypnosis by closing down their bodies while allowing their mind and physical being to renew.
Prior to the 1400’s, when a person was sick it was thought to be intentionally caused by the gods as punishment to mortal man.
The healers of the time would have rituals that involved an altered state of mind, either in the sick person or the healer. Every ritual was different, but they typically involved natural remedies
from the rainforest, fire, music and chanting. A common thread in these treatments is that the ill person would be trying to reach a mental place where the mind would take over the body.
This would begin the process of body healing. By believing they were being healed, the power of the mind was unleashed.
There was mention in written documentation of hypnosis as early as the 3rd century in Egypt.
The 18th century was a popular time for hypnosis, when Franz Anton Mesmer, an Austrian doctor, found he was capable of healing people of illnesses without surgery or medicine.
His studies led him to believe that the body was regulated by a magnetic force, and the use of magnets and hypnosis healed people.
This type of hypnosis was called “Mesmerism”, and was very successful.
Hypnosis: What Is It?
People tend to either fully believe in hypnosis – or they do not. Rightfully, before you can claim to not believe in hypnosis, you need to fully understand what it is, and what it is not.
There is a lot of misinformation out there on the topic of hypnosis. People think that they have to give up all control of themselves when being hypnotized. That is not true. You retain complete control of yourself.
Hypnosis is a normal, natural state of mind that is achieved by many in everyday activities. For example, remember the last time you were engaged in a good book? That relaxed, focused mind-body connection is similar to hypnosis.
Add a trained, professional guide that offers suggestions, and you have a snapshot of a hypnosis session.
When you are hypnotized, your mind is still in control. You remain in the hypnotized state because you want to be there.
The power of your mind is being used in hypnotherapy, facilitated by the guide. A seasoned professional can lead the trance a specific way, which is helpful when trying to pinpoint a specific problem.
Think of hypnosis as a type of meditation – only with a guide. Because of the training and experience of the hypnotherapist, often the results are better than self-induced hypnosis.
For hypnosis to work, the subject needs to be open to the idea. Remember, you are not handing over control of your mind, only believing in the effectiveness of hypnosis, which helps the mind-body connection.
Common Hypnosis Myths Dispelled
The entertainment shows in Vegas and on television that show “regular” people in a so-called hypnotic trance clucking like a chicken is really just a show. These people are not hypnotized.
There is so much misinformation out there about hypnosis that it is time to set the record straight and dispel some of the many common myths about this valuable treatment.
Myth #1: You lose complete control of your mind and body.
Not true. You will not lose control over what you do and say, as the fictionalized people on TV do. Hypnosis is simply a more focused and heightened state of consciousness.
You are actually more attuned to your surroundings. You WILL NOT lose control over your personality and your WILL maintain your integrity.
Myth #2: Your therapist will control you like a puppet.
False. Hypnosis is complete voluntary. The hypnotherapist simply uses the power of positive suggestion as the vehicle for change. To cause change, the hypnotherapist uses suggestion to influence the subconscious mind.
Myth #3: You will forget everything that happens under hypnosis.
A majority of people that go under hypnosis remember everything that is said and done during the session. In rare cases, people who are susceptible to deep hypnotic states will experience some level of lack of memory, however this is rare.
Myth #4: You can be sent into a hypnotic trance against your will.
This couldn’t be farther from the truth. For hypnosis to work at all, you need to be a willing participant in allowing it to work.
How to Use Hypnosis to Your Advantage
If your life is not what you would like it to be, perhaps hypnosis can help. It is especially helpful if you are doing things that you do not want to do (so the subconscious is ruling over the conscious mind). For example, issues such as smoking and eating disorders.
Self-hypnosis can be used as a tool when attempting to improve yourself. Its main function is to help you be more patient while working on your self-improvement efforts.
In order for self-hypnosis to work, you must first identify the real source of the problem. Once this is identified, you will need to truly believe that hypnosis can, and will, work for you.
In order to make lasting positive change in your life, you need to identify the root of the problem. Once the source has been found, you can fix it. For example, if your problem is overeating, it is highly likely that the root of the problem actually has little to do with food itself, rather it is something emotional.
Therefore, the goal of hypnosis should be to find the emotional issue that is causing you to eat. Once found, you can address it head on. Hypnosis will not work if you are trying to fix symptoms instead of the real reason for the problem.
Perhaps your issues involves “passive dysfunction.” Passive dysfunction is like a mental block, and is when the subconscious gets in the way of change. Using
hypnosis to uncover the real reason for the problem will help you, and your hypnotherapist, to create suggestions that will eradicate the issue.
In discovering your subconscious, ask yourself probing questions that involve the who, what, when, where, and why.
Here are a few sample questions:
- Who is associated with the problem?
- Is there a location trigger that could be associated with the source of the problem?
- When did the problem first start in your life?
- What, in particular, sparks the behavior?
- Why this behavior?
The answers to these questions can provide valuable insight into your dysfunction, and will be helpful when working on your problem using hypnosis.
To be contiuned...
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