Is Hypnosis Real?
While hypnosis and hypnotherapy boast roots in ancient history and reams of experimentally-verified results, lots of misinformation about the concepts abound.
Awaken Ananda, is a board-certified training institute designated (in over 38 countries!) I am a trainer of hypnotherapy as well as a practitioner. I have used hypnotherapy on clients and the response is always the same: "WOW, that was fun! I didn't want to come back from that deep peace.
I want to provide high-quality, science-based answers to your questions. But straight answers about hypnosis and hypnotherapy can be hard to come by
So let’s start at the very beginning.
Hypnosis is the act of guiding someone into a trance state. Different experts define the trance state differently, but they almost always refer to:
A deep state of relaxation.
10,000 times!! hyperfocus and concentration.
Increased suggestibility.
If that sounds commonplace, it’s because it is.
Most of us go in and out of the trance state regularly. If you’ve ever zoned out on your daily commute, fell into a reverie while listening to music, or found yourself immersed in the world of a book or movie, you’ve been in the trance state.
The only difference between hypnosis and these everyday trance states is that, in hypnosis, someone induces the trance state to achieve something: healing, discovery, or stress relief, for example.
What Isn’t Hypnosis?
What about the part where the hypnotist tricks you into quacking like a duck? :)
The idea that hypnotists can take over the minds of their subjects and control their actions is, of course, an entirely media-driven myth.
In the trance state, you control all of your actions, you can hear everything around you, and you cannot be forced to do something against your will.
In a hypnotherapy session, clients are conscious; they are awake, participating, and remembering.
HOW DOES HYPNOSIS WORK?
In a nutshell, the subconscious comprises nearly 94% of the mind and is purely reactive; devoid of logic, reason, and willpower.
Commencing at birth, learned associations that can produce lifelong reactions are made.
For example, if you had a fearful encounter with a dog as a child, you will continue to react fearfully towards dogs though on a conscious level you know this reaction is not warranted.
As hypnotherapists, we delve into the subconscious to suggest and ultimately create new associations that are in line with our conscious desires. Hypnotic suggestions are empirical; formulated from our discussions together and although there is no formal guarantee, our work can be potent and potentially life-altering.
The idea is to train the mind to move toward what is healthy and away from what is unhealthy.
Who's ready to get their trance on? :)