Hypnotism: Is it Really What You Think?

Hypnosis is a trance-like state which is characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination. It is a bit like sleeping, the only difference is that you’re conscious but in a highly relaxed state. The client is alert and vigilant all the while, throughout the hypnosis. The person being hypnotized is fully conscious but mostly tunes out the stimuli around him or her. You completely lose focus on everything else but the subject at hand.

A major misconception is that once hypnotized, the subject is forced to obey the hypnotist no matter how immoral or terrible the request. That is absolutely untrue and a total myth. Even under a hypnotic state the client can never be forced to do something, he/she always has the option to say no. They have unconditional free will and are in a hyper-attentive state. There are 4 main methods of hypnotism.

The first is the traditional and much clichéd method of the hypnotist waving a watch in front of the client’s eyes to get him/her to focus on it and lose all other concentration on environmental stimuli.

The second method is to overload the client’s brain with rapid and sudden commands. If the hypnotist is strong enough to overwhelm the client, the brain gives up the struggle for control and the hypnotist can take the client into a deeper state of relaxation. By speaking to the client in a slow and soothing voice meant to appease, the hypnotist gradually brings the client into a hypnotic state which leads to full hypnosis.

A last method commonly used is to disrupt the client’s equilibrium thus causing him/her to relinquish control to the hypnotist. Hypnosis is used in many clinical settings and has varying degrees of success. It is used as much more than a tool to recall past memories, as per common belief.

Hypnotherapy can only be used by psychologists or psychiatrists who have obtained the relevant license. It cannot be used without the special permit. Hypnosis treatment can also be used for many medical conditions like asthma, migraine, enuresis, obesity, gastrointestinal disorders, and smoking cessation. It can also be used in minor surgical procedures, childbirth and pain control. A hypnotized person does not lose control over his mind or body; he is just in a highly evocative state. Hypnosis treatment can help many people in powerful, life altering ways.