THE DEFINITION OF SELF HYPNOSIS:
Self Hypnosis is a state of hyper-suggestibility where the consciousness and the unconscious dissociate. It is a state of consciousness where the subject is more likely to agree to the Hypnotist's suggestions.
You have been in self-hypnosis many times in the past without even recognizing the state. Hypnosis is the Alpha state of consciousness that we pass through every night as we fall asleep. And we pass through it again as we awaken in the morning.
WHO CAN BE PLACED IN HYPNOSIS?
It has been discovered that all normal people can be hypnotized to a greater or lesser extent. People with the I.Q. of the moron level of intelligence or lower generally are not hypnotizable. People who are in an active state of psychosis generally cannot be hypnotized. Senile people are generally difficult or impossible to hypnotize.
DO I HAVE TO BE A "DEEP" HYPNOTIC SUBJECT FOR SUCCESS?
For the therapeutic applications of hypnotism we most often deal with, hypnotic depth is not required. One can be the lightest possible subject and still receive all of the benefits from hypnotism that the deepest subjects will obtain. I strongly believe that over the years, far too much importance has been placed on how deep a subject is. If the client is deep, it can be of benefit. This however, may not necessarily be the case. In reality, with the latest hypnotic techniques like Ericksonian hypnotism and state of the art "NLP" (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), the depth of the hypnotic state is one of the least important aspects, which contribute to a successful outcome.
ARE THERE ANY DANGERS IN SELF HYPNOSIS?
There are fundamentally no dangers to the practice of hypnotism. It is impossible to "get stuck" in hypnotism. The most terrible thing that can possibly happen while a patient is in self-hypnosis is that she might fall into a natural state of sleep for 20 or 30 minutes. She would wake up rested and out of a hypnotic state.
MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT HYPNOSIS:
There are many misconceptions about hypnotism. Most of them can be attributed to stage and television shows. As luck would have it, it's on account of the fact that the television can hypnotize you that these misconceptions are so well-established in people's minds.
IS SELF HYPNOSIS A STATE OF SLEEP?
The largest misconception about hypnotism is that it's the state of sleep. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you are asleep, you are unconscious. If you are unconscious, you cannot hear anything. If you cannot hear anything, then the hypnotist cannot help you. Hypnosis is a state of keen awareness. The subject is wide-awake and aware of everything around her.
IS THERE A HYPNOTIZED FEELING?
The second largest misconception is that there is a hypnotized feeling. There is no hypnotized feeling. Most people feel very relaxed when in a hypnotic state, as relaxation seems to be the essence of self-hypnosis. Some people feel heavy. Some people feel light. Some people have other sensations and feelings. Other people have absolutely no feeling that they are in hypnosis, and believe they haven't been hypnotized when they most definitely have.
CAN THE HYPNOTHERAPIST CONTROL ME?
NO! A hypnotist cannot make you do anything against your will. There is always an observing ego state. Should the hypnotist make an offensive suggestion; this ego state would reject that suggestion.
CAN THE HYPNOTHERAPIST MAKE ME DIVULGE MY SECRETS?
You will not give away any secrets while in self-hypnosis unless you want to do so. The hypnotherapist doesn't have any control over the subject. Quite the contrary, the subject has more control over herself since at this time she can directly communicate with her own unconscious. The subject can easily refuse any suggestion the hypnotherapist makes, no matter how simple or complicated the suggestion might be. The subject can open her eyes, emerge from the state of self hypnosis, and walk out of the room at any time she chooses.
MUST PEOPLE TELL THE TRUTH WHEN IN SELF HYPNOSIS?
NO! People can lie when in self-hypnosis.
DO HYPNOTHERAPISTS HAVE SPECIAL POWERS AND VIBRATIONS?
This is a common misconception. The hypnotherapist doesn't have any special powers, nor does he have any special vibrations with which to hypnotize you into the hypnotic state. In reality, all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. The hypnotherapist leads the subject into a state of self hypnosis. In other words, the ability of self hypnosis is within the subject.
WHY DO PEOPLE FAIL TO REACH THEIR GOALS USING SELF HYPNOSIS?
Perhaps the main reason for the inability to reach one's goals through self-hypnosis is an inadequate amount of practice where self-hypnosis is concerned.
The greatest reason for the return of a symptom or "relapse" is the early discontinuance of hypnotism with the Hypnotherapist or recorded program. While self-hypnosis is important, it is generally the hetero-hypnosis with the hypnotherapist or hypnosis recording which has the greatest impact upon the unconscious.
This is because of the experience that the hypnotherapist has vs. the lack of experience of the client. Some people are penny wise and pound-foolish. They mentally set an amount of time or money that they are willing to spend for help. And then they prematurely abate their sessions because; "I didn't lose 50 Lbs. in two days, so it isn't working." Self-hypnosis should be an ongoing affair on a daily basis. Ultimately, YOUR SUCCESS IS UP TO YOU!
WILL I BE BETTER OFF HIRING A HYPNOTIST, OR WILL PURCHASING A RECORDED PROGRAM WORK BETTER?
That is a great question. Normally I would recommend that you use the services of a reputable hypnotherapist. The reason is that by meeting with you, a good hypnotherapist / NLP'er will be able to customize his approach to your personality and your favored representational system -- the way you favor taking in information through the senses to make sense out of it and react to it.
In my opinion, 99% of the pre-recorded self hypnosis CDs available at this time are strictly Traditional Hypnosis, and are made up of only one or maybe two sessions of it at that. Traditional Hypnosis is nothing more than a set of direct commands: "If you eat a brownie you'll throw up." "You will not have urges," etc.. This technology has an unbelievably poor track record of success because the people in our generation have been educated to question everything. That's why you, your friends, and your kids usually do the opposite of what they are told to do. This is called a polarity response.
That being said, having sessions with any hypnotherapist / NLP'er who has enough experience to be able to actually help you can be very expensive. There are some hypnotic programs on the market that are based on Ericksonian Hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) that have overcome those shortcomings. They've done this by utilizing a mix of Traditional Hypnosis, Ericksonian Hypnosis, NLP, and the highly regarded Video Hypnosis technology.
These are all methods that are designed to get rid of the resistance factor. In fact, Video Hypnosis and the NLP technology that it's based on do not utilize post-hypnotic suggestions at all. They rely on using the thought processes that have created a problem, to eliminate it!
Look for vendors who offer these methods in multi-session products. These are programs that generally have six to eight different sessions, so you are exposed to a broad variety of methodologies. It takes a lot of work to make this type of program, but the high success rates achieved are well worth the trouble.
I recommend that you stay away from the "one size fits all" -- "do-or-die" hypnotism CDs and downloads. Many people are lured in by these tapes because they are very inexpensive, usually under ten dollars. But is it cheap if it just wastes your valuable time and does not work?
If you order a program and it does not work, then you get suspicious and start to expect the next approach to fail. And you get what you expect. Do you really think that the same exact commands will work for everyone? Do you think that they will work for you? Do you generally do exactly as you are told to do? Or do you generally feel the desire to do the opposite of what you are told to do?
Alan B. Densky, CH has practiced since 1978. He's authored <a href="http://www.neuro-vision.us/Products/Books.htm">four books on hypnotherapy and NLP</a>. He is the inventor of the Video Self Hypnosis Technology, which was perfected for smoke cessation & weight loss. Visit his <a href="http://www.neuro-vision.us/">Neuro-VISION Hypnosis site</a> for <a href="http://www.neuro-vision.us/Hypnosis-Article-Index.html">FREE Hypnosis MP3s, articles, & newsletters</a>.
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