Hypnotherapist
Specialist in Cancer Support
Specialist in Cancer Support
Recipient of the Penny Brohn Cancer Care Education Award 2007
Hypnosis - it’s just a tool
What about being controlled by someone else?
Hypnosis has nothing whatsoever to do with control. Actually, that’s not quite true - I should say that it has nothing whatsoever to do with being controlled by ‘another person’, but it can certainly increase your own control over your body. The idea of being controlled by someone else often comes from stage hypnosis, which promotes an illusion of control over an audience.
What about hypnosis and sleep?
Another popular misconception is that hypnosis is like sleep. The only similarity is that hypnosis is a state of relaxation and heightened awareness (not decreased awareness). For example, in hypnosis, the senses are heightened - the sense of hearing and smell both increase, not decrease. Many people seem to confuse hypnosis with sleep because many people will close their eyes to aid their relaxation in hypnosis.
A Scottish physician James Braid coined the word ‘hypnosis’ in 1841. He thought it was like sleep (the Greek word for sleep is hypnos), but he soon wanted to change the title to ‘monoidism’ when he realised that it was actually nothing like sleep. Unfortunately, the word was already in common usage.
Hypnosis has nothing whatsoever to do with control. Actually, that’s not quite true -
What about hypnosis and sleep?
Another popular misconception is that hypnosis is like sleep. The only similarity is that hypnosis is a state of relaxation and heightened awareness (not decreased awareness). For example, in hypnosis, the senses are heightened -
A Scottish physician James Braid coined the word ‘hypnosis’ in 1841. He thought it was like sleep (the Greek word for sleep is hypnos), but he soon wanted to change the title to ‘monoidism’ when he realised that it was actually nothing like sleep. Unfortunately, the word was already in common usage.
Hypnosis is all about feeling relaxed and comfortable. In the examples given about car driving and reading a book, your conscious mind has been thinking about something else, and your subconscious mind has been driving your car or reading the book. And to do that you need to be fairly relaxed at the time, or even bored.
It is this state of relaxation which is used in Hypnotherapy.
It is this state of relaxation which is used in Hypnotherapy.
The only difference between hypnosis and the natural state of daydreaming (such as the examples of driving and reading a book given above) is that hypnosis is focused on or directed towards meeting some sort of goal.
What’s the feeling of hypnosis?
There is no real ‘feeling’ of hypnosis and your experience and feeling of hypnosis will be unique to you. The state is induced simply by the calming and relaxing voice of your therapist and your own imagination. You feel relaxed, but certainly not in a ‘trance’ or asleep. Most people find that the experience induces a feeling of relaxation, comfort and wellbeing.
The special qualities of hypnosis
There are many different definitions of hypnosis, which generally refer to the relaxation of the conscious mind, the narrowing and heightening of attention, and the control of areas normally out of reach of your conscious mind. If you have any doubts about these things, sit down and consciously try to slow your heart rate down or reduce the temperature in your hand by a few degrees. In hypnosis, physical changes like these are are easily induced and controlled. Hypnosis is a key to enabling both physical and emotional changes to take place.
What’s the feeling of hypnosis?
There is no real ‘feeling’ of hypnosis and your experience and feeling of hypnosis will be unique to you. The state is induced simply by the calming and relaxing voice of your therapist and your own imagination. You feel relaxed, but certainly not in a ‘trance’ or asleep. Most people find that the experience induces a feeling of relaxation, comfort and wellbeing.
The special qualities of hypnosis
There are many different definitions of hypnosis, which generally refer to the relaxation of the conscious mind, the narrowing and heightening of attention, and the control of areas normally out of reach of your conscious mind. If you have any doubts about these things, sit down and consciously try to slow your heart rate down or reduce the temperature in your hand by a few degrees. In hypnosis, physical changes like these are are easily induced and controlled. Hypnosis is a key to enabling both physical and emotional changes to take place.
