“We go in and out of different levels of trances during the day and also while we are falling asleep at night. Examples of this would be when you are driving your car for a long distance (when you reach the off-ramp, and you can’t remember how you got there), standing in a long line at the supermarket, doing a boring task, or listening to a speaker talk in a monotonous voice. During times like these, the conscious mind starts to relax and the subconscious mind becomes more active.
“IS IT SAFE? When hypnotized, you are always the one who is in control. Willingness is the key factor: unless you are willing, you cannot be hypnotized The hypnotist is just a facilitator (a guide) to help you relax so that you can enter a trance state. You can never be made to do anything, which is in opposition to your moral or ethical code of behavior, You have the power to come out of a hypnotic trance at any time. If for some reason, the hypnotist does not bring you out of the trance, you will automatically come out of it or will fall asleep and/or awaken after a short nap. After learning how to totally relax and continuing to practice, you can learn to hypnotize yourself.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING HYPNOSIS? First, sit ‘m a comfortable position. The hypnotist will then tell you to close your eyes and concentrate on relaxing the muscles in your body. You will be told to relax all the muscles ‘m your head, then your shoulders, etc., downward to your feet. Then the hypnotist will start counting down from 10 to 1; the purpose, here, is to help you relax into a deeper state of trance.You will be told to visualize yourself in a beautiful, safe place. At this point the hypnotist will give you positive suggestions (mutually agreed upon before the session begins) such as, Now you are feeling very energetic, you accomplish all your tasks, you are slim and trim, etc. After the suggestions have been made, the hypnotist will start counting up from 1 to 10, which will bring you back up to the conscious state. While in the hypnotic state, you may experience feelings of sleepiness or of being separated from your body, rigid or limp legs or arm muscles, warm or cold skin, tingle or feeling of electricity, or a narrowness of your attention span.
“WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF HYPNOSIS? Because everything we have ever done or learned is stored in the subconscious, the only way to modify or change our behavior is by changing the belief system in our subconscious. This could be compared to changing the programming in a computer. There are many areas in which hypnosis can be beneficial, such as improving sleep, reducing stress, controlling pain, increasing concentration and learning ability, controlling some organic functions such as heart rate, or remembering a past experience in complete detail.”