Hypnosis is known as being probably the best tool or technique existing for self improvement capable of providing fast and permanent results, but is it true? Is Hypnosis real or a kind of fake ability useful just for stage shows? Actually it’s a very natural process which many people experience every day only that instead of being a random event it’s focused and has a goal.
Technically Hypnotism is the art of putting people under Hypnosis while the latter is the state reached also called being in a trance. But you probably know that these days Hypnosis is used for both so that what I’ll do too. More or less everyone enters a trance state easily during the day for example when reading a very interesting book or even when watching a movie; and surely you already know about highway hypnosis. Being that the answer to the question Is Hypnosis real is definitely yes but how can we define hypnosis? It’s a natural state of focused yet relaxed attention or even better a state of relaxation and focused attention with the conscious and the subconscious mind communicating with each other.
- One of the easiest way, used by every hypnotherapist,to achieve this state is through breathing as it creates a bridge between the conscious and the subconscious mind putting something automatic and unconscious like breathing under the control of consciousness. If you put your attention on the act of breathing and make it slow and deep (belly breathing) after a while you reach a state of relaxation where both the hemispheres of your brain and the conscious and subconscious mind can more easily communicate and exchange information.
- You can reach a state of trance in minutes but it’s a voluntary action, something you want to achieve; then provoking a change usually takes a bit of time. While there are outcomes which can be easily reached in a week and for some subjects even in a single hypnotic session usually you have to undergo sessions for a while for hypnosis to take effect and provoke a permanent change. This is somehow obvious as if it took years to be in a way or someone is born with a specific attitude it can’t be changed in a snap right? Fast is one thing, immediately is another; hypnosis is a science and not magic.
- The most common way for people to see hypnosis in action is during stage shows where the hypnotist makes people do strange things like behaving in a chicken like manner or going crazy and so on. Usually the first question is “how can this be true”? Is hypnosis real? Is it possible that someone can be made to behave in that way against his or her will? Is Hypnosis dangerous? Actually not. While many stage hypnotists are real professional hypnotherapists that is a show. Usually they either prepare it in advance or they choose people after having tested with some easy exercises if they are good and willing subjects. As regards tv shows don’t forget that usually guests are paid for their appearance. I still remember an hypnotist who through strange faces and cries was able to hypnotize a tv guest, weird at best.
- The other way to use hypnosis is with a trained professional hypnotherapist which helps the client to reach a desired outcome. The client is obviously willing to make changes and the task of the hypnotist is to guide the subject through the process finding the right way, so to speak, to communicate with the subconscious mind and reach the desired outcome. In this respect hypnosis is real and what you see is what you get. But even in this case the willingness of the client is required. I have never seen hypnosis being forced upon an unwilling subject unless it’s brainwashing which beside being a violence requires things like sleep deprivation and conditioned response but it takes time and the subject knows he’s being forced to to do something against his will. Also its effects really don’t last for long if the suggestions go against the subject’s inner nature and will.
So, is hypnosis real? Yes as a technique to improve areas of our life with our consent, not much as a technique to make as to act like chickens at the hypnotist will.
What’s your opinion?
