Over the years hypnosis has received some pretty bad press, some justified, but much of the criticism has come from those who do not truly understand the power of hypnosis. However things are slowly changing, and it is now generally accepted even in the medical profession that hypnosis is real and can be a very powerful tool.
Hypnosis is simply a mental state induced by a hypnotic induction, commonly composed of a series of preliminary instructions and suggestions. Whilst in the hypnotic state subjects will be in a state of heightened suggestibility where they are far more likely to believe or perform what they are being told. It can be very effective on some people, and have no effect on others, it really depends on the individual and their state of mind as to whether hypnosis will have any effect or not.
Whilst there is no scientific explanation of what hypnosis is or how it works, it is generally accepted that hypnosis is real and does have its uses with some people that can achieve quite remarkable results. It wasn't that long ago that the only type of hypnosis people knew of was stage hypnosis. You have probably seen this at a show or on TV where volunteers are picked from the audience and hypnotized to perform silly acts for the enjoyment of the rest of the remaining audience. However nowadays in the 21st century hypnosis has evolved and we now have different types of hypnosis like self-hypnosis, Ericksonian hypnosis and NLP hypnosis to name a few. This article looks to define the different types types of hypnosis you may not be so familiar with.
Traditional Hypnosis
Traditional hypnosis has been around for a while now and is what most people think of when they hear the term hypnosis. Traditional hypnosis is when the hypnotist puts the subject into a hypnotic trance and then tells the subject what to do by giving direct commands and suggestions. This is where stage hypnosis has evolved from.
Traditional hypnosis has received some bad press over the years and unfortunately some of it is justified. There have been many stories of actors and stooges playacting in the performance, and at the other extreme people have become stuck in a hypnotic state of terror unable to fully awaken. Having said this traditional hypnosis can be a fun and effective tool when used by an experienced hypnotist.
Hypnotherapy
Using hypnosis to promote healing or positive development in any way is known as hypnotherapy. It is usually used to tackle psychological problems within the mind as this is where hypnosis can very powerful. When successful hypnotherapy can reprogram patterns of behaviour within the mind and can allow things like phobias, irrational fears, addictions and negative emotions to be controlled. Hypnotherapy can also be used to control the sensations of pain, and hypnosis has been used to perform surgery on fully conscious patients who would be in obvious agony if not for the use of hypnosis.
Contrary to common myths, hypnotherapy does not involve any form of deep sleep, in fact the subject is actually said to be fully awake and in a heightened state of awareness. However the patient must remain fully focused on the therapy and the success of hypnotherapy depends on the patients ability to focus on what is being said, establishing a good rapport with the therapist is essential. The patient must believe in the treatment and enter the therapy with an open mind or the treatment will almost certainly be unsuccessful.
Self Hypnosis
Self hypnosis (also known as auto hypnosis) is a self induced form of hypnosis and usually involves the subject learning a set of procedures, or following a recording or some other form of media. Usually this is another form of hypnotherapy and a hypnotherapist will often teach or recommend self-hypnosis to their patients. It can also be used for relaxation and has been compared with meditation.
The only difference between hypnosis and self hypnosis is that when you are using self-hypnosis you will be acting on the suggestions of yourself rather than any third party. In fact it has been said that all forms of hypnosis are actually self-hypnosis because the subject is going through the same processes in their mind, a hypnotist merely helps the subject into the trance state and offer their suggestions, but it is the subject that processes these thoughts in their minds. The end result is the same whether using self-hypnosis or being hypnotized by a third party.
The uses of self-hypnosis are very similar to those of hypnotherapy and can be used to combat psychological problems like phobias, addictions, stress and other psychological problems. It can also be used to enter an advanced state of relaxation and this is why self hypnosis is often compared with those who are meditating.
NLP Hypnosis
NLP hypnosis (neuro-linguistic programming) is another form of hypnosis similar to self hypnosis but concentrates more on peoples behaviours. NLP began as a form of psychological therapy similar to hypnosis and was originally used to tackle similar psychological problems like phobias, depression, habit and learning disorders. Whilst this is still the case, today NLP is seen more as a self-help tool and is often used to promote a sense of well being. NLP is growing rapidly worldwide and becoming increasingly popular in the professional world. NLP courses are becoming popular within big businesses, particularly in management training, life coaching and self-help.
NLP hypnosis is used to tackle psychological or behavioural problems or to simply improve ones sense of well being. It is a great tool for motivation and improving self confidence, although again it is unclear in the scientific community exactly what NLP is or how it works.
Ericksonian Hypnosis
Also known as conversational hypnosis or covert hypnosis, Ericksonian hypnosis is when a subject can be hypnotized within a normal conversation, often without the subject realizing they are being hypnotized at all.
Ericksonian hypnosis or conversational hypnosis was started by the hypnotherapist Dr Milton H. Erickson, who learnt to use his speech so effectively after becoming paralyzed and seriously ill himself. After contracting polio at the age of 17 he was essentially bed ridden for long periods, but during this time he learnt the significance of non-verbal communication - things like body language and tone of voice.
This form of hypnosis can be used on those who are skeptical about hypnotherapy or more traditional hypnosis, and has been said to be more effective on those who are more skeptical. It can be used by therapists during conversation and bypasses the traditional stage where a hypnotist will 'induce trance' before performing their work, although according to Erickson the patient will still enter this trance like state, but it will happen within a few second using clever hypnotic language and techniques during normal conversation.
Whilst this form of hypnosis was originally developed as a form of hypnotherapy it is now being used by everyday people in everyday life. There are many courses around nowadays that claim you can control others to do what you want if you can learn the powers of conversational hypnosis. There are even stories of conversational hypnosis being used in more sinister ways, like in Italy recently when a man used this form of hypnosis to get a bank cashier to hand over the cash simply by asking her to do so. Whilst incidents like this are very rare, there is no doubt that this form of hypnosis is real and can be very effective on certain people if you put in the time to learn the techniques.
The author learned about hypnosis whilst building his website which contains more information on hypnosis as well as other psychological tricks used in magic and mentalism. It also teaches mind reading techniques and explains how to greatly improve your memory. There is a great course on conversational hypnosis for those who are interested.
Please visit http://magic-mentalism.com to learn more.
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