What is hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a natural state of mind in which we more easily accept suggestion. Usually, the rational conscious mind is in the forefront of your awareness. In hypnosis, the rational mind recedes, and the subconscious is more accecible. It may be a deep state or a light state. It may occur naturally or be induced by various means such as relaxation or fixing the attention on a watch or revolving wheel.
One could say that any technique that goes around the rational conscious mind to get to the subconscious is a state of hypnosis. The conscious mind allows you to put your attention on one thing at a time. This is useful because if you were aware of everything that is in your mind at one time, you would be overwhelmed. The conscious mind also acts as a filter, so that you can determine what you accept into your greater mind.
We put ourselves into a state of heightened suggestibility when we watch a movie. We 'set our rational mind aside' as we accept what we are witnessing on the screen as if it were real. That's why a scary movie will make your adrenaline rise and a sad movie can move you to tears, even though you know that what you are seeing is totally fake, made up in Hollywood. Your subconscious can't tell the difference between a real and an imagined experience.
Just as people can respond to movies differently, such as being either moderately scared by a dangerous movie scene or totally mortified, people respond differently to hypnosis as well. Hypnosis is effective for all people, regardless of the depth of response, although a deep response may be more useful. Some people will define the state of hypnosis as only the deepest response to suggestion, but not everyone will agree with this.
No one has ever been hypnotized to do something that is totally against their will. No one has ever been hypnotized to give up military secrets, the keys to a safe deposit box, or anything of that nature. The people who do silly things in stage hypnosis shows for entertainment actually find it appealing to be part of the show, up on stage, and shed a bit of responsibility. That's why the stage hypnotists only work with volunteers.
How is hypnosis useful for personal change?
When we want to make a change in our lives, we may have the conscious decision to stop smoking, eating the wrong foods, or worrying, but our subconscious habits keep us doing what we have been doing.Hypnosis can help in the creation of new habits to replace the old.
Habits create neurological pathways through their repetition, establishing a path of least resistance. We don't know that almost everything we do in life is a habit. These habits can persist in spite of our desire for change. In the state of hypnosis, it is possible to imagine different ways of thinking and behaving that will give you a different result. In this state of supercharged imagination you can establish a pattern in your subconscious corresponding to your conscious desire to create a new habit. This will make it easier to put your desire for change into effect in the real world. It certainly cannot force you to do so.
If you have a habit of thinking or behaving that is not giving you the results that you want, Patrick Plaskett can help you come up with an effective alternative and jump-start your new life with the creative visualization of hypnosis.
