Hypnosis: An Overview

                                "What's It All About?"                                     

In General:
Hypnosis is a means of communication between the conscious and sub-conscious mind. A host of human problems, habits, stresses, anxieties or deficiencies can be traced to interpretations by the subconscious mind.
 
The subconscious mind receives and retains neither accepting nor rejecting, all messages that we receive. These include genetic, social and religious messages as well as messages gleaned from our life experiences. The subconscious is often referred to as “the seat of memory”. Negative messages and patterns can be buried or suppressed in the subconscious.

A major benefit of hypnosis is that these out-dated messages can be transformed into new understandings. Blocks to health and happiness can, therefore, be removed allowing for new productive patterns to manifest. Under the guidance of a trained practitioner, negative programming can be reversed.
 
In a relaxed state of focused attention, the client, who is in control, focuses on desired behavioral changes. They choose to see only what is relevant to attaining their goal, blocking out everything else.

Hypnosis has also been shown to tap into the autonomic nervous system. Research has shown that a person’s body chemistry actually changes in the hypnotic state. Recent studies show that 94% of clients benefit from hypnotherapy, even if the only benefit is relaxation.

Misperceptions:
There is no surrender of will or control when a person is in the hypnotic state. A client must choose to be hypnotized as well as to achieve the desired goal. In the hypnotic state, a client is in control and cannot be induced to say or do anything which violates personal standards, behavior or integrity.
 
History:
Hypnosis has been used therapeutically since the time of the Ancient Egyptians and Greeks constructed sleep temples. In 1776, a German physician by the name of Franz Mesmer, “rediscovered” a form of hypnosis that he called Mesmerism. In the 19th Century, Sigmund Freud, the father of modern psychiatry, popularized this therapy.

In 1958, the American Medical Association approved the use of hypnotherapy as a valid medical treatment. In 1995, the National Institute of Health acknowledged it’s effectiveness in the treatment of chronic pain and other disorders.