Q: What is hypnosis? A: Hypnosis is a natural state of mind, deepening
the focus of your attention. The feeling of hypnosis has been described as a
relaxing daydream, sometimes a meditative staring off into space, or other
telltale sign that the person is involved more in an inner experience, than what
is going on around her or him. While in hypnosis, your mind is more open
to helpful ideas that may be accepted directly into the way you think. These
ideas can help change or control behaviors, emotions, health, anything the vast
power of the mind may influence. Q: But, I've been this way for most
of my life. Can people really change? A: It may appear sometimes that
you've felt a certain way, or done a particular thing for what seems like
forever. But much of it, maybe most of it, is actually learned behavior. You
see, while individual people may have tendencies, what biologists call
predispositions, how that tendency is played out in your life depends on what
you have learned from experience. Often, we've learned a thought routine so well
that our resulting behaviors and feelings seem automatic, triggered into action
before we even know it. That's where hypnosis comes in. Hypnosis is a wonderful,
powerful way to add carefully chosen thinking on to your experience. You can
re-learn how to think about something, this time with a well-planned goal in
mind. Yes, people can definitely change. More importantly, you can definitely
change! Q: I think I read somewhere that "all hypnosis is really
self hypnosis". But, if that's true, then why don't these changes happen just
because I want them to? A: Hypnosis requires something called induction.
Remember, hypnosis is a unique state of mind, different from your ordinary state
of mind. Your ordinary mind must therefore be induced, that is changed into a
different state to acheive hypnosis. Neuroscientists using sophisticated brain
imaging equipment have actually found important alterations between the
functioning of the ordinary brain and the hypnotically induced brain.
Specifically, hypnosis seems to bypass some of the barriers the brain has built
to inhibit new learning. The hypnotic state diminishes these barriers, allowing
ideas to flow more directly to the learning centers with greater ease.
Q: Isn't hypnosis just for people with really bad problems, or
mental illness? A: Hypnosis has been used by the most successful
atheletes, high powered business people, actors, musicians, writers, and others,
all for the most positive and uplifting of reasons. They all want to improve
their skills, their health, their appearance, and enjoyment of life. Hypnosis
makes their talent more available. Yes, it's true that hypnosis is an
extraordinary therapeutic tool used in clinical psychology, but it is literally
for EVERYONE. It makes that which is good even better and transforms better into
the best! Q: What if I can't wake up from the hypnosis? A:
There is truly no such thing. In all my years of reading about and practicing
hypnosis, I have never once come across a case of a hypnotized person being
unable to awaken from it. Sometimes, hypnosis feels so relaxing and soothing
that the person may fall asleep, but even then will awaken quickly, as you would
from a short nap. By the way, I always begin every hypnosis script with the
phrase, "At any time you have the ability to awaken yourself and instantly
return to your ordinary thinking." That way, you're sure that you are in total
control during the experience. I'm just your guide. Q: What are
hypnosis scripts? A: The term hypnosis script (or self hypnosis script)
simply refers to the dialogue that is spoken in order to induce the state of
hypnosis and then make the desired suggestions. Hypnosis scripts can include
techniques that range from emphasizing progressive relaxation and descriptive
imagery, to story-telling and direct suggestion. The goal of every script is to
induce the state of hypnosis for a specific outcome. Based on years of study and
practice, I include a variety of hypnosis techniques in each of my hypnosis
mp3s. Q: What can hypnosis be used for? A: While hypnosis is
best known for successful weight loss, to quit smoking, to reduce anxiety and
tension, for self confidence, fear, etc, the truth is, hypnosis may be useful
for any topic that is influenced by the mind. That certainly takes in a lot of
territory. We can think of it like this: hypnosis can't change the weather, but
it can help you to remember to use your umbrella. Hypnosis can't change the need
for a mathematical formula, but it can make the formula easier to remember. If
you'd like to try hypnosis for yourself, please visit me at
http://self-hypnosis.org.
The work of licensed mental health counselor Richard Blumenthal has been
published in such esteemed journals as Medical Hypnoanalysis, The International
Journal of Psychosomatics, The Journal of Human Behavior and Learning, and The
British Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. Mr. Blumenthal is a
pioneer in the therapeutic use of hypnosis. He is the originator of Rational
Suggestion Therapy, and the inventor of HypnoSoft Self Hypnosis Software,
located at http://www.hypnosoft.com, for
which he was awarded a United States patent. Hypnosis mp3 recordings by Mr.
Blumenthal are available at http://self-hypnosis.org.
