What is Hypnosis?
You're getting sleepy... There was a time when hypnosis was viewed as witchcraft, magic, voodoo, or simply, a hoax. It was a sideshow, a silly trick for parties and shows. This stigma still exists, as people the world over still view it with healthy skepticism. But today, the medical and therapy fields have found many uses for one of the most misunderstood practices around, and we're here to help you to learn why.
This features a more complicated answer than you'd think, and each of our pages will help to answer it in a myriad of ways. But here, we'll focus on the basics.
According to Mayo Clinic, hypnosis is "a trance-like state in which you have heightened focus, concentration and inner absorption" (Mayo). Once under, "you usually feel calm and relaxed, and you can concentrate intensely on a specific thought, memory, feeling or sensation while blocking out distractions" (Mayo). While you're more susceptible to suggestions which can affect your behavior and emotion, unlike popular belief, it's not mind control. You remain free of will (Mayo). Put another way by Dr. David Spiegel, the medical director of the Stanford Center for Integrative Medicine, hypnosis is a "shift in attention, during which you are not as aware of things around you" (HMI). In this state, hypnosis can be used by trained professionals (from therapists, health care workers, or even yourself) to cause a change in behavior, from helping you to quit smoking, lose weight or reduce stress (Hypnosis.com).
The Society of Psychological Hypnosis' official definition and description of the actual practice of hypnosis and what it's like is another interesting way to look at the field, and is reproduced here:
"Hypnosis typically involves an introduction to the procedure during which the subject is told that suggestions for imaginative experiences will be presented. The hypnotic induction is an extended initial suggestion for using one’s imagination, and may contain further elaborations of the introduction. A hypnotic procedure is used to encourage and evaluate responses to suggestions. When using hypnosis, one person (the subject) is guided by another (the hypnotist) to respond to suggestions for changes in subjective experience, alterations in perception, sensation, emotion, thought or behavior. Persons can also learn self-hypnosis, which is the act of administering hypnotic procedures on one’s own. If the subject responds to hypnotic suggestions, it is generally inferred that hypnosis has been induced. Many believe that hypnotic responses and experiences are characteristic of a hypnotic state."
--SPH
There are many types of hypnosis and many uses, which are described in detail elsewhere, but let's look at an overview.
Types of Hypnosis
These are the four main types of hypnosis:
- Traditional hypnosis
- Ericksonian hypnosis
- Neuro-linguistic programming
- Self-hypnosis
Why Use It?
Hypnosis is used primarily in three different areas: medical, therapy, and for entertainment. But the uses therein vary widely.
The experts -- the Mayo Clinic staff -- outline a list of possible hypnosis uses for patients:
- Pain control
- Smoking cessation
- Reducing stress related to medical procedures
- Mental health conditions
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Surgical preparation
- Childbirth
- Weight loss
- Athletic performance
- Dental procedures
- Coping with chemotherapy
- Skin conditions
- Gastrointestinal problems
(Mayo Clinic.com)
While hypnosis and its practices aren't tightly regulated like many other fields, which may be precisely why many view it as illegitimate, untrustworthy, or downright make-believe, a few official organizations are in place. Some attempt to regulate the field, others to educate or come together as professionals. They are listed here: