Beginners Guide to Hypnosis eBook

8/10/2019 Beginners Guide to Hypnosis eBook

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BeginnersGuidetoHypnosis

YourQuestionsAnsweredEditedandDistributedbyCalvin(Cal)Banyan,MA,CH,BCH,CI,MCPHI,FNGH

Derivedfrom

apreviously

published

book

written

by

Dr.

Brian

Knight,

now

owned

by

Calvin

D.

Banyan.

AdditionalHypnosisResources

www.CalBanyan.com 100+FreeHypnosisTrainingVideosandMore

www.Hypnosis.ORG FreeHypnosisArticles,DirectoryandMoreforEveryone

www.OurHypnoSpace.com FreeNetworkingforHypnosisProfessionals

Note: Youmaygiveawaythisebook. However,itcannotbedistributedaspartofanyforprofit

enterprisewithoutwrittenpermissionfromCalBanyan.

YouareNOTallowedtomakeanychanges. Allhyperlinksandcontactinformationmustbeleftinthis

publication.

Nor,are

you

permitted

to

publish

any

part

of

this

eBook

or

the

eBook

as

awhole

in

any

form

whatsoever,withouttheexpresswrittenpermissionfromCalBanyan.

CalBanyanpurchasedthisbookfromtheoriginalauthorsothatitcouldbesharedfreelywiththe

hypnosiscommunity. TheopinionoftheoriginalauthorisnotnecessarilytheopinionofCalBanyan.

Ihopeyouwillenjoythisbookandshareitwithyourfriends.

PublishedbytheBanyanHypnosisCenterforTraining&Services,Inc.

www.HypnosisCenter.com

CopyrightCalvinD.Banyan2010.
http://www.calbanyan.com/http://www.hypnosis.org/http://www.ourhypnospace.com/http://www.hypnosiscenter.com/http://www.hypnosiscenter.com/http://www.ourhypnospace.com/http://www.hypnosis.org/http://www.calbanyan.com/


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Contents

Introduction 3

Definitions

6

Hypnotizability 8

Science 9

Control 10

Dangers 11

Hypnotherapy 13

Religion

17

StageHypnosis 17

The#1Question 18


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Introduction

Thiswasanebookthatwaswrittenbyanotherauthor,whichIboughtfromhimalongwithawebsite.

NowthatIhavethisbook,Ithoughtthebestthingtodowithitistogiveitawaytothoseinterestedin

learningabouthypnosis. Iespeciallythoughtitwouldbeagoodresourceforthosewhoarelookingat

learningbasichypnosis.

Theanonymousauthorwroteinhisintroductiontotheoriginalversionofthisebook,Everypersonnew

tohypnosisasksthesamequestions.DecadesagoIalsoaskedthem. Lately,asagrumpyoldman,Ive

growntiredofhavingtogivethesameanswersoverandover. SoIdecidedtocompilethequestionsand

answersintooneebookwhichisintotal,averygoodguideforbeginnerswantingtolearnabout

hypnosis.

Withthat,Ihopeyouwilllearnalotfromthisbookanditwillkindleyourdesiretolearnmoreabout

hypnosis,and

hopefully

one

day,

Iwill

either

see

you

in

class

or

find

that

you

are

anew

graduate

of

one

ofourdistancelearningcourses.

Sincerely,

CalBanyan

BanyanHypnosisCenterforTraining&Services,Incorporated

1431WarnerAvenue,SuiteE

Tustin,California 92780


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Therestofthisbookiswritteninaquestionandanswerformatwiththeauthorscomments

interspersed. Tohelpyoufurther,fromtimetotimeyouwillrunacrosshyperlinksinthetextthatwill

takeyoutoadditionalinformation. Thishasbeendoneinorderforyoutohaveaccesstonewand

updatedmaterial.

Alas,

every

book

becomes

dated

as

soon

as

it

is

published,

but

by

providing

you

with

theembeddedlinks,weexpectthattheinformationprovidedwillbeupdatedregularly.

Sonow,onwiththequestions:

1. Isittruethatcan'tbehypnotizedunlessyouarewillingtobehypnotized? (Inotherwords,if

we'resittingandtalking,Icouldn'tbeputunderhypnosisunlessIwantedtobeputunder.Many

yearsbackwehadahypnotistatschoolandthatiswhathesaidtoo.)

Dependsonwhatyoumeanby"willing".Peopleareswayedbyapoliticianorasalesmanusinghypnotic

techniques,dittowithTVads. But,yousee,noamountofhamburgeradswouldpersuademetobuya

hamburgerbecause

just

the

thought

of

eating

something

with

all

those

chemicals,

animal

cruelty

and

environmentaldevastation,makesmefeelsick. So,I'm"notwillingtobehypnotizedtoeatredmeat.

2. Isittruethatyoucan'tbehypnotizedandnotknowyou'rebeinghypnotized? Example:We're

talkingandwithouthavingaclue,youcouldhypnotizeme.(Surehopenot.)

Controversial. Hypnosisislikedaydreaming.Soifyou'reinaweofsomeoneorsay,fallinginlovewitha

guy,youmightnotrealizethatyouareinasortoftrancelikestate.

Basically,allthisiswords.Youprobablyhaveanerroneousideaofwhathypnosisisfrombadmovies,

booksandstageshowsthatdeliberatelymakeyouthinkthehypnotizedpersonisinsomekindofother

worldlystate,

under

the

control

of

the

hypnotist.

Not

so.

3. Ifyouwillinglyarehypnotized,canyoubemadetoforgetwhathappenedwhileyouwere

hypnotized? Andthen,whenyou'rebroughtoutofthehypnosis,youhavenoideayouwereeven

hypnotizedinthefirstplace?

NoonecanMAKEyoudoorthinkanything,unlessyouwantit. Soyoumayaskthehypnotisttosuggest

amnesia. Andyou'llforget. Butrecallisalwayspossiblewithalittleverbalnudging.

The"hiddenobserver"inyourmindiswatchingcontinuouslytokeepyousafe.

Manypeople

think

that

people

who

are

hypnotized

dont

remember

it.

And

they

have

that

erroneous

beliefpreciselybecausetheyhaveatotallywrongconceptofhypnosistobeginwith. Inhypnosis,you

areawake,aware,andconscious. Youcaneventellliesifyouchoose,youdon't"wakeup"becauseyou

werenotasleep. Timeisverysubjective.Inhypnotherapy,thesubjectivepassageoftimecanbeslowed

downorspeededup.Thisisveryusefulfortherapy.

Thatwasn'tenoughfortheenquirer.Shewroteafollowup:


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4. Thankyouforyourpromptreply. Ithinkyou'reprobablyright. Idon'treallyknowwhathypnosis

is. Regardingmy1stquestion,yourexampleofthehamburgerswasagoodone. Bywilling,that's

whatImeant. Example: IfIsmoked(Idon't)andIdidn'twanttostop,Icouldn'tbemadetostop

throughhypnosis. Anotherexample,ifIseeadog,hypnosiscouldn'tmakemethinkit'sahorse

becauseIwouldn'twanttothinkthat. AmIright?

Right!Exceptthatinthesecondexampleyoucouldbe"tricked"ifyoutrustedthehypnotizerandwere

toldthatanewlanguageoranewdefinition,wouldnowcallthedogahorse.(Ifyouwereonstage

youdreadilyidentifythedogasahorse).Butagain,youstillbelieveitbecauseyouwantto. And,once

outofhypnosis,theabsurditywouldhaveyoulaughing....

5. Regardingquestion#2youhitthenailonthehead. Ithoughtthehypnotistwasincontrolandable

tomakeyoudothingsyoudidn'twanttodo.That'sfalse?

ThoughtI'dmadethatpoint asyouhaveabove.

6.From

your

explanation,

am

Iright

in

saying

the

hypnotist

can

suggest

things

such

as

thirsty

or

hungry,butifyou'renot,you'renotgoingtowantadrinkorfood. Hecansuggestitbuthecan't

MAKEyouwantit. Right?

Right. Whydon'tyoureadagoodbookonhypnosis?

7. Thelastpartof#3regardingtime. IfIwereinasessionwithyou,youcouldmakeitseemliketime

hadpassedquicklyorslowlybutifmyappt.startedat3:00andIleftat3:15Iwouldknowtimehad

passed.Youcouldn'tmakemethinknotimehadpassed. Correct?

Couldn'tMAKEyouthinkanything.Ididn'twritethatNOtimehadpassed.Iwrotethattime(remember

thisis

ahuman

construct)

is

subjective

so

the

hypnotic

suggestion

of

time

could

be

of

stretching

it,

or

of

shorteningitbutnottoooutlandishlengths.

8. Sotosumitup,(1)ahypnotistisnotincontrol,(2)shecan'tmakeyoudoorthinksomethingyou

donotwanttodoorthink,and(3)shecan'tmakeyouforgetyouwerehypnotizedbecauseyouare

notinatrance(sleep).Correct?

Whetheryou'reinatranceornot,isacontroversialpoint.What,afterall,isatrance? But,definitely

notsleep.Howcouldyoufollowsuggestionsifyouwereasleep?Alwaysamazesmethatpeopledon't

wonderaboutthat.

9.Ithink

my

wrong

ideas

about

hypnosis

are

like

you

said.

From

bad

movies,

etc.

Are

hypnosis

and

hypnotherapyoneandthesame?

Hypnotherapyistheuseofhypnosistoenablethetherapisttoconducttherapy.


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Definitions

1. Whatishypnosis?

Althoughsome

definitions

describe

hypnosis

in

terms

of

interaction

between

people,

hypnosis

is

not

somethingoneperson"does"toanother.

Hypnosisislikedaydreaming:aformofrelaxedconcentration.Whatisrelaxedis,firstthebodyand

second,theconsciouspartofthemind

2. Doesitputyouintoatrancestate?

Somehypnotherapistsbelieveoureverydaysenseofrealityisactuallyatrance.Thatweneedto

awaken,todehypnotizefromthemythsofwhatwethinkisreal.

Formost

practitioners,

the

most

common

view

of

hypnosis

is

that

it

is

an

altered

state

of

consciousness;

yourawarenessdifferssomehowtoyoureverydaysenseofreality.Thisisoftenreferredtoasbeingina

trance. However,formany,perhapsmostpeoplebeinginhypnosisdonotseemmuchdifferenttohow

theyfeelatothertimes.

3. Sodoesthatmeanthatyouarenotinatrance?

Theveryexistenceoftranceischallengedbysomehypnosisauthorities.

4. So,ishypnosisjustanothernameforrelaxation?

No. Oftenapersonnewtohypnosiswillnotethatshefeelsrelaxed.Oftenmoredeeplyrelaxedthan

sheseverfeltbefore. Thishasledtoclaimsthathypnosisisnothingmorethanprofoundrelaxation.But

laboratorytestsprovehypnosisissomethingmorethanrelaxation:e.g.,afterhypnosis,theheartrate

remainssloweddownlongerthanafterrelaxationalone.

5. Ishypnosissimplysuggestion?

Whatdoesthismean?Thatpeopleinhypnosiswillacceptsuggestionsmorereadilythanwhennotin

hypnosis?Thatexplainsnothing.

Peoplearereadilysuggestiblewithouthypnosis themammothadvertisingindustryatteststothat

and

people

in

hypnosis

by

definition

want

to

cooperate.

Of

course

they

accept

suggestions.

Theysuspendtheirdisbeliefastheywouldwhilereadinganovel. Butsuggestsomethingthatis

distastefultothemandthey'llquicklystopcooperatingjustasthey'ddropanovelwhichoffended

them.

6. Perhapshypnosisisjustroleplaying?


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Sometheoristssaythatpeoplethinkordothingsinhypnosisbecauseit'sexpectedofthemandby

them.Theyarefulfillingarole.Theywanttopleasethehypnotist. Sothere'snoalteredstateof

consciousness,there'ssimplyamotivationtoactasthoughhypnotized.

Thistheorymightholdforstageperformancesandthelikebutcanhardlyapplytosurgery. Thousands

ofhypnotized

persons

have

benefited

from

operations

with

no

chemical

anesthetic.

7. Ishypnosisaformofpsychologicalconditioning?

Accordingtothisexplanation,apersonlearnsthroughdirectexperienceorthroughTVorthemovies,

howtobehave'hypnotized'.

Anotherwaytoseehypnosisassomethinglearnedistoassertthatapersonbecomesconditionedtoa

wordstimulussuchas"Relax." Oncehavingallowedhimselftorelax,theclientisthereafterconditioned

torepeattheexperienceofrelaxinguponhearingthestimulusword.

8. IsHypnosisaFormofDissociation?

Thisdefinitionclaimsthatinsomeasyetunexplainedway,thementalfunctioningofapersonis

compartmentalizedandonepartcanbeisolatedfromtheothers.

Dissociationisaneverydayconsciousexperiencewhichbeginsinchildhood,accordingtoDr.Josephine

R.Hilgard,notedhypnosisresearcherandauthor. Whenapersonisengagedinconversationwith

someoneelse,heisalsotalkingwithhimselfandthinkingaheadtohisnextcomments.

Childrenblithelyslipinandoutoffantasylives,temporarilyadoptingmakebelieveroleswhichthey

discardatwill.Thiscapacitytofantasizecanberetainedthroughpracticeandmakesthedissociation

characteristicofhypnosislesssurprising.

9. Whenyouareinhypnosisareyouasleep?

No,youareconscious,awakeandaware.

10.So,whatishypnosis?

Alteredstate,relaxation,heightenedsuggestibility,roleplaying,conditioningordissociation,whatever

hypnosisis,itenablesapersontoexperiencethoughtsandimagesasthoughtheywerereal.

11.Doesthatmeanithasnothingtodowiththesubconscious?

Notnecessarily.Manyhypnotistsdefinehypnosisasthebypassingofthecritical[conscious]mindand

accessingofthesubconscious.

12.Thatsoundsimpressive,butwhatdowemeanbythesubconscious?


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Althoughsomepeopleequatethesubconsciouswiththebrainsrighthemisphere,thesubconsciousis

probablybetterunderstoodinametaphoricalsense.Forexample,Freudclaimeditisacesspoolof

sexualandviolenturgeswhilepresentdaytheoristsaremorelikelytoconsiderthesubconscioustobe

eitherawellspringofgoodnessorastorehouseofmemoriesthatnormallyliesoutsideourconscious

awareness.

Hypnotizability

1. Cananyonebehypnotized?

Generallyspeaking,yes. Anypersonofnormalintelligencewhoiswillingtofollowinstructionscanbe

hypnotized. Theexceptionwouldbeindividualswhosufferfromseverementalillnesssuchas

Schizophrenia.

Manypeople,whentheyhearabouthypnosis,say,"Well,Ican'tbehypnotized."Thesepeoplehave

beenmisinformed,mostlybyHollywood,aboutwhathypnosisisandisnot. Itisnotnecessarytobein

somesort

of

other

worldly

trance

to

be

in

hypnosis.

Hypnosis

is

anatural

state

which

everyone

moves

in

andoutofthroughouteachday. Manyofoureverydaynormalactivitiesareactuallyperformedunder

hypnosiswithoutusbeingawareofit.

Anexampleofhypnosisisplayingvideogames. Somepeoplecanplayvideogamesforhoursinone

sitting. Ifsomeoneweretotalktoyouwhileyouwereinavideogamesession,youwouldbeableto

respond.Yetanothergoodexampleofahypnoticstateisbeingonthecomputer.Peoplewhoareusing

acomputerarefocusedonwhattheyaredoing,butcanintelligentlyanswerthephonewhenitrings.

So,hypnosisisnodifferenttoplayingvideogamesorworkingonacomputer.Mostpeopleengagedin

theseactivitieswouldnotthinktheyareinatrance,buttheyare.Theyareinalighthypnotictrance

knownasAlpha.

Oh,bytheway,readingafascinatingarticle(likethisone)isanotherformofhypnosis...surprise!You're

inhypnosis!!!

Inalpha,yourmindissloweddownjustalittle,yourfocusisnarrow,yourbreathingisslow,andyouare

relaxed. Sinceyouareupto200timesmoresuggestibleevenwhileyouareinthelightstateofalpha,

anythingbeyondthisisunnecessaryformostpurposes(i.e.programmingsomeonetoloseweight,stop

smoking,overcomefearofflying,etc.). Youcanhaveanextremelyeffectivehypnosissessionwhile

beingawareofandabletorecalleverywordspokenbytheHypnotherapist.

2.

Canasleepingpersonbehypnotized?

Althoughsomepeopleclaimthisispossible,youhaveonlytorememberthatthesleepingpersonis

unconscioustorealizetheabsurdityoftryingtohypnotizeher.

3. Ishypnosisaskill?


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Yes. Hypnosisisaninborntalentoftheclient. Itsuse,deliberateorunwitting,variesfrompersonto

person. Yourdevelopmentofthisskillcanbeenhancedwiththeguidanceofanexperiencedhypnotist.

Thenthetalentcansubsequentlybeevenmoreusefulandenjoyablewhenemployedbyyouonyour

own.

4.

Isit

atrait?

No.Hypnosisisnotafixedtrait,likeeyecolor.Althoughbuiltintoourbasicbiologyitcanbeenhanced

withpractice.

5. Ishypnotizabilitylinkedtootherpersonality?Characteristics?

Notmuch.Peoplewhoarehighlyintelligentaremoreeasilyhypnotizedasarepeoplewhohavebeen

sexuallyabusedaschildren(possibly,becausetosurvivetheyhadtodissociate).

Science

1.

Isthere

ascientific

basis

to

hypnosis?

Yes. Hypnosishasbeenstudiedextensively.

2. Isthereabiologicalbasisforhypnosis?

Yes. Whenapersonisinhypnosis,specificpartsofthebrainlightupinbrainscans. Also,fordecades

CandacePert,ascientist,andErnestRossi,apsychologist,haveexplainedhowhypnosishasmeasurable

effectsarisingfromthoughtsandbehaviorsthroughtheintermediaryflowofneuronsandhormones.

3. So,hypnosisisbuiltintoourbasicbiology?

Yes. Itstheoppositeofthewellknownflightorfightresponse.Itsthecalmandconfidentresponse.

4. Isittruethateverythingthathaseverhappenedtomeisrecordedinmybrainlikeavideo,

waitingtobereplayed?

No. Memoryisselectiveandmalleable.Thereisnounblemishedrecordofyourlifestoredsomewhere

justwaitingforyoutorediscovereventsfromyourpast.Withhypnosis,youmaybeabletorecallsome

eventsthatyouareconsciouslyunawareofbut,thereisnoguaranteethattherecallisaccurate.

5. Arehypnoticsuggestionsakintosoftwareandthebrainlikeacomputer?

Sortof.

These

metaphors

suit

our

current

thinking.

They

serve

as

handy

shorthand

for

describing

the

processofhypnosis.ButjustasNewtonianphysicswasrevolutionizedbyEinsteinandhistheorieslater

broughtintoquestionbyquantumphysics,soourmetaphorswilllikelybesupersededwhenwe

understandmoreabouthowthebrainfunctions.Meanwhile,justasNewtonsideasarestillusefulin

certaincontexts,sotooistheideathatourmindsaresomewhatlikecomputers.However,remember


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thatacomputerspitsoutexactlywhatisenteredintoit.Thehumanmindmodifiestheinformation

entered.

Control

1. Doesthehypnotistcontroltheclient?

Thatisonlyasmuchastheclientwantstobecontrolled. Badmoviesandbooksnotwithstanding,since

theclientisawakeandaware,shedecideswhatshe'llagreeto.

2. Aretheretimeswhenitwouldbegoodtobeoutofhypnosis?

Yes. Forexample,whenyouaresomesmerizedwhilesurfingtheNetthatyouwouldbuysomething

youdontneed,justbecauseyouareinadaze.

Moreseriously,

you

might

want

to

be

de

hypnotized

from

the

food

industrys

TV

ads

or

from

the

negativemessagesimplantedinyourheadbywellmeaning(ornotsowellmeaning)parents.

3. Cansomeonebehypnotizedtorobabank?

Thatisonlyiftheyactuallywanttocommitthecrime. Andthen,theywouldntneedtobehypnotized.

Ifitwerepossibletomakesomeonecommitacrimebyhypnotizingthem,thentheCIAandtheKGB

wouldhaverejoicedinbeingabletoprogramkillers.

Despitetheirbestefforts(inthe60s)theywereunabletopersuadenormalrecruitstokilljustbecause

theywerehypnotized.Andtheirpsychopathsdidntneedhypnosisasanexcuse.

4. WillIrevealsecretswhenIaminhypnosis?

Youwillonlysaywhatyouwanttosay. Intherapy,itisoftenbeneficialtorevealasecret. Butifyouare

revealingasecretwhileinhypnosis,itsbecauseyouchoosetodoso,notbecauseyourehypnotized.

5. Canhypnosisbeusedtouncoverthetruth?

No. Thisquestionisoftenaskedbysomeonewantingtoknowforsureiftheirpartnerisreallybeing

faithful. However,thepartnercouldtelllieswhilehypnotized. Hypnosisdoesnotactlikeatruthserum.

Dangers

1. Canhypnosisbedangerous?

No. Theresnodangerinhypnosis,onlyinhypnotists. Hypnosiscanbemisused,deliberatelyor

unwittingly.


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Deliberatemisuseofhypnosisiswhataphilanderingphysiciandidwhenhetrickedhishypnotizedwife

intoswallowingafataloverdoseofpills.

UnwittingmisuseisliketheBritishstagehypnotistwhowasconvictedofcausingavolunteerextreme

distressbecauseheregressedhertoanagewhensherecalledbeingsexuallyassaulted.Heshouldhave

suggestedshe

act

like

asix

year

old,

rather

than

be

six

years

old.

2. Canthehypnotistcreateafalsememoryinmyhead?

No. But,shecouldcreateafalsebeliefinadvertentlybecauseshesuggestssomethingthatdidnt

actuallyhappenordeliberately,becauseitspartofyourtherapy.

Letmeexplain:thehypnotistmightbyaccidentaskaleadingquestionsuchasAndwhoelseisinthe

roomwithyour7yearoldself?whichwouldlikelycauseahypnotizedclienttoimaginesomeonebeing

inthatroomevenifinrealitytherehadbeennootherpersonpresent.

Ontheotherhand,thehypnotistmightverydeliberatelyandpositivelysuggestaclientwhoisafraidof

publicspeakingimaginehimselfgivingagreatspeechathisnextbusinessmeeting.

3. CanIgetstuckinatrance?

No. Ifthehypnotiststoppedtalkingtoyouafterawhileyoudeitherdriftofftosleeporyoudopen

youreyestofindoutwhatsgoingon.

4. WillIsaythingsthatwouldembarrassme?

No. Youaretheoneincontrolofwhatyousayanddo. Eveninahypnotictrance,youareawareofyour

actions.

5. CouldIbesexuallyassaultedwhileinhypnosis?

Ofcourseanyonecouldbeassaultedatanytime. Fortunately,sinceyouareawakeandawareofwhats

happeningwhileyoureinhypnosis,youwouldbeabletorespondinthesamewaythatyouwould

whenyouwerenotinhypnosis.

6. Whatdoesitfeelliketobeinhypnosis?

Thisistraditionallyansweredbyitfeelsdifferentforeachpersonwhichisabitlikeclaimingthatno

twosnowflakesarealike. HowonEarthwouldweknow?Whenusedinatherapeuticcontext,many

peoplereport

feeling

relaxed,

uncaring

about

their

everyday

concerns,

only

vaguely

aware

of

their

surroundings,barelyhearingextraneousnoises,focusedintheirimaginations,armsandlegseither

pleasantlyheavyorlight,enjoyabletinglingsensations,senseofpeaceandlethargy,mindsuperalert.

Toanobserver,thehypnotizedpersonlooksasrelaxedasifshewereasleep. Inparticular,theface

becomesplacidandsometimesalittleflushed.Theeyelidsmaytwitchalittle.


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7. HowdoIknowIwashypnotized?

Thebestwayisfromtheresultsachieved.Ifyouexperiencethekindofphysicalandimaginativedetails

describedabove,youprobablywontevenaskthisquestion.However,iflikealotofpeople,youdont

feelmuchdifferentphysicallyormentallywhilesupposedlyinhypnosis,therearethreepossibilities:

a. Youwerehypnotizedbutbecauseoffalsenotionsabouthypnosis,decidedyouwerent.

b. Youchosenottobehypnotized.

c. Youwerenothypnotized.

8. WhenIwassupposedlyinhypnosisIheardeverywordthetherapistsaidsoIcouldnothavebeen

hypnotized,couldI?

HypnotherapistSirMichaelCarrJonesanswersthisbysayingyourquestionishisbiggestbtenoir.

Ofcourse,

you

hear

every

word.

You

are

awake,

aware,

and

fully

conscious.

If

you

could

not

hear

every

word,wewouldallbewastingourtimeandyourmoney."

9. WhyareyouandSirMichaelannoyedwhenpeopleusethephraseunderhypnosis?

Thatisbecausethatinvokestheoutdatedconceptofthehypnotistbeingincontrol,oftheclientbeing

involuntarilysedated.

10. Ishypnosissafeforchildren?

Yes. Hypnosisissafeforeveryone. Childrencanreadilybenefitbecause,evenmorethanadults,they

slipinandoutofhypnosisnaturallyalldayastheyplaymakebelieve.

11. Isrelaxationaprerequisiteforhypnosis?

No. Itis,ofcourse,preferabletorelaxwhenyouareinatherapistsoffice. Butyoucould(andoftendo)

gointohypnosiswhileexercisingvigorously(e.g.runningamarathon)orinanemergency(suchasacar

crash).

12.Whatisforensichypnosis?

ForensicHypnosisistheuseofhypnosisinpoliceandsimilarinvestigations.

Hypnotherapy

1. Ishypnosisthesamethingashypnotherapy?


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Strictlyspeaking,no. Thelabelisoftenusedwhenatherapistuseshypnosiswithaclient.But,however

refreshingitistoenjoybeinginhypnosis,theexperiencebyitselfisnottherapeutic. Therapyisdone

whileapersonisinhypnosis,notbyhypnosis.

2. Sothehypnotisthastobeatrainedpsychotherapist,physicianorpsychologist?

Notnecessarily. Inmanyjurisdictions,anyonecanopenanofficeasahypnotherapist(orasa

psychotherapist)withabsolutelynocredentialsinpsychology,medicine,hypnosis,psychotherapyor

psychopathology.

3. Howlongdoesaposthypnoticsuggestionlast?

Generallyspeaking,itdependsonanumberoffactorssuchasthedepthofhypnosis,thenumberof

timeahypnoticsuggestionwasgiven,andthehypnotictechniquesbeingused. Ihavefoundthatthe

deeperthehypnoticstateis,andthegreaterthenumberoftimesthesuggestionisgiven,thelongerthe

suggestionlasts. Alsousinginsighttechniquessuchashypnoticageregressioncanmakesuggestions

lastavery

long

time,

or

even

be

permanent.

4. Havingsuccessfullyhadhypnotherapyforaphobia,williteverbenecessarytohavea"topup"to

preventthephobiafromreturning?

Perhaps. Ifyouarefrequentlyintheformerlyphobicsituationbutnowfeelcomfortable,itsunlikely

youllneedatopup. Thenewhabitofbeingnonphobicwillhavereplacedtheoldphobia.

However,ifthephobicsituationisonethatyourarelyencounterbutyoudofindyourselfonceagain

abouttofaceitthenyoumightneedbriefhypnotherapy.Oryoucouldusetheselfhypnosistechniques

taughttoyoubyyourtherapist.

5. Doesapersonhavetogodeeplyintohypnosistomakechangesinherlife?

Depthinhypnosisissubjective.Butwhatmightbecalledalighttranceissufficientfortherapeutic

changesuchasstoppingsmokingorlosingweight.Presumablythough,youdwanttobedeepinto

hypnosisifitwastheonlyanestheticyouwereusingwhileundergoingsurgery!

6. Doeshypnotherapyrequiregadgetsorelectronicdevices?

Somehypnotherapistsliketohavetheirclientslistenthroughheadphonestoarelaxinginductionmixof

wordsandmusic.Otherswilluseametronome,pendulumorotherdeviceforfocusingtheclients

attention.

Nodeviceisactuallyessential.Mosthypnotherapistssimplytalktheirclientsintohypnosisonaoneto

onebasis. Probablynotasfinanciallyprofitableashavinganumberofclientsinseveralroomswith

electronicallyequippedreclinerslinkedtoacentralbroadcastingunit.

7. Canhypnotherapybeperformedlongdistance?


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15

Yes,butnotinsomeotherworldlymentaltelepathyformat. Atelephoneorcomputerisnecessary.

TodayNetHypnosisisalotmoreconvenient.Skypeandwebcamsmeanhypnotherapyisavailableto

anyone,anywhere.

8. Doesahypnotherapisthavetohaveaspecialvoice?

No,unlesshestryingoutforapartinaHollywoodmovie. Reallifehypnotherapistsusewhatevervoice

theyvebeengracedwith.Ofcourse,ithelpsifthevoiceissoothingratherthangrating.Andaconfident

toneisimportant.Apartfromthatanykindofvoiceissufficient.

9. Whatispastliferegression?

Regressionishelpingaclientinhisimaginationtogobackinhislife;pastliferegressionsupposedly

takesapersontoapreviouslife. Morelikely,themanyaccountsofsuchexperiencesareatributeto

humancreativity.

10.

Whattraining

does

aperson

need

to

become

ahypnotherapist?

Hypnosisprofessionals(bothhypnotistsandhypnotherapists)receivetheirtraininginmanydifferent

ways. ManygothroughlivetrainingprogramssuchastheNationalGuildofHypnotistsApproved

BanyanHypnosisCertificationSuperCourse. Howevermanysuccessfulhypnosisprofessionalscan

receiveexcellenttrainingthroughdistantlearningcoursesthatconducttestingoftheirgradsthatison

partwiththeprogramsthataregiveninaliveclassroomsituation.

11.CanhypnotherapybesuccessfulifIdoitmyself,i.e.whatcanIaccomplishwithselfhypnosis?

Yes. Andyoucanaccomplisheverything.Itsbesttofirstexperiencehypnosiswithacompetent

practitioner.

12.Arethereothernamesforhypnotherapy?

Yes. Althoughtheiradvocateswillargueotherwiseinmyopinionhereareafewofthemanypractices

thatarebasicallyhypnotic:

CreativeVisualization

GuidedImagery

Yoga

Flooding(atechniqueusedbypsychologists)

EFT

EyeMovementandDesensitizationandReProcessing
http://www.hypnosiscenter.com/hypnosis-training-information.htmhttp://www.hypnosiscenter.com/hypnosis-training-information.htmhttp://www.hypnosiscenter.com/hypnosis-training-information.htmhttp://www.hypnosiscenter.com/hypnosis-training-information.htmhttp://www.hypnosiscenter.com/hypnosis-training-information.htmhttp://www.hypnosiscenter.com/video_5-PATH_training.htmhttp://www.hypnosiscenter.com/video_5-PATH_training.htmhttp://www.hypnosiscenter.com/video_5-PATH_training.htmhttp://www.hypnosiscenter.com/video_5-PATH_training.htmhttp://www.hypnosiscenter.com/video_5-PATH_training.htmhttp://www.hypnosiscenter.com/video_5-PATH_training.htmhttp://www.hypnosiscenter.com/hypnosis-training-information.htm


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13.MustIclosemyeyesduringhypnotherapy?

No. Youcankeepyoureyesopen.Therearethreereasonsahypnotherapistwillaskyoutocloseyour

eyes:

a. Doingsosetsthestageforyoudoingassheasks,

b. Youfocusmoreeasilyonwhateveryouareimagining,

c.

Itsquitedisturbingtothetherapisttowatchanunblinkingclientforanhourorso.

14.Whatproblemscanhypnotherapyovercome?

Therearesomanyapplicationsforhypnosisthatyoumightconsideritapanacea i.e.,asolutionforall

emotional,psychologicalandphysicalproblems.Especiallysincehypnosiscanbeusedwithpeopleofall

agesandwithamyriadofproblems.

Hereare

afew:

phobias,

weight

control,

insomnia,

alcoholism,

depression,

psychosis,

hypertension,

eatingdisorders,sexualdysfunctions,smokingcessation,medicalillness,posttraumaticstress,and

bipolaraffectivedisorder.

15.Canhypnotherapyhelpmedobetterinsports?

Yes,forsure. Hypnosiscanbeusedtoenhance: yoursportsactivities,yourlovelife,yourworkhabits,

yourconfidence,andyourcreativity.

16.Howisitpossiblethathypnotherapycanbesopowerful?

Becauseitdealswithfundamentalbeliefs. Supposedlystoredinwhatwecallthesubconscious(or

unconsciousinEngland)thesebeliefsarewhatguideusinoureverydayliving.Changethesebeliefs

andyouchangeyourlife.

17.Canhypnotherapycurecancer?

Therearehypnotherapistswhomakesuchclaims.Whilesomeremarkablephysicaleffectsof

hypnotherapyarepossible,theactualcuringofdiseasessuchascanceranddiabetesseemstobea

somewhatoutlandishclaim,nottomention,probablyillegalinmostjurisdictions.However,hypnosis,its

imitatorsandderivatives,arecertainlypowerfulinhelpingsickpeopleberelaxedandtoleadless

despairinglives.

18.Howcanhypnotherapyhelpaterminallyillpersonfocushermindwhenshehaslittletimeleft

andmightbesufferingfromnauseaandpain?

Hypnotherapistswhospecializeinpaincontrolsaythatthefocusingmaybeginfirstonthepain.

Alleviationofsomediscomforthelpstheclientfeelshestillhassomecontrol.Then,whenshesready,

sheexercisestheultimateinselfcontrol:lettinggo.


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19.Wouldn'tsuchclientshaveadifficulttimereachingsomnambulismwhileundertheinfluenceof

morphine,forinstance?

Somnambulismistheconceptofaverydeeplevelofhypnosisthatsomepractitionersconsider

mandatoryifaclientistosuccessfullyachievechange. SinceIconsiderthistobeabelief,ratherthana

fact,my

answer

is

that

reaching

somnambulism

only

matters

to

the

therapist?

Morphinemightmakeiteasierforapatienttoutilizehypnosisafterall,sheisalreadyrelaxed. Imnot

awareofanystudiesonthis,soIamnotgivingadefinitiveanswer.

20. IsittruethatIwontrememberanythingthatwentonduringthehypnotherapysession?

No. Onthecontrary,youwillremembereverythingyouwanttoremember.Unless:yourequesta

suggestionforamnesia,youchoosenottoremember,oryouspontaneouslyforget.

21.WhywouldIspontaneouslyforget?

Eitherbecause

your

subconscious

considers

you

are

not

yet

ready

to

consciously

face

whatever

you

weredealingwithduringthesession,orbecauseyouareoneoftheestimated3%ofthepopulation

whoenjoysuchahightalentforhypnosisthatamnesiaoccursautomatically.

Evenforthesefortunatepeople(sometimesknownassomnambules)afewverbalhintswillsufficeto

activaterecall.

22.Whatisthehiddenobserver?

SomethingwithinyourbrainthatErnestHilgard,scientistandhypnosisresearcher,postulatesisalways

therekeepinganeyeout,sotospeak,tokeepyousafe. Itsthereasonsomnambulescanrecallwhat

wenton

when

prompted

to

do

so.

23. Ishypnotherapysimplyaplacebo?

No. Butaswithalltherapies,placeboplaysalargepart.(Perhapsmorethan50%,claimsErnestRossi,

psychologist).

Religion

1. IshypnosiscompatiblewithChristianity?

Some

Christian

fundamentalists

frown

upon

the

use

of

hypnosis.

They

believe

hypnosis

is

a

tool

of

the

Devil;thathypnosisopensyouuptoaccessbyevilspirits.

MainstreamChristiangroupshavenosuchqualms. Indeed,somenotonlyusehypnosisinatherapeutic

mannerbuthavetheirownassociations.


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2. IshypnosismentionedintheBible?

Perhaps.Somepeoplethinkhypnosisisreferredtohere:Genesis2:21,1Samuel26:12,Job4:13,33:15,

Acts10:10.

3. Doorganizedreligionsusehypnotictechniques?

Yes. Fromprayertomusictoritualprocessiontorepetitivechantstoaweinspiringbuildings,religions

benefitfromtechniquesthatcouldbeconsideredhypnotic.Someoftheseare:suspensionofdisbelief

inculcationofnewbeliefsrepetitionthroughsermonssingingorchantingritualstoreinforcebeliefs

repetitivedrummingordancing.

StageHypnosis

1. Onstage,surelythehypnotistisincontrol?

He(andoccasionally,she)deliberatelygivesthatimpression.

However,theonlycontrolthestagehypnotisthasiswhateveramountthevolunteersgive.Theyare

cooperatingwithhissuggestions,allowingthemselvestohavefunandtheycanexithypnosisanytime

theychoose.

2. Arethepeopleonstagereallyhypnotized?

Yes,ofcourse.

3.

Why

does

the

stage

hypnotist

say

Sleep!

?

Seemstobeaholdoverfromearliertimeswhenpeoplethoughthypnosiswasatypeofsleep. Alsoin

thosedays,allhypnosisinteraction(stageandtherapeutic)wasauthoritarian.Today,audiencesexpect

thisapproachbystagehypnotists.

The#1QuestionThatIGet

Thewordingvariesbutthe#1QuestionIvebeenaskedis:

1.

Canhypnosis

help

me

forget

someone?

Possibly. Oftentheenquirerwantstobeabletoforgetaformerlover,atraumaticeventoranobsessive

thought.

Whatiscertainisthatthedamagingemotionsaroundanevent,personorpersistentthoughtcanbe

minimizedoreveneliminatedwithhypnotherapy.


19/19

19

Cuttingthecords(orthetiesthatbind)isatechniquethathypnotherapistsoftenusetofreeaperson

fromadisturbingmemory.

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