Note: I did not write this but found it on my hard drive so I can't tell you where I got it. I thought you might find it interesting.
What does it feel like to experience hypnosis? Here is a list of possible reactions you may have while in the trance state:
1. Physical relaxation
2. Fluttering of eyelids when entering and coming out of hypnosis
3. Mental relaxation
4. General feeling of drowsiness as if ready to dose
5. Eyelids heavy (extreme effort to raise them)
6. Eyes smarting and or tearing (remove contacts; they create dryness)
7. Eyelids locked together; unable to open
8. Jaws muscles relaxed
9. Teeth unclenched
10. Tongue loose and natural. When tense, the tongue goes higher.
11. Dryness in mouth
12. Moisture at corners of mouth
13. Desire to swallow
14. Desire to scratch and itch, but not sure of doing it.
15. Twitching or jerking in any part of body.
16. Heavy feeling in any portion or entire body
17. Desire to laugh, smile, gigle, or cry
18. Lack of desire to open eyes (relaxation feels so good)
19. Body warmth or chill
20. Feel personal freedom, carefree or uninhabited
21. Sexual/sensual stimulation or awareness
22. Time distortion (minutes seem like hours and vice versa)
23. Voice sounds like fading in and out
24. Letting go as if fallen asleep
25. Occasional involuntary sigh
26. Feeling of lightness
27. Feeling of floating
28. Partial body detachment as if part of the body is not there
“The most profoundly anchored hypnotic state we know is the human personality.”
Questions:
What is it?
Hypnosis is a normal natural state of being, which each of us experiences, many times each day during which we are able to experience thoughts and images as if they were real. For instance, when we find that we have been lost in a book for several hours, when we drive home and cannot remember the journey clearly, or when we are engrossed in a film. The hypnotic state is one of heightened concentration and focused attention, often but not necessarily combined with deep relaxation. The hypnotherapist merely guides the client who uses his or her natural abilities such as concentration and imagination to enter the hypnotic state.
How will I feel when hypnotized?
For many people the hypnotic state does not feel much different to how they feel at other times. The individual is in general wide awake but extraordinarily focused on their internal experience and on the voice of the hypnotist. Whilst everybody experiences the hypnotic state in their own unique way, clients frequently report feelings of complete mental and physical relaxation. Bodily sensations may include any of the following: watery or fluttery eyes, changes in your breathing, warm or tingling feelings, in the limbs, small muscle jerks in the hands, feelings of heaviness or lightness, or feelings of floating above the chair or sinking into the chair. Most people are aware of and remember everything that happens during therapy.
Can anybody be hypnotised?
Yes, but only if they want to be. Although some people are more difficult to induce the hypnotic state in than others with practice anybody can enter the hypnotic state. Whilst the degree of trance experienced varies from person to person everyone can easily achieve light trance with training, which is all that is required for the majority of therapy sessions.
Could I get stuck in hypnosis?
No, hypnosis is a state of focused attention controlled by the client. Hence the client can terminate the experience at any time he chooses. If you were left in a trance state you would either return to full awareness on your own or enter a natural sleep and awaken after a short sleep.
Do I need to enter a deep trance for hypnotherapy to be effective?
No, most hypnotherapeutic work is done in light to medium trance. Moreover, levels of trance fluctuate during the hypnotic session. A person may be very deep at one minute and a few seconds later be almost wide awake. The levels of trance that any individual experiences will naturally vary both within and between sessions.
Can I be made to do something I do not want to do when in the hypnotic state?
No, when in the hypnotic state a person is aware of what is taking place and in control. If suggestions are made which go against a persons moral code, desires or nature, they will either ignore these suggestions or more frequently come instantly out of the hypnotic state. Control at all times remains with the hypnotized person. Although the therapist may make suggestions it is the clients own mind and body which do the healing. Each client has their own unique style of healing and it is the therapists job to help clients find their own healing capacity.
Stages of Hypnosis
Preparation
In the first session, the client and the hypnotherapist determine an achievable goal and establish a rapport. The first session has a more thorough preparation, and each session thereafter includes an evaluation and the desired outcome.
During the preparation, the hypnotherapist assesses the client's receptivity, suggestibility, and the possibility of achieving the desired outcome. The hypnotherapist must screen the client for factors that might make the client ineligible for hypnotherapy.
At this time, the hypnotherapist assesses the client's capacity to receive and act on posthypnotic suggestions. The hypnotherapist must understand what words, imagery, and symbols affect the client. It is important for the client to understand his or her own suggestibility, so that he or she can participate effectively with the hypnotherapist.
During the preparation, the hypnotherapist corrects any misconceptions or unrealistic expectations the client may have about hypnosis and clearly communicates what hypnosis can and cannot do. Once the hypnotherapist is satisfied that the client is ready for hypnosis, he or she reviews the stages of hypnosis, the purpose of the session and then begins the induction.
Induction
During induction, the hypnotherapist guides the client to narrowly focus his or her attention to the point that sensory impressions are blocked out. The client can then reach the state of complete relaxation necessary for hypnosis to occur. The hypnotherapist's office usually is quiet and dimly lit to create a relaxing atmosphere. The hypnotherapist chooses a particular method or combination of methods for induction based on the assessment of the client. An induction script may use different types of verbal and visual cues, including the following:
Use of authority — The hypnotherapist gives instructions in simple declarative sentences (e.g., "As I speak, you will relax.").
Guided visualization or imagery — The hypnotherapist suggests images or describes a scene for the patient (e.g., "Let your mind drift to a calm and peaceful place. See the wind blowing through the trees, the flowers in the meadow.").
Quiet music or rhythm — The hypnotherapist speaks in a steady, evenly paced rhythm without varying voice tone. Sometimes the therapist will play music in the background.
Repetition of words or sounds — The therapist repeats key words or sounds (e.g., "Breathe in deeply . . . ", " As you breathe in . . . ").
Emotional cues or probes — A hypnotherapy session may be used to gather more information about painful experiences or to help patients cope with difficult emotions. The therapist will integrate the inquiries or instructions into the induction script (e.g., "You are in control and will choose to experience or ignore any suggestions during the session.").
Analogies, metaphors, and associative statements — The hypnotherapist will use comparisons to familiar experiences or images to help clients achieve physical relaxation (e.g., "Your legs are sinking into the couch, heavy as logs." "Feel your body, heavy and relaxed, being supported by the tree behind you, the ground beneath you.").
Clients do not always readily accept suggestions. The hypnotherapist is alert to any sign of negative reactions or abreactions that may occur during the induction. The hypnotherapist guides the client through these feelings or, if necessary, rewords the suggestion during a later session. An abreaction can present itself as a yawn, a frown, a scratch, or as some kind of movement in the hand or foot.
On occasion, clients might feel somewhat disoriented, or in rare instances, nauseous. Stopping the induction can usually relieve these effects, or they may disappear as the hypnotic state deepens. After the induction, some people report feeling different physical sensations (e.g. tingly, heavy, floating); others feel nothing unusual at all.
Deepening
Next, the hypnotherapist uses deepening techniques to enhance the hypnotic stage. These can include simply continuing the chosen induction, changing to another type, or talking directly to the client.
There are three levels of hypnotic states:
Hypnoidal — a light stage of hypnosis, characterized by fluttering eye movements/LI>
Cataleptic — a deeper state, characterized by side-to-side eye movements
Somnambulistic — the deepest state, characterized by the eyes rolling up
The somnambulistic level has three levels. The first two involve a kind of amnesia, that is, the client receives posthypnotic suggestions on a subconscious level and may not remember hearing them. The third level of somnambulism is so deep that a person in this state can undergo major surgery without anesthesia.
For sessions focused on self-improvement or changing unwanted habits, the hypnoidal and cataleptic states are adequate; however, better results can be achieved if the client enters into the cataleptic state.
A posthypnotic suggestion is made during the utilization stage. The posthypnotic suggestion is a verbalized statement of the desired outcome. If taken in and acted upon, the suggestion affects behavior after the client has emerged from hypnosis and returned to regular daily activities. The posthypnotic suggestion is the key to achieving the client's goal.
As long as they are clear and specific in describing the goal, post-hypnotic suggestions can be visual, auditory. Only positive suggestions based on the client's suggestibility effectively change behavior. For example, the hypnotherapist might suggest that when a client finds him- or herself in a usually stressful situation, they won't desire a cigarette.
An abreaction, such as a frown or shift in posture, may occur when the suggestion is made. Repeating the suggestion, rewording it, or choosing a different type of suggestion may help the client become more receptive.
By repeating the suggestion to the client in each session, a new conditioned response may be achieved. The repeated chosen key words in the suggestion become associated with the desired outcome. If the client successfully receives the suggestion, he or she will begin to formulate internal processes (emotions, visualizations, or dialogues), which will help to achieve the desired outcome.
After the posthypnotic suggestion has been introduced and developed, the hypnotherapist leads the client into the termination stage.
Termination
Termination is the slow, gradual return to consciousness. Just prior to ending the hypnotic state, the hypnotherapist often repeats that the client is in control of his or her body and mind, and has been in control throughout the session. Several termination techniques may be used; the best known is counting backwards followed by the authoritative command "Wake up."
Misconception
There is only one correct way to enter a hypnotic state.Each person experiences hypnosis differently because each person's mind processes information uniquely. People experience time and physical sensations differently. Some hear and remember every word from the session, while others remember only parts of what the hypnotherapist said. Some people report having very vivid images, others have vague images. Some people experience nothing unusual at all.
How Hypnosis Works
Researchers are not certain how exactly hypnosis works. Some argue that the hypnotic state results from physiological mechanisms, and others maintain that it results from psychological mechanisms. Others suggest that both processes are involved in inducing the hypnotic state.
Brain-wave activity has been associated with hypnotic states. There are four types of brain waves, each of which corresponds to certain mental functions.
Beta waves — normal waking consciousness; cognitive processes (reasoning, critical thinking, general perception of surroundings
Alpha waves — concentrated relaxation, meditation, hypnosis; the subconscious
Theta waves — deep meditation and some hypnotic states; seat of emotion; the subconscious
Delta waves — unconsciousness
People more easily and readily accept posthypnotic suggestions during alpha-wave activity.
Those who support the theory that hypnosis relies on psychological mechanisms believe that the usual critical state of the conscious mind is temporarily suspended and that a more passive state of mind is created. When the hypnotist communicates images of the desired goal or makes a posthypnotic suggestion, the client passively receives and acts on the information.
Because hypnosis succeeds only with the active participation of the client, some suggest that its effect is brought about by the client (i.e., all hypnosis is really self-hypnosis) and has little to do with any physiologic effects (brain-wave activity) of the hypnotic state.
After Effects
After hypnosis, most people feel calm and may experience time distortion. In time distortion, the client may feel that half an hour has passed when in fact only 10 minutes have passed, or the client may feel the reverse, that only 5 minutes have gone by when 20 minutes have passed. Less commonly, people experience drowsiness.
People remember most, if not all, of the session. How or when post-hypnotic suggestions will be carried out varies from client to client. The effect may take place days or weeks later, or may occur when the exact situation presents itself.
What does it feel like to experience hypnosis? Here is a list of possible reactions you may have while in the trance state:
1. Physical relaxation
2. Fluttering of eyelids when entering and coming out of hypnosis
3. Mental relaxation
4. General feeling of drowsiness as if ready to dose
5. Eyelids heavy (extreme effort to raise them)
6. Eyes smarting and or tearing (remove contacts; they create dryness)
7. Eyelids locked together; unable to open
8. Jaws muscles relaxed
9. Teeth unclenched
10. Tongue loose and natural. When tense, the tongue goes higher.
11. Dryness in mouth
12. Moisture at corners of mouth
13. Desire to swallow
14. Desire to scratch and itch, but not sure of doing it.
15. Twitching or jerking in any part of body.
16. Heavy feeling in any portion or entire body
17. Desire to laugh, smile, gigle, or cry
18. Lack of desire to open eyes (relaxation feels so good)
19. Body warmth or chill
20. Feel personal freedom, carefree or uninhabited
21. Sexual/sensual stimulation or awareness
22. Time distortion (minutes seem like hours and vice versa)
23. Voice sounds like fading in and out
24. Letting go as if fallen asleep
25. Occasional involuntary sigh
26. Feeling of lightness
27. Feeling of floating
28. Partial body detachment as if part of the body is not there
“The most profoundly anchored hypnotic state we know is the human personality.”
Questions:
What is it?
Hypnosis is a normal natural state of being, which each of us experiences, many times each day during which we are able to experience thoughts and images as if they were real. For instance, when we find that we have been lost in a book for several hours, when we drive home and cannot remember the journey clearly, or when we are engrossed in a film. The hypnotic state is one of heightened concentration and focused attention, often but not necessarily combined with deep relaxation. The hypnotherapist merely guides the client who uses his or her natural abilities such as concentration and imagination to enter the hypnotic state.
How will I feel when hypnotized?
For many people the hypnotic state does not feel much different to how they feel at other times. The individual is in general wide awake but extraordinarily focused on their internal experience and on the voice of the hypnotist. Whilst everybody experiences the hypnotic state in their own unique way, clients frequently report feelings of complete mental and physical relaxation. Bodily sensations may include any of the following: watery or fluttery eyes, changes in your breathing, warm or tingling feelings, in the limbs, small muscle jerks in the hands, feelings of heaviness or lightness, or feelings of floating above the chair or sinking into the chair. Most people are aware of and remember everything that happens during therapy.
Can anybody be hypnotised?
Yes, but only if they want to be. Although some people are more difficult to induce the hypnotic state in than others with practice anybody can enter the hypnotic state. Whilst the degree of trance experienced varies from person to person everyone can easily achieve light trance with training, which is all that is required for the majority of therapy sessions.
Could I get stuck in hypnosis?
No, hypnosis is a state of focused attention controlled by the client. Hence the client can terminate the experience at any time he chooses. If you were left in a trance state you would either return to full awareness on your own or enter a natural sleep and awaken after a short sleep.
Do I need to enter a deep trance for hypnotherapy to be effective?
No, most hypnotherapeutic work is done in light to medium trance. Moreover, levels of trance fluctuate during the hypnotic session. A person may be very deep at one minute and a few seconds later be almost wide awake. The levels of trance that any individual experiences will naturally vary both within and between sessions.
Can I be made to do something I do not want to do when in the hypnotic state?
No, when in the hypnotic state a person is aware of what is taking place and in control. If suggestions are made which go against a persons moral code, desires or nature, they will either ignore these suggestions or more frequently come instantly out of the hypnotic state. Control at all times remains with the hypnotized person. Although the therapist may make suggestions it is the clients own mind and body which do the healing. Each client has their own unique style of healing and it is the therapists job to help clients find their own healing capacity.
Stages of Hypnosis
Preparation
In the first session, the client and the hypnotherapist determine an achievable goal and establish a rapport. The first session has a more thorough preparation, and each session thereafter includes an evaluation and the desired outcome.
During the preparation, the hypnotherapist assesses the client's receptivity, suggestibility, and the possibility of achieving the desired outcome. The hypnotherapist must screen the client for factors that might make the client ineligible for hypnotherapy.
At this time, the hypnotherapist assesses the client's capacity to receive and act on posthypnotic suggestions. The hypnotherapist must understand what words, imagery, and symbols affect the client. It is important for the client to understand his or her own suggestibility, so that he or she can participate effectively with the hypnotherapist.
During the preparation, the hypnotherapist corrects any misconceptions or unrealistic expectations the client may have about hypnosis and clearly communicates what hypnosis can and cannot do. Once the hypnotherapist is satisfied that the client is ready for hypnosis, he or she reviews the stages of hypnosis, the purpose of the session and then begins the induction.
Induction
During induction, the hypnotherapist guides the client to narrowly focus his or her attention to the point that sensory impressions are blocked out. The client can then reach the state of complete relaxation necessary for hypnosis to occur. The hypnotherapist's office usually is quiet and dimly lit to create a relaxing atmosphere. The hypnotherapist chooses a particular method or combination of methods for induction based on the assessment of the client. An induction script may use different types of verbal and visual cues, including the following:
Use of authority — The hypnotherapist gives instructions in simple declarative sentences (e.g., "As I speak, you will relax.").
Guided visualization or imagery — The hypnotherapist suggests images or describes a scene for the patient (e.g., "Let your mind drift to a calm and peaceful place. See the wind blowing through the trees, the flowers in the meadow.").
Quiet music or rhythm — The hypnotherapist speaks in a steady, evenly paced rhythm without varying voice tone. Sometimes the therapist will play music in the background.
Repetition of words or sounds — The therapist repeats key words or sounds (e.g., "Breathe in deeply . . . ", " As you breathe in . . . ").
Emotional cues or probes — A hypnotherapy session may be used to gather more information about painful experiences or to help patients cope with difficult emotions. The therapist will integrate the inquiries or instructions into the induction script (e.g., "You are in control and will choose to experience or ignore any suggestions during the session.").
Analogies, metaphors, and associative statements — The hypnotherapist will use comparisons to familiar experiences or images to help clients achieve physical relaxation (e.g., "Your legs are sinking into the couch, heavy as logs." "Feel your body, heavy and relaxed, being supported by the tree behind you, the ground beneath you.").
Clients do not always readily accept suggestions. The hypnotherapist is alert to any sign of negative reactions or abreactions that may occur during the induction. The hypnotherapist guides the client through these feelings or, if necessary, rewords the suggestion during a later session. An abreaction can present itself as a yawn, a frown, a scratch, or as some kind of movement in the hand or foot.
On occasion, clients might feel somewhat disoriented, or in rare instances, nauseous. Stopping the induction can usually relieve these effects, or they may disappear as the hypnotic state deepens. After the induction, some people report feeling different physical sensations (e.g. tingly, heavy, floating); others feel nothing unusual at all.
Deepening
Next, the hypnotherapist uses deepening techniques to enhance the hypnotic stage. These can include simply continuing the chosen induction, changing to another type, or talking directly to the client.
There are three levels of hypnotic states:
Hypnoidal — a light stage of hypnosis, characterized by fluttering eye movements/LI>
Cataleptic — a deeper state, characterized by side-to-side eye movements
Somnambulistic — the deepest state, characterized by the eyes rolling up
The somnambulistic level has three levels. The first two involve a kind of amnesia, that is, the client receives posthypnotic suggestions on a subconscious level and may not remember hearing them. The third level of somnambulism is so deep that a person in this state can undergo major surgery without anesthesia.
For sessions focused on self-improvement or changing unwanted habits, the hypnoidal and cataleptic states are adequate; however, better results can be achieved if the client enters into the cataleptic state.
Before moving on to the utilization stage, the hypnotherapist must be sure that the client is in a hypnotic state and ready to receive posthypnotic suggestions. There are several observable indicators of the hypnotic state:
- Lack of body movement, stillness
- Pallid, waxen complexion
- Rapid eye movements, eyelid fluttering
- Redness around the eyes
- Relaxed posture, slumping
- Slowed breathing
- Swallowing, gulping
- Water or tears in the eyes
A posthypnotic suggestion is made during the utilization stage. The posthypnotic suggestion is a verbalized statement of the desired outcome. If taken in and acted upon, the suggestion affects behavior after the client has emerged from hypnosis and returned to regular daily activities. The posthypnotic suggestion is the key to achieving the client's goal.
As long as they are clear and specific in describing the goal, post-hypnotic suggestions can be visual, auditory. Only positive suggestions based on the client's suggestibility effectively change behavior. For example, the hypnotherapist might suggest that when a client finds him- or herself in a usually stressful situation, they won't desire a cigarette.
An abreaction, such as a frown or shift in posture, may occur when the suggestion is made. Repeating the suggestion, rewording it, or choosing a different type of suggestion may help the client become more receptive.
By repeating the suggestion to the client in each session, a new conditioned response may be achieved. The repeated chosen key words in the suggestion become associated with the desired outcome. If the client successfully receives the suggestion, he or she will begin to formulate internal processes (emotions, visualizations, or dialogues), which will help to achieve the desired outcome.
After the posthypnotic suggestion has been introduced and developed, the hypnotherapist leads the client into the termination stage.
Termination
Termination is the slow, gradual return to consciousness. Just prior to ending the hypnotic state, the hypnotherapist often repeats that the client is in control of his or her body and mind, and has been in control throughout the session. Several termination techniques may be used; the best known is counting backwards followed by the authoritative command "Wake up."
Misconception
There is only one correct way to enter a hypnotic state.Each person experiences hypnosis differently because each person's mind processes information uniquely. People experience time and physical sensations differently. Some hear and remember every word from the session, while others remember only parts of what the hypnotherapist said. Some people report having very vivid images, others have vague images. Some people experience nothing unusual at all.
How Hypnosis Works
Researchers are not certain how exactly hypnosis works. Some argue that the hypnotic state results from physiological mechanisms, and others maintain that it results from psychological mechanisms. Others suggest that both processes are involved in inducing the hypnotic state.
Brain-wave activity has been associated with hypnotic states. There are four types of brain waves, each of which corresponds to certain mental functions.
Beta waves — normal waking consciousness; cognitive processes (reasoning, critical thinking, general perception of surroundings
Alpha waves — concentrated relaxation, meditation, hypnosis; the subconscious
Theta waves — deep meditation and some hypnotic states; seat of emotion; the subconscious
Delta waves — unconsciousness
People more easily and readily accept posthypnotic suggestions during alpha-wave activity.
Those who support the theory that hypnosis relies on psychological mechanisms believe that the usual critical state of the conscious mind is temporarily suspended and that a more passive state of mind is created. When the hypnotist communicates images of the desired goal or makes a posthypnotic suggestion, the client passively receives and acts on the information.
Because hypnosis succeeds only with the active participation of the client, some suggest that its effect is brought about by the client (i.e., all hypnosis is really self-hypnosis) and has little to do with any physiologic effects (brain-wave activity) of the hypnotic state.
After Effects
After hypnosis, most people feel calm and may experience time distortion. In time distortion, the client may feel that half an hour has passed when in fact only 10 minutes have passed, or the client may feel the reverse, that only 5 minutes have gone by when 20 minutes have passed. Less commonly, people experience drowsiness.
People remember most, if not all, of the session. How or when post-hypnotic suggestions will be carried out varies from client to client. The effect may take place days or weeks later, or may occur when the exact situation presents itself.
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