The definition of hypnosis is not clear-cut. Certainly, relaxation and deep breathing are essential aspects of hypnosis. Yet, neither relaxation nor deep breathing alone can be defined as hypnosis.  Unfortunately, hypnosis has been lumped in with various forms of esoterica and the occult.

So, if we know what hypnosis is NOT, then perhaps we can very simply define it in the following way:

Hypnosis is a process that allows us to experience thoughts and images as real, but not to behave as if they were real.

Have you ever experienced a thought or image as real? For example, have you ever become so involved in a movie that you experienced parts of it as real? The quality of reality is reflected in the intensity of your emotional reaction; your heart beats faster as your body moves in sympathy with what is happening on the screen. You are totally absorbed in the character’s feelings and emotions.  On the other hand, if you’re watching a bad movie and could care less about the character, you feel detached and are completely aware that you are in a theater watching a movie. Your attention is easily distracted away from the film; the theater is too cold, the person in front of you is crunching popcorn, someone else is texting on his cell phone, and so on. You are not experiencing the film. Your mind wanders and you can’t wait for the movie to end.

The example of a moving and absorbing performance is useful in understanding hypnosis. It presents the potentially frightening reality issue in the context of what Coleridge called, “the willing suspension of disbelief for the moment.” Involvement with a performance is clearly voluntary and temporary; when it is over, we get up, leave the theater, and go on with our lives.

The conditions for an optimum hypnotic experience are:

1. Active concentration; focusing attention on a thought or image for a specific period of time.
2. A willingness to be receptive and to respond, and feeling comfortable with the response itself.
3. An absence of external or internal interference, such as noise, self-consciousness, and skepticism.

Have you ever had your thoughts influenced by a person, place, or action?

Throughout the day, you’re constantly exposed to suggestions which you readily accept. You’re bombarded by advertisements, commercials, and sales pitches everywhere you go. You’re pretty much immune to these suggestions as your conscious mind simply “tunes” them out. Therefore, you’re almost always in a state of hypnosis.

THE CONSCIOUS MIND:

Your conscious mind is now reading this message. It’s the part of your mind that is totally aware of your surroundings and thoughts. All your decisions and choices are dictated by your conscious mind. It analyzes data and functions in the present moment. The conscious mind also controls the way your short-term memory functions. It “remembers” where you left your briefcase, your jacket, your cell phone. Finally, it helps you exercise willpower. You “consciously” tell yourself to exercise, to stop smoking, to be happy.

The problem with “willpower” is that it only works in the short term. If you want to change long-term habits, you need a more effective method than relying on your conscious mind. In time, the programming in your subconscious mind will overcome your willpower.

THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND:

The subconscious mind is much more powerful than the conscious mind, and accounts for about 90% to 95% of our mind. The subconscious mind can be compared to a computer that stores data for all the experiences we’ve ever had. The subconscious mind does not analyze or rationalize. It simply accepts all data without question. It’s an open and unquestioning pathway. In fact, you communicate with your subconscious mind every time you dream.

The subconscious mind keeps everything you have ever learned in tact so you don’t have to relearn the same thing every day. The “critical factor” is a guard that lies between the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. Its job is to maintain the status quo. It doesn’t want you to change the programs in your subconscious mind. The critical factor compares new information with old and tosses out information that doesn’t match that which is already in place. It prefers information that reinforces the old programs.

However, on your conscious level, you realize that some of these programs (“old tapes”) simply do not benefit you. In fact, they may be holding you back and preventing you from living the life you want to live.

The question is: How do you bypass the critical factor and change the programs that are limiting you?

You can bypass the critical factor by using your conscious mind to create new habits. But, this is very difficult to accomplish because the conscious mind is small and weak, and not a match for the powerful and all-accepting subconscious mind.

Or, you can bypass the critical factor by placing your mind into a very relaxed and aware state through the process of hypnosis. It’s like “sweet talking” the guard at the gate so she will let you in. Some guards are tougher and harder to convince than other guards. However, when the guard falls asleep on-duty, as she is apt to do when you’re in a hypnotic state, you can “tell” your subconscious mind exactly what you would like to change, and it will accept your suggestion without question.

WHO CONTROLS YOU?

During hypnosis, you remain in complete control. When you hear, or mentally give yourself, a suggestion, it must first pass through the censor in your conscious mind. The conscious mind always analyzes and makes decisions, even during hypnosis. But, during hypnosis, when you tell yourself that you want to stop feeling depressed, or want to lose weight, or want to be more motivated, the suggestion goes directly to the subconscious mind without having to match that information with existing information. Why? Because the critical factor (guard) is taking a nap and will not intervene.

If a suggestion doesn’t align with your personal values, your conscious mind will toss out or simply ignore the suggestion. It will not be allowed to penetrate your subconscious mind. You are always in total control. You are your own guard and you decide which information stays and which gets thrown away.

Where to go from here:

• “The Thin Book : Hypnotherapy Trance Scripts for Weight Management”
• “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Hypnosis”
• American Psychological Association
• The American Board of Medical Hypnosis
• The American Board of Psychological Hypnosis