Alan Richardson

The Truth about Hypnotism

Few things are more misunderstood than hypnotism and hypnotherapy.Most people get their understanding of hypnotism from movies and books,where the procedures and results are often exaggerated.Many think that people can be hypnotized against their will andmade to do terrible or embarrassing things.Nothing could be further from the truth. Hypnosis is a powerful,effective,and safe tool that can be used for such things as self improvement,losing weight or giving up smoking.

Our mind is controlled by both its conscious and sub-conscious parts.Our conscious mind is what we use for reasoning, making decisions,and judgments.Our sub-conscious mind automatically takes care of all of our bodily functions.It also contains our values,many of our memories,and it gives us the feelings of intuition that we often have.The conscious mind acts as a barrier to the sub-conscious,which is where hypnosis comes in.

Hypnotism is simply an enhanced state of relaxation.It allows the conscious mind to relax so the sub-conscious mind can take in knowledge and understanding.Because the sub-conscious mind is open to taking in new information,hypnotherapy is ideal for helping people give up addictions such as smoking,lose weight,or make strides toward self improvement.

In a typical hypnosis session,the patient sits in a chair and closes his eyes.The therapist begins with some relaxation techniques, such as asking the patient to imagine a wonderful,peaceful place. Hypnotherapy continues as the therapist encourages the patient to go to the peaceful place by way of a long,descending stairway,each step bringing the patient closer to his special place.As the patient descendsthe stairs in his mind,he begins to relax and each step heightens his relaxation.

Once the patient is totally relaxed,hypnotherapy can begin.The therapist offers suggestions and advice on the problem facing the patient,and this advice can be taken in and absorbed without the conscious mind standing in the way and putting up roadblocks. Throughout the hypnosis session,the patient is totally aware of what is happening,and he will usually end the session feeling very relaxed and more confident about solving his problem.

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