| Hypnosis is a state
of focused attention. It is like using
a magnifying glass to focus the rays of the sun and
make them more powerful. Similarly, when our minds are
focused, we are able to use our minds
more powerfully. The definition of
hypnosis is "Hypnosis is the bypass of the critical
factor of the conscious mind to establish acceptable,
selective thinking, thoughts, ideas and concepts".
Everyone has experienced a trance many times, but we
don’t usually call it hypnosis. All of us have
been so absorbed in thought ––while reading
a book, or riding the bus to work–– that
we fail to notice what is happening around us. While
we were zoned out, another level of consciousness, which
we refer to as our unconscious mind, took over. These
are very focused states of attention similar to hypnosis.
Clinical hypnosis essentially does three things:
1) It encourages the use of imagination. Mental imagery
is very powerful, especially in a focused state of attention.
The mind seems capable of using imagery, even if it
is only symbolic, to assist us in bringing about the
things we are imagining. For example, a patient with
ulcerative colitis may be asked to imagine what her
distressed colon looks like. If she imagines it as being
like a tunnel, with very red, inflamed walls that are
rough in texture, the patient may be encouraged in hypnosis
(and in self-hypnosis) to imagine this image changing
to a healthy one.
2) Another basic hypnotic method is to present ideas
or positive suggestions to the patient. In a state of
concentrated attention, ideas and positive suggestions
that are compatible with what the patient wants will
have a more powerful impact on the mind.
3) Hypnosis may be used for unconscious exploration,
to better understand underlying motivations or identify
whether past events or experiences are associated with
causing a problem. Hypnosis avoids the critical factor
of the conscious mind, which often defeats what we know
to be in our best interests.
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