Hypnosis is a very natural state which all of us have experienced at one time or another. The hypnotic state (what scientists call the Alpha state) is the transitional state between the waking state (Beta state) and the sleeping state (Theta state). The Alpha state is a corridor to the subconscious mind. In the Alpha state, one’s stress hormones decrease and one is more open to positive and beneficial suggestions. Hypnosis can be an amazingly effective tool to achieve more of the potential that we all possess. It can be used to improve a person’s general functioning, making a dramatic difference in lifestyle, success, and feeling of well-being.
Hypnosis is not sleep, loss of consciousness, or loss of control to another person. It will not manipulate you to act against your religious, moral or political values. It is a shift in consciousness that increases awareness and heightens therapeutic suggestibility. People are often surprised to find that when using hypnosis, they remember everything that is said, as well as everything that happens.
If you choose to use hypnosis, you will be in control at all times, and cannot be induced to do or say something that you do not otherwise want to do or say. Perhaps the best definition of hypnosis is “a heightened state of focal awareness or absorption”. When we use hypnosis, we are inducing what is called a trance — a naturally occurring phenomenon that many people experience frequently. It is much like daydreaming. It is a state we enter into many times throughout the day… when reading, watching television, driving a car, or meditating.