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Hypnosis, Hypnotism & Hypnotherapy


Hypnosis has a strong basis in scientific research. Researchers have demonstrated that Hypnosis is capable of producing dramatic, but reversible, changes to the way individuals experience themselves and their environments.

Hypnosis is a 'mental state' commonly induced by the use of a series of instructions or suggestions. Hypnotherapy is the act of sending somebody else into hypnosis. Hypnosis can also be induced by the individual themselves - a process known simply as 'self-hypnosis

What is Hypnosis?

 

The terms 'hypnosis' and 'hypnotism' derive from neuro-hypnotism, or nervous sleep, first used by Scottish surgeon James Braid in the mid-1800s.

New Definition of Hypnosis: The Division 30 Definition and Description of Hypnosis

"Hypnosis typically involves an introduction to the procedure during which the subject is told that suggestions for imaginative experiences will be presented. The hypnotic induction is an extended initial suggestion for using one's imagination, and may contain further elaborations of the introduction. A hypnotic procedure is used to encourage and evaluate responses to suggestions. When using hypnosis, one person (the subject) is guided by another (the hypnotist) to respond to suggestions for changes in subjective experience, alterations in perception, sensation, emotion, thought or behavior. Persons can also learn self-hypnosis, which is the act of administering hypnotic procedures on one's own. If the subject responds to hypnotic suggestions, it is generally inferred that hypnosis has been induced. Many believe that hypnotic responses and experiences are characteristic of a hypnotic state. While some think that it is not necessary to use the word "hypnosis" as part of the hypnotic induction, others view it as essential.

Details of hypnotic procedures and suggestions will differ depending on the goals of the practitioner and the purposes of the clinical or research endeavor. Procedures traditionally involve suggestions to relax, though relaxation is not necessary for hypnosis, and a wide variety of suggestions can be used including those to become more alert. Suggestions that permit the extent of hypnosis to be assessed by comparing responses to standardized scales can be used in both clinical and research settings. While the majority of individuals are responsive to at least some suggestions, scores on standardized scales range from high to negligible. Traditionally, scores are grouped into low, medium, and high categories. As is the case with other positively-scaled measures of psychological constructs such as attention and awareness, the salience of evidence for having achieved hypnosis increases with the individual's score".



Hypnosis has been demonstrated to be effective against a wide range of psychological problems including:

  • Self Esteem
  • Fear & phobias
  • Smoking addiction
  • Weight Loss
  • Assertiveness
  • Confidence
  • Motivation
  • Performance anxiety
  • Anger
  • Obsessive thoughts
  • Depression

Sources of additional information

 
Website Links

Hypnosis Blog
Hypnosis on Wikipedia


 


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