Nearly everyone has experienced a trance like state though they might not have considered it hypnosis. Most of us have caught ourselves daydreaming and not noticed routine things happening around us? For instance, have you ever been absorbed in reading a book and not heard someone close by speak your name? Have you ever been engrossed in a project and stunned that an hour or two had passed?

Perhaps you have been driving on a freeway, absorbed in your thoughts, and missed your turn off; the same turn off you’ve taken a hundred times before. Situations such as these are common. Let's take a look at what makes an occurrence like the ones above possible.

In a psychological sense, you have three minds: 1) Conscious 2) Subconscious 3) Un-conscious. We’re most familiar with the conscious and unconscious. The conscious mind is the mechanism in the brain that is aware. The unconscious mind takes care of the autonomic system, such as regulating hormones, body temperature, and secreting adrenaline if our survival is threatening. Between the conscious and unconscious is the subconscious—which forms a bridge to each. When our conscious mind learns something well—what we call “committed to memory,” that learning is placed in the subconscious, to free the conscious mind of clutter. An example of this is walking. You don’t “think” about where you’re placing your foot, your balance or obstacles along the way. The process “just happens.”

Everything you have learned well is stored in the part of your mind known as the sub-conscious mind. For example, a few years after you learn to drive, this skill is stored in your subconscious. As you begin your journey, you get in your car, maneuver out onto the highway, and reach the motorway to join the flow of traffic, and reach a consistent speed. You may become so engrossed in thoughts that you no longer become aware of the engine noise, bumps in the road, turning the steering wheel, or applying extra pressure to the gas pedal. You may even arrive at you’re destination and wonder how you got there so quickly. An hour drive “seems” like fifteen minutes. Because the knowledge required for driving exists in your subconscious, your conscious mind could drift off, no longer “needed” and allow your subconscious to become more active (take over).

Driving is only one habitual activity. Whenever you do anything automatic, your con-scious mind is diverted to your subconscious and you are more likely to go into a re-laxed (hypnotic) state. This is what happens when you daydream while eating or driving? Are you aware of putting the food on your fork, lifting it to your mouth, breaking down the rations by chewing, and emptying the mouth by swallowing? Probably not.

The main differences between “relaxed” states and hypnosis are specific motivation and suggestions toward an objective. Hypnosis channels the relaxed state to achieve some desired result.

It is common for people to disbelieve that they have been hypnotized for the first time or two. The reason is that the hypnotic state is not a completely unique feeling.

Hypnosis is not a form of sleep though a person in a hypnotic state often appears to be asleep but actually the opposite is true.

Hypnosis has been given various definitions. Since no one has discovered exactly how it works, we can only describe its effects. Here is a definition that seems to ex-plain the effects of the phenomenon:

Hypnosis is a state of mind in which suggestions are acted upon much more powerfully than is possible under normal waking conditions. While in hypnosis, we suppress the power of conscious criticism. Our focus of attention is narrower and our level of awareness on a focal point is much higher than if we were awake. During this heightened focus and aware-ness, suggestions appear to go directly into the subconscious mind.

Nearly all scientists and researchers in this topic recognize that the relaxed state (altered consciousness) we call hypnosis has special qualities. In it, you can control areas of your self that are normally out of the reach when using your conscious mind.

If you doubt this, sit down and passively but consciously try to slow your heart rate or raise the temperature of your hand a degree or two. These are examples of internal changes that are normally out of your conscious control. Yet, while in hypnosis, you can make both of those changes. One can change chemical, physical, psychological, and emotional parts of oneself.

Many people think there is a difference between hypnosis guided by a hypnotherapist and that of self-hypnosis. All hypnosis is really self-hypnosis. A hypnotherapist may help you to develop the altered state of consciousness more quickly, but you are always in control. It is your hypnosis, and you can open your eyes and break the trance if you really want to! For instance, if you were in a deep hypnotic trance and somebody yelled “fire!” you would snap out of the trance instantly. Your conscious mind is resting, not on a vacation. It is still aware and ready to respond to any emergency. Most of you have been awakened to the sound of a siren, but have slept through a lightening storm. Your subconscious reviewed the input and decided when to stay dormant and when to communicate, “Possible problem, awake up!”

That may seem contrary to what you've heard or read. Stories, films, and stage shows are poor teachers of what hypnosis is really about. Hypnosis has long been associated with the strange and mysterious, with sideshows and faith healers. They've given hypnosis an edgy mystique, which it does not deserve. This mystique has clouded the true value of hypnosis as a tool for making important positive changes. The truth is that hypnosis isn't the least bit mysterious or supernatural. The hypnotic state is natural for all humans and many animals, the domestic cat being a good example. In fact, you have been in a hypnotic state literally thousands of times. You didn't notice it because it seemed such a natural state of mind. You enter a hypnotic state as you fall asleep and before you awake in the morning. Brain wave measurements show this to be true. Beautiful music can shift us into an altered state, as can a beautiful sunset. It’s a natural ability that can be amplified and focused for human happiness.

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