Preparing the ground
Hypnotists constantly hear a subject contend that he or she "was
not under hypnosis because..."
To eliminate some of these rather irritating "be causes", let us
discuss some questions in order to clarify the experience.
Will I Lose Consciousness?
No matter how deep you go under hypnosis you will never lose
consciousness. People who have ever awakened during the night to
go
to the bathroom and claimed the next morning that they did not
remember doing it have (a) passed from sleep to hypnosis and (b)
had themselves a slight case of amnesia without ever taking
notice
of it.
Hypnosis is actually a facsimile of a natural sleep, but
somewhat
different because under hypnosis, you may actually witness your
own
"sleep". Subjects have been known to remark that "I heard myself
snoring."
So do not expect to lose consciousness, to go out of this world,
or
to experience some extraordinary bit of sensorial or
emotional,
bizarre condition.
The common perception of losing consciousness is largely
perpetuated by Stage Hypnosis programs (nowadays a rage on
television). But consider this: When the stage hypnotist
suggests
to his subject that "He is out in the Tropics, where it is 100
degrees and ...", the subject, who everyone believes to be
"asleep", begins to perspire and proceeds to take off his coat.
He
must have "heard" the suggestion and, therefore was not asleep.
He
was hypnotized, but not asleep.
I repeat: Hypnosis is a state of consciousness in which the
conscious mind is somehow bypassed and which elicits a facsimile
of
natural sleep, but the conscious mind still remains as a witness
to
the whole affair. So, do not expect to be asleep, when and as
you
go under hypnosis. Expect to be in a state of total relaxation,
reproducing most of the outer aspects of natural sleep; but you
will not be asleep.
Why did my mind keep wandering?
In hypnosis, your mind most likely will be wandering because it
is
natural for the mind to wander, such wandering being merely the
sub-vocal association of ideas, which is commonly called
Thinking.
So, if you find that your mind does wander during your
exercises,
just let it wander.
Maybe I was trying too hard?
The answer to that question has already been given a couple of
thousand years ago: "Who amongst you, can increase his stature
one
inch by his will?"
No amount of willing, of trying, of striving, of helping
yourself
toward obtaining the goal of each exercise will ever help you
one
iota. In fact, the more you try, the less you will succeed. The
only "trying" that is expected of you is to try and keep your
exercises regular.
If you want to demonstrate to yourself the futility of trying to
will an effect, if you want to settle the question for yourself
once and for all, the following "pencil experiment" will do it
for
you.
Hold a pencil between your right thumb and index finger. Hold
the
pencil tight, and now repeat to yourself, mentally: "I want to
drop
this pencil."
You could repeat that affirmation till doomsday and still be
unable
to drop that pencil. In order to drop it, you must first change
your thought to "I am dropping this pencil."
Level of consciousness is a term used to describe a person's awareness and understanding of what is happening in his or her surroundings. They all represent the state of mind. Let's find out what Levels of Consciousness is all about.
Levels of Consciousness:
The levels of consciousness ran ge from being fully alert to being deeply asleep. They are mainly distinguished from each other by their brain wave frequency. It is also important to note that there
are no rigid boundaries separating them. Instead, the levels blend into each other, as is described below:
Level State of mind and body
Beta Full Consciousness (13-25 Cycles per second)
Alpha Twilight period between being asleep & being awake Hypnosis Meditation (8-12 Cycles per second)
Theta Deep hypnosis & Meditation (4-7 Cycles per second)
Delta Full Sleep (0.5-3 Cycles per second)
Beta is the state of total consciousness-the normal state. Alpha and Theta fall into the category of altered states of consciousness.
These are the states when behavior modifications are most likely to take place. Suggestions given in these states go directly into the subconscious mind without any interference from the analytical conscious mind. The subconscious has no power of reasoning and will accept the suggestions as they are, and will act upon them. So, where does Hypnosis fit in all this?
Hypnosis is one of the most effective tools to induce an altered state of consciousness. Suggestions can also be effective under normal consciousness (Beta level) but research has shown that they are over a hundred times more helpful under an altered state.
What are the other benefits of Hypnosis?
Almost 80% of physical and psychological problems are stress related. And, since relaxation forms the core of all hypnotic procedures, it enables us to exclude anxiety and tension from our normal thought cycles.
How does hypnosis compare with meditation & yoga?
All these processes involve physical relaxation and a narrowing of consciousness. In the case of Hypnosis, it is task or goal oriented, as we are mentally working on something (our desired goal). In meditation and yoga, on the other hand, consciousness is free-floating and it may lead to a greater sense of expanded awareness. Many mediators use hypnosis and one can slip from one state to another quite easily.
Today in the first part of the course you will learn what is
Hypnosis and Sub Conscious Mind and find out whether Hypnosis
Natural. This will give you a better understanding of what this
subject is all about before we step in the major part - Self
Hypnosis.
As promised I will give you a step-by-step guide to learning and
applying Self Hypnosis.
Introduction to Hypnosis
To the average man, 'Hypnosis' is a technique used only for
mysterious purposes, by people with strange skills and special
powers. Much of our perception and understanding of this science
is
a result of either wrong information, or absolutely no
information.
Today, the most common source for knowledge of this subject is
stage hypnosis programs.
Their primary purpose is to entertain and thereby make money,
and
therefore they don't seem to care about the importance of
presenting the true nature of this science. Personally, I am not
against this medium, but the sad part is that a lot many people
refrain from trying out hypnosis because of the fear generated
by
these programs.
Hypnosis is a highly scientific process to program the
subconscious
mind to achieve unlimited success in life. Under Hypnosis, the
mind
and body are deeply relaxed, and the barrier between the
conscious
and subconscious minds is removed, thereby felicitating a high
degree of communication between the two. In such a state, the
subconscious mind becomes highly receptive to positive
constructive
suggestions, thus assisting us in achieving greater success,
happiness and satisfaction.
Hypnosis employs the immense powers of the subconscious mind to
bring about the desired changes in our lives.
The subconscious mind does just what it is told to do, and in
the
process shapes our character and influences our behavior.
Children
are highly susceptible to external suggestions, because their
brain
functions primarily in the frequency range where the
subconscious
mind is exposed and unprotected. As a result, children who are
praised properly taught and encouraged to succeed, develop a
much
better quality of life and self-esteem. On the other hand,
children
who are constantly put down told they are stupid or ugly, and
criticized for everything they do, develop a poor, unhealthy
self-esteem.
A subject, which has often been misunderstood because of the
shroud
of mystery surrounding it, hypnosis is a science, which can be
of
immense value to us, in the area of Human potential development.
Acknowledged and approved as a legitimate therapeutic tool by
the
British Medical Association, the American Medical Association,
and
even the Vatican, hypnosis is widely used in the US, Europe, the
former Soviet bloc countries and other developed nations.
Practiced
by Doctors, Psychiatrists, Dentists, Gynecologists, Social
Workers
and Business persons in their professional lives, the powers of
hypnosis can also be employed by the general public for a number
of
purposes, from improving their health, to attaining their goals,
to
overcoming undesirable habits or phobias.
What is the Sub-Conscious Mind?
The human mind (and that of most other animals) is basically
divided into two components: the Conscious mind and the
Sub-Conscious mind. The conscious mind controls most of our
deliberate actions. Those organs of the body that we can control
by
the exercise of will are under the jurisdiction of the conscious
mind.
The subconscious mind, on the other hand, controls actions that
are
beyond our physical control. For example, any action or
movements
that we perform while asleep are caused by the sub-conscious
mind.
Dreams are also stirred by the subconscious mind. (That is why
dreams are sometimes called the "inner eyes", and are said to be
the route to one's inner mind.)
At any moment, "you" represent the sum total of your experiences
from the time of your birth until now. If you believe in
re-incarnation, that would also include all of the experiences
of
your past lives.
Irrespective of your belief system, it is these past experiences
that represent your present life and all its characteristics.
These
past experiences are stored in the sub-conscious mind as
programming. It is your subconscious mind that has made you what
you are today. Your talents and abilities, problems and
afflictions
are the result of the intuitive guidance of the subconscious. It
has been directing you and it will continue to direct you, and
often in opposition to your conscious desires.
This is because the subconscious has little or no reasoning
power.
It simply takes in what is told to it, and uses its immense
power
to fulfill it.
Is hypnosis natural?
This is perhaps the most important question one encounters when
exploring the possibility of using a tool like hypnosis,
primarily
because of all the mysterious associations we hold about it. It
is
a scarcely known fact that we have experienced the hypnotic
state
literally thousands of times in our lives. Consider this
situation:
You are driving to your office from home.
Love and good wishes,
Hypnosis and Sub Conscious Mind and find out whether Hypnosis
Natural. This will give you a better understanding of what this
subject is all about before we step in the major part - Self
Hypnosis.
As promised I will give you a step-by-step guide to learning and
applying Self Hypnosis.
Introduction to Hypnosis
To the average man, 'Hypnosis' is a technique used only for
mysterious purposes, by people with strange skills and special
powers. Much of our perception and understanding of this science
is
a result of either wrong information, or absolutely no
information.
Today, the most common source for knowledge of this subject is
stage hypnosis programs.
Their primary purpose is to entertain and thereby make money,
and
therefore they don't seem to care about the importance of
presenting the true nature of this science. Personally, I am not
against this medium, but the sad part is that a lot many people
refrain from trying out hypnosis because of the fear generated
by
these programs.
Hypnosis is a highly scientific process to program the
subconscious
mind to achieve unlimited success in life. Under Hypnosis, the
mind
and body are deeply relaxed, and the barrier between the
conscious
and subconscious minds is removed, thereby felicitating a high
degree of communication between the two. In such a state, the
subconscious mind becomes highly receptive to positive
constructive
suggestions, thus assisting us in achieving greater success,
happiness and satisfaction.
Hypnosis employs the immense powers of the subconscious mind to
bring about the desired changes in our lives.
The subconscious mind does just what it is told to do, and in
the
process shapes our character and influences our behavior.
Children
are highly susceptible to external suggestions, because their
brain
functions primarily in the frequency range where the
subconscious
mind is exposed and unprotected. As a result, children who are
praised properly taught and encouraged to succeed, develop a
much
better quality of life and self-esteem. On the other hand,
children
who are constantly put down told they are stupid or ugly, and
criticized for everything they do, develop a poor, unhealthy
self-esteem.
A subject, which has often been misunderstood because of the
shroud
of mystery surrounding it, hypnosis is a science, which can be
of
immense value to us, in the area of Human potential development.
Acknowledged and approved as a legitimate therapeutic tool by
the
British Medical Association, the American Medical Association,
and
even the Vatican, hypnosis is widely used in the US, Europe, the
former Soviet bloc countries and other developed nations.
Practiced
by Doctors, Psychiatrists, Dentists, Gynecologists, Social
Workers
and Business persons in their professional lives, the powers of
hypnosis can also be employed by the general public for a number
of
purposes, from improving their health, to attaining their goals,
to
overcoming undesirable habits or phobias.
What is the Sub-Conscious Mind?
The human mind (and that of most other animals) is basically
divided into two components: the Conscious mind and the
Sub-Conscious mind. The conscious mind controls most of our
deliberate actions. Those organs of the body that we can control
by
the exercise of will are under the jurisdiction of the conscious
mind.
The subconscious mind, on the other hand, controls actions that
are
beyond our physical control. For example, any action or
movements
that we perform while asleep are caused by the sub-conscious
mind.
Dreams are also stirred by the subconscious mind. (That is why
dreams are sometimes called the "inner eyes", and are said to be
the route to one's inner mind.)
At any moment, "you" represent the sum total of your experiences
from the time of your birth until now. If you believe in
re-incarnation, that would also include all of the experiences
of
your past lives.
Irrespective of your belief system, it is these past experiences
that represent your present life and all its characteristics.
These
past experiences are stored in the sub-conscious mind as
programming. It is your subconscious mind that has made you what
you are today. Your talents and abilities, problems and
afflictions
are the result of the intuitive guidance of the subconscious. It
has been directing you and it will continue to direct you, and
often in opposition to your conscious desires.
This is because the subconscious has little or no reasoning
power.
It simply takes in what is told to it, and uses its immense
power
to fulfill it.
Is hypnosis natural?
This is perhaps the most important question one encounters when
exploring the possibility of using a tool like hypnosis,
primarily
because of all the mysterious associations we hold about it. It
is
a scarcely known fact that we have experienced the hypnotic
state
literally thousands of times in our lives. Consider this
situation:
You are driving to your office from home.
Love and good wishes,
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