Hypnosis is a state of hyper-suggestibility where the conscious and unconscious minds dissociate. It is a state of mind where the subject is more likely to accept the operator's suggestions. That is the technical definition.

But a description rather than the definition of hypnosis may be easier to understand. In general, hypnosis is characterized as a state of increased relaxation where the conscious mind becomes subdued and ideas and suggestions can be introduced to the unconscious more easily. Notice that I said "in general," meaning for most people, but not everyone.

You have been in hypnosis often without even realizing it. Hypnosis is the alpha level of consciousness. You pass through this daydream like state as you fall asleep at night. And you pass through it again as you awaken in the morning. Research has proven that if you watch much television, you are in this alpha state for two-thirds of your viewing time. If you have ever watched a sad TV show and reacted with a tear in your eye, you have been hypnotized by the television.

You entered a state of increased suggestibility where you uncritically accepted the suggestion of sadness on the TV screen and reacted with a sad emotion, your tear. In other words your reasoning ability, which is contained in your conscious mind, was bypassed. You did not reason that the show was just a play; you accepted the action as being real. So you reacted with real emotion.

Who Can Be Hypnotized?
It has been found that all normal people are hypnotizable to a greater or lesser extent. People with less than a 70 I.Q., those of the moron level or lower, generally are not hypnotizable. People who are in an active state of psychosis generally are not hypnotizable. Most senile people are difficult or impossible to hypnotize.

I have found in my own private practice dealing with a large number of retired people, as old as 85 years of age, that hypnosis is a potent and beneficial method for most people. The person's motivation is the key to success.

Do I Have To Be A "Deep" Subject For Success?
For the therapeutic applications of hypnosis we most often deal with, depth of any kind is not required. You can be the lightest possible subject and still receive all of the benefits from hypnosis that the deepest subjects will obtain. I strongly feel that over the years, far too much importance has been placed on how deep a subject is. If the subject is deep, it could be beneficial. This however, is not necessarily the case.

Actually, with the latest hypnotic techniques like Ericksonian Hypnosis and state of the art "NLP" (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), depth is one of the least important aspects, which contribute to success.

Are There Any Dangers In Self-Hypnosis?
There are basically no dangers to the practice of self-hypnosis. It is impossible to "get stuck" in self-hypnosis. The worst thing that could possibly happen while a subject is in hypnosis is that she might fall into a natural state of sleep for 20 or 30 minutes. She would awaken rested and out of the state of hypnosis.

Misconceptions About Hypnosis
There are many misconceptions about hypnosis. Most of them are due to the stage and television acts. Ironically, it is because of the fact that the television can hypnotize you that these misconceptions are so strongly entrenched in people's mind.

Is Hypnosis Sleep?
The largest misconception about hypnosis is that it is sleep. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you are asleep, you are unconscious. If you are unconscious, you cannot hear anything. If you cannot hear anything, then the hypnotist cannot help you. Hypnosis is a state of keen awareness. The subject is wide-awake and aware of everything around her. This misconception stems from the stage hypnotist's use of the word "sleep" as analogous to the hypnotic state. When the old time hypnotist swung the watch in front of the subject's face, he told the subject that she was getting "sleepy." He then told the subject to go to sleep. What he meant was to go into a hypnotic sleep; not a natural sleep.

Is There A Hypnotized Feeling?
The second largest misconception is that there is a hypnotized feeling. There is no hypnotized feeling. I repeat, there is no hypnotized feeling. Most people feel very relaxed when in hypnosis, as relaxation seems to be the essence of hypnosis. Some people feel heavy. Some people feel light. Some people have other sensations and feelings. Other people have absolutely no feeling that they are in hypnosis, and believe they have not been hypnotized when they most definitely have.

Can The Hypnotist Control Me?
NO! The hypnotist cannot make you do anything against your will. There is always an observing ego state. Should the hypnotist make an offensive suggestion; this ego state would reject the suggestion. You will probably come out of hypnosis if the hypnotist makes an offensive suggestion.

Can The Hypnotist Make Me Divulge All Of My Secrets?
You will not divulge any secrets under hypnosis unless you want to do so. The hypnotist does not have any control over the subject. Quite the contrary, the subject has more control over herself since at this time she has control over her own subconscious mind. The subject can easily reject any suggestion the hypnotist makes, no matter how simple or complicated the suggestion might be. The subject can open her eyes, emerge from the state of hypnosis, and walk out of the room at any time she chooses.

Must People Tell The Truth When In Hypnosis?
NO! People can lie when in hypnosis.

Do Hypnotists Have Special Powers And Vibrations?
This is a common misconception. The hypnotist does not have any special powers, nor does he have any special vibrations with which to hypnotize you. Actually, all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. The hypnotist leads the subject into a state of hypnosis. In other words, the ability of hypnosis is in the subject.

Why Do People Fail To Reach Their Goals Using Hypnosis?
Perhaps the greatest reason for the inability to reach ones goals through hypnosis is an inadequate amount of practice where self-hypnosis is concerned. The greatest reason for the return of a symptom or "relapse" is the premature discontinuance of hypnosis with the hypnosis technique.

While self-hypnosis is important, it is generally the hetero-hypnosis with the hypnotist, which has the greatest impact upon the subconscious mind. This is because of the training and experience of the hypnotist vs. the lack of training and experience of the client.

Some people are penny wise and pound-foolish. They mentally set an amount of time, or money that they are willing to spend for help. And then they prematurely discontinue their sessions because, "I can't afford it." Or, "I didn't lose 50 lbs. in two days." If a person or method is really helping one to make their desired changes, then it is priceless and it should be continued. It is for this reason that follow up hypnosis is generally recommended even after a symptom seems to have disappeared completely. Self-hypnosis should be an ongoing affair on a daily basis. Ultimately, YOUR SUCCESS IS UP TO YOU!

Will I Be Better Off Hiring A Hypnotist, Or Will Purchasing A Recorded Program Work Better?
That is an excellent question. Normally I would recommend that you utilize the services of a reputable hypnotist. The reason is that by meeting with you, a good hypnotist /NLP'er will be able to customize his approach to your personality and your favored representational system - the way you favor taking in information through the senses to make sense out of it and react to it.

In my opinion, many of the recorded hypnosis programs available today are strictly Traditional Hypnosis, and consist of only one or maybe two sessions of it at that. Traditional Hypnosis is nothing more than a set of direct commands: "If you eat a brownie you'll barf." "You won't have cravings," etc. This technology has an exceptionally poor track record of success because everyone of our generation has been taught to question everything. That's why you, your friends, and your kids usually do the opposite of what they are told to do.

The programs available thru Neuro-VISION have overcome those shortcomings by utilizing a mix of Traditional Hypnosis, Ericksonian Hypnosis, NLP, and the Neuro-VISION Video Hypnosis technology. These are all technologies that are designed to eliminate the resistance factor. In fact, Neuro-VISION and the NLP technology that it's based on, do not utilize suggestion at all. They rely on using the thought processes that have created a problem, to eliminate it!

All of the Neuro-VISION programs are multi-session products. They all have six to eight different sessions, so you are exposed to a broad range of methodology. We don't use the one shot "one size fits all" -- "do-or-die" approach. It takes a lot of work to make this type of program, but the high success rates are well worth it.

Having private sessions with any Hypnotist / NLP'er who has enough experience to be able to actually help you can be very expensive. By contrast, purchasing any of the Neuro-VISION products is actually very reasonable, and you can repeat the sessions whenever you want to, for as long as you want to, or need to. For those who want a very personal experience, I can make a custom recording for you. I'll personally talk to you on the telephone for an hour or more to learn about you before I custom record your program.

We create our own reality by making the decisions that we make. So ultimately it is up to each of us to learn how to create the reality that we want, rather than the reality that we hate. Therefore, the next move is up to you.

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This is Chapter 2 of the eBook by Alan B. Densky, CH that you are welcome to download:
Hypnosis: Who It Will Work For and Why It Will Work For Them.

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Alan has over 31 years of experience at creating rapid personal change through hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Now is a great time to visit the Neuro-VISION site... Alan invites you to participate in his exciting Independence Day event! As his way of saying, "Thank you for your participation," you will receive a package of bonuses of astonishing value PLUS a free copy of his 7 Session "Relax In A Flash! - Advanced!" program on 2 CDs worth $39.77! Read on...

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