Hypnosis FAQ's

This page is intended to give a bit of background information on what hypnosis is. If you want to learn more about what makes our self hypnosis CDs and MP3 downloads unique then please go to our self hypnosis CDs / MP3s page.

A Brief History of Hynosis

The Human Mind

What is Hypnosis?

Can anyone be hypnotized or only certain people?

What is Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)?

A Brief History of Hynosis

The modern day image of the hypnotist is largely influenced by an 18th century Austrian physicist by the name of Franz Anton Mesmer (1734 - 1815). He developed his own brand of healing by 'animal magnetism' or 'mesmerism'. The word 'mesmerism' directly descends from Franz Anton Mesmer. He applied magnets to patient's bodies and in an effort to heal them of various kinds of illness. He would store his animal magnetism in baths of iron filings and transfer it to patients with rods or by 'mesmeric passes'. Mesmer soon began to believe that it was not physical forces via magnets but he himself that was generating the cures he produced. Mesmer was very much a charismatic showman who used his 'mesmerism' in theatrical shows, which we now recognise as stage hypnosis.

In 1843 a Manchester eye doctor and physician, James Braid, renamed 'magnetism/mesmerism' as 'hypnosis'. The term refers to Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep. Braid came across hypnosis by chance when one day he found a patient transfixed by the light in his waiting room. Braid directed the patient, telling him to close his eyes and sleep. The patient complied and like many other scientists Braid recognised certain justifiable psychological phenomena of interest in hypnosis. However, much more logical investigation was necessary to help understand it. In the early scientific study, Braid at first thought that under hypnosis the nervous system was somehow linked to certain cures by suggestion. He later dismissed this theory and instead called attention to mental factors.

A Frenchman, Emile Coué (1857 - 1926), moved away from traditional approaches and initiated the use of autosuggestion. His most famous phrase was, 'Day by day in every way I am getting better and better.' He also understood the significance of the subject's participation in hypnosis, and was an early forerunner of practitioners who now claim, 'There is no such thing as hypnosis, only self-hypnosis.'

The modern day acceptance of hypnosis in medicine that we now have owes a great debt to research starting in the 1920's and 30's by pioneer Clark Hull and his then student, Milton H. Erickson. Erickson went on to become the recognised leading authority on clinical hypnosis, and a master of indirect hypnosis, who was able to put a person into a trance without even mentioning the word hypnosis. Erickson's approach and its derivatives are widely accepted as the most effective techniques. Milton Erickson died in 1980, but left many followers of his work.

The Human Mind

Think of the human mind as split into two main parts; the conscious and the unconscious mind. The conscious mind helps with our daily decision-making processes. It is intelligent, realistic, logical and practical, particularly in new circumstances where we have to utilize rational thought processes to work out what to do and how to do it. Yet, the conscious mind can only handle seven (+/- 2) pieces of information at any one time.

The unconscious part of the mind is concerned with our emotions, imagination, and memories as well as having automatic control of the nervous system. It is powerful and very clever at dealing with many complex instructions at any one time but is not 'intelligent'.

A wonderful metaphor for the conscious and unconscious minds is of a very large darkened room (the unconscious mind) cluttered with all sorts of objects and a torch (the conscious mind) picking out details in the room. Wherever the torch is shining will be visible, while the rest of the room is left in the dark.

What is Hypnosis?

There are so many misconceptions about hypnosis. Hypnosis is a natural phenomena best described as deep state of relaxation and concentration, wherein the mind becomes distant and detached from everyday cares and concerns. This state is neither sleep nor unconsciousness but an altered state of awareness, often referred to as the 'hypnotic trance' or 'hypnotic relaxation'. The conscious and analytical part of the mind is safely bypassed allowing access to the unconscious part of the mind whereby you 'let things happen' and react imaginatively to suggestion.

The experience of the hypnosis is different for each person. The best way to describe it is a shift or altered state of awareness. The individual is in control of themselves, but extraordinarily focused on their internal experience, and on the voice of the hypnotist. This dispels the popular myth that a hypnotised person is unconscious or unable to respond to emergencies, or to oppose the will of the hypnotist if they should wish to do so.

Remember that hypnosis is perfectly natural and every single one of us enters naturally occurring 'trance states' all day long - day-dreaming, being engrossed in a book or when watching TV.

Can anyone be hypnotized or only certain people?

Each person reacts differently to hypnosis. It is thought that about 5% of people are classically unhypnotizable, most people show moderate scores, and about 10% are hypnotizable to extreme depths and show the classical deep trance phenomena. There are a certain people who should not be hypnotized or only with care, i.e. those suffering from epilepsy, schizophrenia, etc.

What is Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)?

NLP is the acronym for Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Neuro refers to the nervous system and our five senses by which we see, hear, feel, taste, and smell. Linguistic refers to language and how certain words and phrases represent our mental worlds. Programming refers to how our thoughts, feelings, and actions are purely established programs of habit that can be changed or upgraded.

NLP is a radical approach to human communication and development founded on the discovery that by changing how you think, you can change your internal experince and therefore change how you feel.

We hope that this hypnosis FAQ page has given you some useful information on hypnosis. If you have any questions about hypnosis which are not answered here then please feel free to contact us