Hypnosis is a naturally occurring state of mind. Everyone has already experienced hypnosis, by accident or by design. To many people the word hypnosis brings forth feelings of fear and apprehension. They think that they will be unconscious and under the control of the hypnotist. Nothing could be further from the truth. When a person is in hypnosis, they are deeply relaxed physically, but mentally they are many times more alert than in the normal state of awareness. A person will hear and respond to everything around them and is an active participant in the session. At all times, people have complete control over what they will or will not do. Any suggestion that is even slightly uncomfortable will be instantly rejected. When a person likes and agrees with the suggestions given by the Hypnotherapist, the suggestions are allowed to enter the subconscious mind.
This part of us is like a computer and must respond to what is allowed to enter it. We become what the programming in our subconscious mind perceives us to be. If this part of the mind views us as fat, we become fat. If it perceives that we smoke, we smoke, and so on with shyness, poor self-image, and other problems.
Using hypnosis, we are able to access this subconscious computer and re-program ourselves to be whatever we wish to be and it is the expertise of the Hypnotherapist that is crucial to the success of this approach.
Readers with Powerpoint or the Powerpoint Viewer installed can download and view Dr Tait's Presentation on Clinical Hypnosis. The free Powerpoint Viewer can be downloaded from the Microsoft Download Center. Both Windows and Mac versions are available.
Can You be hypnotised?
As long as there have been human beings, there has been hypnosis. Hypnosis is a natural state of mind. You enter various forms of hypnosis several times every day, such as when day dreaming or finding yourself immersed in a great film or book. Anyone can enter hypnosis very easily, and all that is required is- : You must want to be hypnotised (no one can hypnotise you against your will) You must not have any fears or misconceptions about hypnotherapy and the theories that underpin it
Hypnosis is a 100% consent state of mind. If at any time, or for any reason you want to emerge from the hypnotic state, you will instantly and naturally open your eyes and become fully alert. No one can keep you in hypnosis against your will.
So now, you know that YOU can be hypnotised. You have done it literally thousands of times. You did it yourself when you were day dreaming and missed that turn (self-hypnosis), you have been hypnotised when you enjoyed a television program (being hypnotised by someone else), and you have followed hypnotic and post-hypnotic suggestions when you preferred some brand name that you saw repeatedly on television (hypnotic compounding of suggestion).
Hypnotherapy: creating positive and lasting changes
Pretend for a moment, that your mind is like your lawn out in front of your home. Even some of the best cared for gardens, if you look close enough, are going to have a couple of weeds! Weeds are interesting because they are so persistent. You see, most of the garden is compiled of good green grass, shrubs, and flowers (the good things about yourself).
The grass has good roots, but the weed's roots go much deeper. That is why if you try to remove a weed by cutting it off, or pulling it up and you do not get its entire root, it is most likely to come back, and sometimes there are more weeds (symptoms or problems) than when you started. Taking this example a little further, you could imagine a weed and divide it up into three distinct areas: first there is the area where the roots are, the soil, that is equivalent to the subconscious mind; the second area, where the grass is, is equivalent to the conscious mind, the part that is easy to see; and finally, there is the part that sticks up into the air for yourself and everyone else to see, the weed, the part of ourselves that we don't like.
The part we don't like might be a bad habit like biting your finger nails, or something more serious like smoking, a phobia, or even some diseases like ulcers. Some treatments just deal with the behaviour or the outward symptom (that would be like mowing off the weed), and it is likely that it will return. In the short term you might feel better, like going on a diet, losing the weight, and then the weight returns, because the real cause of the excess weight was never eliminated! Then you feel frustrated, and may even gain more weight (more weeds!).
Hypnotherapy techniques, if performed properly, will remove the problem at the root. By helping the patient to see or experience the situation, thought or idea that started the problem, the client can then gain a new perspective, which diffuses the negative emotions associated with it. If the root is removed, then the problem ceases to exist!