Have you ever wanted to try out hypnosis but don’t know where to begin? Contrary to popular belief, hypnosis isn’t swinging a pendulum in front of a subject while repeating words. Hypnosis is an authentic practice used as a therapeutic aid, despite many myths and misconceptions.
Hypnotherapy has been found to provide medical and therapeutic advantages, including pain relief and anxiety reduction. Hypnosis is a trance-like meditation state in which people’s attention, concentration, suggestibility, and confidence (see hypnosis for confidence) are enhanced.
While hypnosis is frequently referred to as a sleep-like state, it is more accurately described as a state of focused concentration, increased suggestibility, and vivid fantasies – find out how to learn hypnosis here.
In a hypnotic trance, people appear to be sleeping or spaced out, but they are hyper-aware. Hypnosis isn’t a form of mind control; it’s more about effective communication and reprogramming the subconscious and conscious minds.
Using hypnosis, you learn to concentrate, encourage yourself, motivate (for example, help your child develop the motivation to practice an instrument), become more aware, and maximize your natural abilities, though the road to a balanced life is always hedged with challenges.
Why use Hypnosis?
Hypnosis has been used to assist people in changing their habits, such as oversharing, getting them to stop smoking, decreasing weight, or preventing bedwetting. Besides, hypnosis is also used in the medical field to treat and manage conditions such as:
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Psoriasis
- Reduction of pain during childbirth (see ‘Hypnosis for Childbirth‘)
- Managing pain during medical procedures such as dental surgery
- During therapy for phobias, fears, and anxiety
- Sleep disorders
- Depression
- Stress
- Post-trauma anxiety (see nervous laughter or titter)
- Grief and loss
Types of Hypnosis
- Hypnotherapy
It involves using a professional hypnotherapist, or a psychotherapist, to help the subject enter a hypnotic trance. It’s used together with cognitive behavioral therapy to treat mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, and eating disorders.
- Self-hypnosis
It’s a method of inducing a trance state to make suitable suggestions to oneself. Furthermore, it’s frequently utilized as a method for pain management and stress management.
- Guided hypnosis
This is a form of hypnosis that involves using tools such as recorded instructions and music to induce a hypnotic state. Guided hypnosis is common on online sites and mobile applications.
Can You Put a Person in a Hypnotic Trance?
It is quite possible to hypnotize someone, provided you understand the workings and are a certified expert in the field. Hypnosis works by lulling us into a trance-like state that allows us to go deeper into our minds and rewrite or reprogram our behaviors (like when seeking approval), and habits (see also ‘How Do You Know If Hypnosis Worked?‘).
When you ‘wake up’ from the state of hypnosis, the new thoughts and concepts in your subconscious mind can eventually affect your conscious mind, which might lead to changes in your behavior that can even help your pregnancy (see hypnotherapy for infertility). Our guide to hypnosis for beginners covers the basics in more detail.
Self-hypnosis allows people to bypass their conscious minds and inject good thoughts and ideas into their unconscious minds through physical and deep mental relaxation, which helps remove mental blocks for, let’s say creative writing, for example. When you ‘wake up,’ your subconscious mind has replaced negative and obsessive thoughts with fresh, positive thinking and ideas.
A typical hypnosis session includes the following three components:
1. Induction – this is the process of putting the person into a trance.
2. Change work —where you utilize hypnotic suggestions and techniques to achieve a specific goal, such as helping someone quit smoking.
3. Exit — bringing the subject out of the hypnotic state of mind.
There are various hypnosis techniques you can use during hypnotic induction:
- Relaxation technique
Relaxation is a common technique used by the hypnotist to get the subject to let loose and calm their mind and body. Once they are completely relaxed, they are more likely to respond better to suggestions. Some common methods include:
- Make yourself at ease.
- Making a mental countdown in your thoughts
- Controlled Breathing
- Visualization
It’s used by the hypnotist to induce a trance or to make suggestions. Ask your subject to close their eyes, paint a mental picture, and imagine every detail, from the color to the smell. It also helps the individual relax more.
- Eye fixation
To induce trance, any object of focus can be employed. There are two secrets behind it. The object, for starters, keeps the conscious mind occupied, allowing the mind to be influenced. Second, when your eyes fixate or travel back and forth, they become extremely weary.
- Tone of voice
It is incredibly vital during the process of hypnotizing someone. Make sure you speak in a low, slow, soothing voice, as we already explained earlier in our post that dealt with public speaking anxiety. Also, take your time when talking, keeping your tone soft and at the same level.
Is Hypnotizing Someone Illegal?
The answer is yes. It is illegal to hypnotize anyone without their consent. Despite the fact that hypnotherapy is widely approved and controlled around the world, most countries, including Canada, have a regulatory body to whom you may speak, who can manage your complaints.
Also, the association can refer you to hypnotherapists who have completed some form of training. Finding a hypnotherapist who is a member of the Association and has the proper qualification is a good way to ensure you get professional assistance.
Make sure to ask for recommendations from friends and at least check someone out once before committing to a multi-session program.
Can You Put Someone in a Trance State Without Them Knowing?
Covert hypnosis is an attempt to speak with the unconscious mind of another person, either a friend or client, without the subject being aware that they are being hypnotized.
It extracts information from someone while awake utilizing hypnotic instruments; and is a potent and controlling instrument used to influence people without their knowledge.
It has four basic steps:
- Absorb attention
The first stage of covert hypnotism is to absorb the subject’s attention. This entails a high level of attention and mastery of the technique of bringing your subject within you so that they are free of exterior distractions.
- Bypassing the critical factor
The critical factor is the part of your brain that tells you this is not possible – this cannot happen. This is the point at which psychologists advise that you believe in your potential to be hypnotized in the first place.
- Activating an unconscious response
You’ve succeeded in getting your subject into a hypnotic state if you can successfully receive an unconscious response of any kind from them.
- Leading the subject’s mind to the desired outcome
The technique of directing the mind to the desired outcome is the final step and is made possible through suggestions.
How To Hypnotize Someone (Powerful Techniques)
- Choose a comfortable environment
When you hypnotize someone, you want your participant to feel safe and undistracted. Please place them in a comfortable chair away from any potential distractions, such as televisions or other people.
- Get their attention
There are numerous simple methods for capturing someone’s attention. You could, for example:
- Request that they look you in the eyes.
- Show them a photograph.
- Tell them a joke or a story.
You can even tell them a story. Instruct the person to close their eyes gently. Closing their eyes begins the process of hypnotism and will help them get more relaxed. It’s an important step in induction.
- Have them relax
It is necessary to guide the individual through a series of deep breathing and muscle relaxation exercises.
Slowing down one’s breathing helps calm the heart rate and the mind while releasing muscle tension promotes physical awareness and mindfulness.
- Speak in a constant low soothing tone to help them relax
Some words to use – see also how to stop saying filler words or sounds like ‘UM’ – include:
“Allow my words to wash over you, and take the advice as you like” or “Everything is secure, serene, and pleasant here. Allow yourself to sink into the couch/chair and breathe deeply.”
- Focus on a fixed point
Instruct them to focus their attention on an object, any object.
- Use of hypnotic suggestions
A hypnotic suggestion is an instruction issued to a subject to follow prior to, during, or after being hypnotized. An example is: “visualize your ideal environment” or “You could also find a quiet relaxing stop to sit at and admire the view while you relax even more deeply.”
Repeat them over and over to keep them focused. Remember to watch and keep track of how they respond.
- Use language to stimulate visual imagery.
Rather than asking others how to solve a problem, make them visualize themselves already solving it. What does success mean to them, and how does it feel? What route did they use to get there?
- Slowly take the person out of the hypnotic state
You don’t want to jerk them awake; rather, tell them that when you count to five, they should open their eyes, return to full consciousness, alert, and relaxed. Start by saying: “I’m going to count from one to five, and when I get to five, you’ll be open and absolutely refreshed.”
Once they’re up, ask them to do a big stretch to get their legs moving.
Conclusion
Hypnotism has numerous benefits, both medical and life-related like becoming more stoic. You can use it to manage and overcome addictions and frustrations (see technology frustration), heal your body from diseases. Hypnosis will help you improve your mindset with things like passive aggression where unconscious prompts of one’s mind.
When hypnotized, individuals may look or even act like they are asleep, except they aren’t; they’re in a deeper state of relaxation. It consists of three stages :
- Induction where you help someone enter a hypnotized condition
- Change work where you help the individual meet their goals or desired objectives
- Exit from the session
Remember to use language strategically while telling your story to help your client get the most out of the process.