How does Hypnosis affect our mind?
At Hoosier Hypnosis we want you to be informed on anything you may need or want to know about what we do. Hence these pages. Here we share information on a variety of basic hypnotic topics. As always we hope it covers all your questions and if not, feel free to call us. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have about how hypnosis works.
- Hypnosis Myths – Dispelling common myths and misconceptions that have been perpetrated by the media and other sources.
- Defining Hypnosis – What are a few of the common definitions for hypnosis as well as our definition of the word.
- Your Brain On Hypnosis– What happens in your brain during hypnosis.
- Hypnotic Phenomena– The things that happen during trance that hypnotist use to enact change.
- Signs of Hypnosis– How to tell if you or someone else is hypnotized.
- History of Hypnosis (Coming Soon)
- Hypnotist vs. Hypnosis (Coming Soon)
Why Hypnosis?
We all have a conscious mind and an unconscious mind. Hypnosis deals with our unconscious mind. Your conscious mind is responsible for logical, analytical, linear thinking. Your unconscious mind is more symbolic and holistic. If you think of your mind like a cruise ship, the conscious mind is the captain of the ship; using the same analogy, your unconscious mind is the rest of the crew, the passengers, and the ship. Your conscious minds job is to evaluate information. It handles executive functions and makes decisions, but it has some limitations. For example, your conscious mind can only handle and manipulate seven to ten items.
The unconscious mind, in contrast, can process millions of pieces of data every second. The unconscious has to process our perceptions, habits, beliefs and autonomic bodily functions (like breathing and digestion). Even though our conscious mind can evaluate and make considered decisions about things, it takes time to do it and often relies on the unconscious mind to handle routine tasks. These routine tasks are what we might call habits.
Unconscious Response
There are two ways we can form our unconscious responses. This is either by “flash” learning (learning from intense experiences) or by steady and continual reinforcement. A good example of slow and steady learning is how you learned to tie your shoes. You probably had to learn that behavior step-by-step before repeating it over and over. During this process of repetition, you were using your conscious to accomplish the task. While this was occurring, your unconscious was creating a long-term behavior. An unconscious task.
Even though the conscious mind is “in charge,” we sometimes reinforce the wrong behaviors. Or we have to change behaviors that no longer serve our goals. This can be hard to do because the unconscious is very resistant to change. Otherwise, we would be constantly changing our habits and beliefs, or learning habits that might not be useful. Have you ever accidentally deleted something you needed on your computer or phone? Or have you ever run out of space for things you really wanted to save? The unconscious wants to know that you are sure about making changes.
That is where hypnosis comes in. With hypnosis, you can bypass the part of your unconscious mind that resists changes. With hypnosis, we can quickly and easily change both habits and beliefs. Habits are the simple routines that we have learned by repetition that have become involuntary. Beliefs are an assumption or set of assumptions that create sets of habits. Since the unconscious mind runs the body, your perceptions, and emotional responses, once you make changes to your beliefs, you can use those resources to make some pretty spectacular things happen. Belief changes can allow you to change your emotions, change whole sets of habits, and modify how you perceive situations.
What does hypnosis feel like?
You will never notice the hypnosis. It is odorless, tasteless, and completely invisible. You can really only experience hypnosis by its side effects. Most people and even many hypnotists use the term trance interchangeably with hypnosis. They do go together like peanut butter and jelly, but they are not the same thing. Trance is a description of the experience, or state of being; whereas, hypnosis is a description of a process, the thing a hypnotist does to get you into a trance.
You may feel any of the following during trance:
- Relaxation
- Intense Focus
- A sense of detachment from the outside world.
- A change in sensory input.
- And much more.
Now that we have that covered… Everyone’s experience of trance is unique. Trance is a skill. Some people are naturally talented; most people can get better with practice. This is how hypnosis works.
Disclaimer: You don’t need to be in trance for hypnosis to be effective. Hypnosis can occur without trance.
You might feel any number of sensations while in trance. For example, most people find the sensation to be very enjoyable. They often comment that upon waking they feel like they have had a refreshing nap. Most people’s muscles grow loose and relaxed. Their breathing is generally deeper and slower. Feelings of warmth or tingling are also common.
During hypnosis, some people feel completely focused and attentive, while others report that their mind drifts away to some pleasant memory or imagined scene. Their recollection may only be a general sense of what is said rather than exact phrases. Often people report an increased ability to visualize. Most people experience an altered perception of time. Their trance may seem much longer or shorter in duration than it actually is.
Trance is a state in which you can think clearly and your imagination is active. Trance is a state where you could move if you wanted to or if there were an emergency, but you would rather just remain delightfully relaxed.
We hope that you now better understand how hypnosis works and what a fantastic tool for change it can be. If you have any further questions or concerns please contact us.
Articles of Interest/Related Upcoming
- Suggestions- What are suggestions and how do hypnotist use them to enact change. (Coming Jan 2020)
- The Unconscious Mind- What role does our unconscious actually play in our daily lives and interactions? (Coming Jan 2020)
- A History of Hypnosis Part1 & Part 2 & Part 3 (Coming Jan 2020)
- Hypnosis and Neuroscience Parts 1-4 (Coming Feb/Mar 2020)
- Hypnosis Vs. Meditation (Coming Feb/Mar 2020)
- Self Hypnosis Pros and Cons (Coming Feb/Mar 2020)
- Hypnosis and the Placebo Effect (Coming Feb/Mar 2020)
- Hypnosis For Skeptics (Coming Apr 2020)
- The Unconscious (Coming April 2020)
- Hypno Heroes (Coming 2020)
- 10 Signs you’re in Trance (2020)
- Hypnosis VS Meditation
- Hypnosis for skeptics
