Have You Ever Wanted to Experience Hypnosis?

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There are a lot of misconceptions floating around about hypnosis. The reality is that hypnosis can be viewed rather simply as the intentional induction of a state of trance or a certain type of focus.

I say “intentional induction” because researchers on trance, such as Ernest Rossi who won a Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Psychotherapy in 2008 from the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (Bernauer Newton Trust), emphasizes that we all go in and out of trance states very naturally during our day (Rossi and Lippincott, 1992).

Car Driving Trance

If you regularly drive a car, you have probably experienced a trance state while driving a familiar road under conditions that do not require particular alertness. It is common to find yourself driving automatically while your mind drifts here and there until you find yourself at your destination. That state of mentally drifting here and there while detached from what your body is doing and being relatively unaware of your surroundings can be viewed as a naturally occurring trance state akin to what is induced more consciously by formal hypnosis.

Supermarket Trance

After I took my first course in hypnosis, I realized that I had been going into trance in the frozen food section of my supermarket. I would open the door to look for a low-calorie pizza and feel the cold on my face and the front of my body. I would see the bright reds and blues of the packaging as I searched for my ideal pizza. My visual focus would narrow to what was in front of me. I would gradually become less aware of anything else around me.

I used to say: “I get so focused of the array of frozen food in front of me that I literally forget to look around to make sure that no one is stealing my purse from my cart.” I did not realize until I was trained as a hypnotherapist that I had been going into trance.

What is hypnosis?

Hypnosis can be viewed as a collection of methods that are designed to utilize our natural, inborn ability to go into trance states. People who study hypnosis learn a variety of methods that can help the client go into a trance state on purpose. In trance, we tend to be more open to suggestions that bypass our conscious mind and speak directly to our unconscious. This can make them easier and faster to implement.

What is the difference between hypnosis and hypnotherapy?

Hypnosis involves the induction of a trance state. Hypnotherapy is the utilization of trance for therapeutic purposes.

How does hypnotherapy differ from traditional psychotherapy?

An important difference between hypnotherapy and the other, more traditional psychotherapies (psychoanalysis, Gestalt therapy, CBT, etc.) is that traditional therapy attempts to increase self-awareness by bringing unconscious material into awareness. This increase in awareness is crucial to traditional forms of psychotherapy.

In contrast, hypnotherapy often bypasses our conscious mind and instead attempts to create change through making suggestions to our unconscious mind. These suggestions can be quite direct—i.e., “You will go into trance"—or indirect and embedded in stories or disguised as conversation.

However, as with more traditional therapies, there are different approaches to eliciting hypnosis and utilizing trance states for hypnotherapy.

Milton H. Erickson

Milton H. Erickson (1901–1980) was a brilliant psychiatrist who revolutionized the field of hypnosis and hypnotherapy and made many contributions to the field of brief psychotherapy. In Sidney Rosen’s inspiring book My Voice Will Go With You: The Teaching Tales of Milton Erickson (1982/2010), Rosen offers the reader examples of Erickson’s innovative approach that combines his knowledge of the brain with the principles of hypnotherapy.

Here are some famous Erickson quotes that illustrate how Erickson viewed hypnosis and the subconscious mind as agents of change:

• Change will lead to insight more often than insight will lead to change.
• You use hypnosis not as a cure, but as a means of establishing a favorable climate within which to learn.
• It is really amazing what people can do. Only they don’t know what they can do.

Who Can Be Hypnotized?

Some people think you have to be submissive or weak-minded to “succumb” to hypnosis. The reality is quite different. Virtually anyone who wants to can learn to go into an induced trance as long as they trust the hypnotist and like the method being used.

An Example: In my 30s, I became curious about hypnosis. I went to a couple of hypnotherapy seminars. In each of them, I volunteered to be hypnotized by the presenter. I did not go into trance. All that happened was that I got annoyed at the presenters.

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One presenter was a very domineering man who utilized an old-fashioned directive approach. I remember him saying: You will go into trance now!

I do not like to be told what to do, so his commands did not have the desired effect on me. However, I did not give up. I knew there must be different approaches.

My first induced trance occurred during a five-day workshop with two Ericksonian practitioners, Stephen Gilligan and Paul Carter. This time I did not volunteer. They demonstrated a number of trance inducing techniques. The one that worked on me had to do with indirectly inducing arm levitation.

I thought I was raising my hand to ask a question, but I found that once I got my hand in the air, my mind was blank and I had nothing I wanted to say. After I did this twice, I realized that I had drifted into exactly what I had wanted: a pleasant state of trance without the leader making any demands on me to perform. After that experience, I began to recognize trance states as they occurred in me, and I went on to study and get certified in Ericksonian Hypnotherapy.

How do you choose a hypnotist?

There are different approaches to hypnosis and hypnotherapy. If you are looking for a well-trained hypnotherapist, it is best to seek out a licensed mental health professional who either is a member of ASCH (American Society for Clinical Hypnosis) or who was trained extensively in Ericksonian Hypnotherapy.

Summary

Almost anyone who can focus on anything can learn to go into trance at will. Both hypnosis and self-hypnosis work because humans are innately wired to naturally go in and out of trance states. There are several different, equally valid approaches to hypnosis. Most people can find an approach that is compatible with their needs and personal preferences. It is best to look for a certified hypnotist who is also a licensed mental health professional.

A hypnotist is a bit like a wilderness guide you hire to get you from here to there. As with all types of therapy, hypnotherapy works best when the client and therapist have a good relationship and the methods are a good match for the client’s goals and personal preferences.

To find a therapist, please visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.