Hypnosis Fact And Fiction: Real Hypnosis In Self-help, Medicine And Mental Health

There are many misconceptions of what hypnosis is. Most of these misconceptions are perpetuated by the popular media. The truth is, hypnosis has been used throughout history and continues to be used today, both legitimately and fraudulently. I decided to write this article to clarify just what hypnosis is exactly and what it is not for inquiring minds and to help those that could truly benefit from the true, legitimate practice of hypnosis.

I will start by addressing the misconceptions of hypnosis and tell you WHAT HYPNOSIS IS NOT. Hypnosis is not a form of mind control despite its portrayal in movies as such… you know, the guy dressed in the black tuxedo with big, bushy eyebrows that can swing his pocket watch as a pendulum before people’s eyes to make them cluck like chickens upon the snap of his fingers… No, hypnosis is not capable of taking over another’s free will. Hypnosis is not brainwashing and is not capable of controlling a person’s behavior and judgment. Hypnosis is not caused by the hypnotist’s “power”, as this would allude to the possibility of “mind control” of which there is no hard scientific evidence.

It is also a big misconception that hypnosis is possible only upon weak-minded individuals. In actuality the ability to enter a hypnotic state has nothing to do with one’s intelligence. The hypnotic state can be reached by any individual through self-hypnosis techniques however the ability to be hypnotized by an outside party (hypnotist) is dependent more upon genetic factors. Neither is hypnosis dependent upon individuals with vivid and overactive imaginations.

Hypnosis as a process is not necessarily time-consuming nor does it require the subject to be completely relaxed. And although named for the god of sleep, hypnosis is not sleep. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, hypnosis is “a trancelike state that resembles sleep but is induced by a person whose suggestions are readily accepted by the subject”.

Now I will delve into what hypnosis is and real world applications of hypnosis. There is a plethora of ways in which hypnosis has been and still is used today in treating mental, physical and social problems.

Hypnosis is used to treat obesity, anxiety, depression, phobias, fears and habits such as quitting smoking. Hypnosis is used to alleviate the pain associated with cancer and other chronic illnesses. Hypnosis is also used in dentistry (hypnodontia) to decrease anxieties and make patients feel more comfortable with the dental experience. Hypnosis is used to treat skin diseases through a practice known as hypnodermatology.

Mental health applications of hypnosis include the treatment of dissociative disorders, depression and PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). Hypnosis is used in the educational field to increase memory and learning capacity as well as focus and energy. Hypnosis is also used to improve self-esteem and confidence.

Altered states of consciousness such as relaxation, meditation and sleep have been achieved through hypnosis. Self-hypnosis with binaural beat audio is used to achieve states allowing for astral projection, remote viewing, past life regression, ESP and telepathy. Of interesting note, binaural beats have been used by top secret members of the US government to utilize remote viewing tactics.

Hypnosis has been used in the past to suppress pain during medical procedures before the advent of chemical pain killers and anesthesia. And let us not forget a very important use of hypnosis… entertainment. Unfortunately entertainment is one of the prime sources leading to the many misconceptions involved with hypnosis.

Despite the misconceptions of hypnosis perpetuated through popular culture and the entertainment industry, hypnosis remains a powerful tool that continues to be used today in the medical, mental health and self-help fields to help people to live better, live longer and enhance their lives.

If you are interested in learning more about using hypnosis to achieve altered states quickly and easily to enhance your life, you may want to look into brainwave entrainment. Brainwave entrainment is the process of using audio frequencies, called binaural beats, to achieve altered states of consciousness. Binaural beats can achieve almost any state of consciousness in about 5-10 minutes. Binaural beats are available for relaxation, meditation, sleep, astral projection, ESP, telepathy, remote viewing, past life regression as well as quitting smoking, losing weight, increasing energy and confidence and enhancing healing power.