Hypnosis Frequently Asked Questions

Answers about Hypnotism and Hypnosis

Amazing Hypnotist

What is Hypnosis & Power of Suggestion?

We experience hypnosis daily, just never put a name to it. Have you ever driven from point A to point B and not remember how you got there? Your conscious mind simply turns off or gets distracted, while the subconscious continues to function normally. Hypnosis is a science - we simply developed a way to induce it through suggestion. The hypnotic state is natural phenomena and not a supernatural power.

Your mind is like a mental storage for experiences, behavior and beliefs. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis. The best way to describe hypnosis is that there are two parts to your mind: conscious and sub-conscious. The conscious mind acts as a guard that reasons and accepts the suggestions. It sorts through these suggestions, and decides if they should pass through or get rejected. The subconscious takes everything blindly and without question. A hypnotist temporarily confuses, distracts or occupies the conscious mind, so that the suggestions that sneak through are accepted without question or reasoning.

In a stage presentation the hypnotist does NOT have ultimate control – the person simply gives them temporary control of their reality. That is why it is often stressed that a person would not do anything against their morals and beliefs.

Your mind acts as a computer program that logically deciphers the root of action. Through hypnosis we can enter new information into this program and re-script your subconscious mind by replacing negative beliefs and way of thinking with a new set of positive and life-improving thoughts that propel you to achieve your goals and desires. When your internal beliefs change, you will transform to lead a positive existence. There is never surrender of mind or control. The hypnotized individual is fully aware of their actions.

Hypnosis is a way of accessing your subconscious that contains your wisdom, intelligence, intuition, instincts and perception. It is your untapped resource for creativity and imagination. Your subconscious mind is the part of your brain responsible for all bodily functions and automatic behavior (blinking, breathing, blood circulation, healing, habits and learnt skills). The sub-conscious directs most of your behavior functions and is also the source of your emotions. Hypnosis is a safe way to issue new instructions to reprogram your mind and create changes in mind and body. Hypnosis is the doorway to your inner world, the realms of your imagination and dreams, which you can enter to improve your well-being and quality of life.

In a show, some people were dismissed from the stage. Doesn't everyone "go under"?

Most people are susceptible to hypnosis and power of suggestion. However, in a stage presentation, for the sake of the show, volunteers that prove to be the best subjects in the shortest time are selected to participate in the routines.

How can I learn to hypnotize?

Like practitioners of any craft, you need to study it at length to become great and successful. Perfect place to start is the the internet and librabry. Also, hypnosis guilds and associations offer courses and certification.

Are the people hypnotized asleep?

The hypnosis subject is not asleep, but extra aware. The word "sleep" is often used to equate the experience to a restful state. It stems from a Portuguese priest Abbe Faria who dramatically was the first to use the word to induce his subjects outside a monastery, achieving a convincing and dramatic effect. The term hypnosis originates from the Greek word "Hypnos", meaning sleep.

Why do hypnotists use a spiral or a pendulum?

A spiral or pendulum is used to direct the mind's attention on one point. It is not necessary, as the same effect can be by focusing on any object. It helps simplify the process of going into trance by a crafty wordsmith who is connecting physical and mental imagery.

How do I know when I am hypnotized? What does it feel like?

Generally you do not feel any different, but are more suggestible. The hypnotist can include "convincers" that will prove to the subjects that the state has been altered. These may include suggestibility tests or imagery altering. Normally, the subject simply gives temporary control of their environment to the hypnotist. The level of awareness is the only real measure, since the hypnotist guides his subject to concentrate on their thoughts and body. External stimuli can trigger a desired response, as in a stage show to achieve hilarious results.

Definition of hypnosis

A state of heightened awareness and focused concentration that can be used to manipulate reality, perception of pain, to access repressed memories and to re-program behavior.

Definitions of hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy is a combination of hypnosis and therapeutic intervention. The therapist leads the patient to positive change while the patient is deeply relaxed in a state of heightened suggestibility called trance.

Terms and Explanations

  • Hypnosis - which includes relaxation through the use of suggestion. It is a guided approach with the help of another person, where the subject reacts to external wording or stimuli. All Hypnosis is Self-Hypnosis, which typically involves an introduction to the procedure during which the subject is told that suggestions for imaginative experiences will be presented. The hypnotic induction is an extended initial suggestion to trigger the imagination and lead a person to explore their mind on the sub-conscious level. When using hypnosis, one person (the subject) is guided by another (the hypnotist or hypnotherapist) to respond to suggestions for changes in subjective experience, alterations in perception, sensation, emotion, thought or behavior. Hypnosis is sometimes referred to as Power of Suggestion.
  • Self Hypnosis - suggestions are provided mentally and silently or on a recording, eliminating the external guide (the subject autosuggests to himself or herself, instead of an outside source). It is the act of administering hypnotic procedures to yourself.
  • Alert hypnosis - there is no relaxation component.
  • Stage hypnosis - is a theatrical presentation that delivers a hilarious series of silly events achieved through powers of suggestion and compliance. It is an educational presentation for entertainment purposes, achieved by quick dramatic response to suggestions. Hypnosis shows are used to empower, achieve team building and to enlighten audiences about the vast capabilities of the mind.
    An agreement between two people to fantasize together - The Amazing Randi.
  • Street hypnosis - an impromptue display of hypnosis usually using strangers on the street, hence the name.
  • Neuro Linguistic Programming or NLP - is partially derived from careful observation of the patterns in what happens during hypnosis. It is in part an extension of the communications analysis view of hypnosis. NLP borrows its basic concepts largely from cognitive psychology, which views behavior as guided by schemata or strategies. NLP practitioners use a variety of methods to determine strategies for various activities, and then modify them or utilize them for other purposes. Some of the techniques used in NLP also resemble "alert hypnosis," using language patterns similar to a hypnotic induction to elicit cooperation, build trust, and increase the effectiveness of suggestions. An example of that would be a very effective salesman or negotiator.
  • An Induction - is a series of instructions that is the most common way to induce the hypnotic state. Inductions traditionally involve suggestions to relax, concentrating attention on the world within us, rather than the world outside. Any situation where we relax and allow ourselves to become absorbed in something can lead to the appropriate trance conditions. These conditions can also occur without relaxation. Most hypnotic inductions involve a cooperative process, rather than a hypnotist having the power to "zap" someone into a trance.
  • Hypnotherapy - is a profession using hypnosis to achieve therapeutic effects. Hypnotherapists provide a service of guiding others to better themselves.