There is a shroud of mist around hypnosis. To many, the term is associated with mystery, magic and mysticism. The entertainment industry, movies or stage hypnosis, utilize this sense of magic for-profit and spread these misconceptions, with which hypnosis has nothing to do. If these myths are not hypnosis then what is hypnosis?
One characteristic of most mental phenomena, like consciousness, rage, boredom, is subjectiveness. It is experienced in a way that is most meaningful only to the “self.” Hypnosis also belongs to this group. Therefore it evades precise definition. The subjectiveness makes hypnosis a unique experience for every hypnotized person. However, to understand it, we need somehow to define it. The usual definition is that hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness, characterized by increased focal concentration, decreased peripheral attention and a state of hyper-suggestibility.
The phrase “altered state of consciousness” means that hypnosis is a conscious experience. The hypnotized person is aware and in control throughout the session. However, this awareness is a little bit different from the usual, familiar, everyday consciousness. It is a state of full absorption and concentration, usually, but not necessarily, with relaxation. Therefore, it is a pleasant experience.
While the definition of hypnosis is not straightforward, we can conveniently say what hypnosis is not. It is not sleeping, unconsciousness or general anesthesia. It is not uncontrolled, automatic behaviour. The truth is that hypnosis is the extension and expansion of some experiences that we usually have during our everyday life. Whenever we are in a state of complete attention to something, be it reading a book, watching a movie or a memory of the past, in a way that we are entirely absorbed and are not distracted by whatever happens around us, we are in a hypnotic-like state. What happens during a hypnotherapy session is the exaggeration of this state of mind, through the processes of induction and deepening, done by the therapist. The fact that we may have many daily hypnosis-like states of consciousness suggests that hypnosis is an innate ability of us.
The presence of a therapist gives a hypnosis session the characteristics of social interaction too. A hypnotherapy session starts with a rapport between two persons, the therapist and the client. Through this rapport, the client lets the therapist start and deepen the process. By implicitly agreeing to succumb to the experience, the client lets it and makes it happen. For this reason, it is correct to say that “all hypnosis is self-hypnosis.” Through the client-therapist interaction, the state of altered consciousness and receptiveness to suggestions begins. It is called a hypnotic state or trance. In another post, I will talk about the characteristics of the trance.
