1. WHO CAN BE HYPNOTIZED?

Now that you realize hypnosis is not an unnatural state, but rather a state the average person slips into and out of every day without realizing it, you should suspect that anyone could be hypnotized. 

You suspend critical thought when you become involved watching television, otherwise you would not be able to enjoy the program.  Imagine watching a show and reminding yourself every few minutes that the people on the screen are only actors.  BORING. To enjoy the show, you must suspend critical thought and become a part of the action.  Is that really hypnosis? Sure it is. That is why TV commercials are effective; we suspend critical thought and become highly suggestible.

Daydreaming is another good example of natural hypnosis. When you are daydreaming, times seems to pass quickly, because conscious thought is not active to make judgments about the passing minutes.  You may have experienced this phenomenon while driving down the freeway and suddenly realized that your exit was five miles back.  The point is simply this: 100% OF ALL NORMAL PEOPLE CAN AND DO EXPERIENCE HYPNOSIS.

2. HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE HYPNOTIZED?

When you experience controlled hypnosis, whether by a professional hypnotist or doing it yourself, the result is the same. Every muscle in the body becomes pleasantly relaxed and all tension disappears.  You feel this relaxation in various degrees from one hypnotic experience to another.

With practice, you will be able to relax completely in a matter of seconds. After your nerves and muscles relax, your mind also lets go, and although you remain aware of noises and activity around you, they do not disturb your tranquil mood in any way.

You can think and bring critical thought back if you desire, but only an emergency triggers such a desire because you prefer to continue enjoying your relaxed mood. You do not pass out or become unconscious; you remain conscious of where you are and what you are doing, but generally feel too relaxed and comfortable to want to think about it.

You can come back to complete conscious awareness at any time you choose.  For instance, if the phone rings, you can discard your trance and answer the phone, without remaining in hypnosis.

No one has ever been unable to come out of hypnosis, and the sensational stories that you might hear about people stuck in hypnosis are completely unfounded. A few neurotics have been known to enjoy the pleasant, relaxed state so much that they refuse to awaken at another’s command, but they could do so any time they wished.  This again illustrates the point that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis; if they refuse to return to a normal state of consciousness, they eventually go into natural sleep and awaken as usual when rested.

No one has ever been unable to come out of hypnosis, and the sensational stories that you might hear about people stuck in hypnosis are completely unfounded. A few neurotics have been known to enjoy the pleasant, relaxed state so much that they refuse to awaken at another’s command, but they could do so any time they wished.  This again illustrates the point that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis; if they refuse to return to a normal state of consciousness, they eventually go into natural sleep and awaken as usual when rested.

3. CAN HYPNOIS BE USED WITH CHILD BIRTH?

Today, hypnosis is used more and more frequently for childbirth.  My own daughter was delivered with hypnosis instead of chemical painkillers.

With this method, my wife could be conscious and involved in the birthing process.  She managed labor in a more relaxed way.  When hypnosis is used to eliminate the discomfort of labor, the sensations and pleasant emotions of the experience are not impaired.  Free of pain and anxiety, the mother is aware and can enjoy her baby’s first cry.

A qualified hypnotist should administer hypno-anesthesia.  However, many women learn the art of self-hypnosis to manage their own pain, by managing labor in a more relaxed way.  Self-hypnosis can be a tremendous help in preparing the mother for the big event by alleviating the fears and anxiety connected with childbirth, thereby making the delivery much easier.

Most women have heard stories about how painful childbirth can be.  Sometimes it seems as if friends and relatives make a special effort to tell you about the hardest part of their labors.  Knowing the causes of pain in childbirth and understanding the purposes of the powerful sensations you feel, make labor and birth easier and less frightening.

Using hypnosis to take the mother through a mental rehearsal for delivery also helps to eliminate fears.  The mother feels like she has already gone through it and there is not need to worry; the less tension and fright, the easier the delivery.

This preparation brings a mother and baby together in a new way.  The more joy there can be, the better for both. 

4. CAN HYPNOSIS BE USED FOR RELIEF OF PAIN?

Hypnosis is an effective as a medical adjunct, both as an analgesic and an anesthetic. Hypnotic suggestions can alter the way messages of pain are perceived, processed, transmitted, and interpreted by the brain and central nervous system. From the temporary, localized pain, experienced at the dentist’s office to the chronic pain of cancer patients, hypnosis offers new hope in alleviating suffering.

Headaches, backaches, arthritis, rheumatism, menstrual cramps, labor pains, and accident injuries are but a few of the many ailments that respond to these methods.

For more and more people, hypnosis is proving helpful in raising the threshold of pain and lessening the need for drugs. Scientists have long been aware that the brain is the center of pain perception.  They are learning more every day. Among the newest information is the knowledge that the brain gives forth a morphine-like chemical responsible for the lessening of pain.

Imagine an incredibly potent painkiller available to everyone, able to relieve the most excruciating pain, with no harmful side effects. Best of all, there is no fear of addiction.  Your brain’s chemistry is with you at all times.  This substance is two hundred times as powerful as morphine.  It is called dynorphin - one of the families of the exciting brain chemicals called endorphins.

Best of all, there is no fear of addiction.  Your brain’s chemistry is with you at all times.  This substance is two hundred times as powerful as morphine.  It is called dynorphin - one of the families of the exciting brain chemicals called endorphins.

Evidence suggests that hypnosis releases endorphins from the brain during the trance state.  The discovery that the brain can manufacture its own narcotic raises the real hope that we can diminish the use of addictive painkillers that have entrapped so many people. Hypnotherapists believe that, with successful application of the principles of hypnosis, the brain can be trained to produce extra secretions of its painkiller.

Your tolerance for pain can be raised  in direct proportion to the relaxation of the muscles.  Since anxiety leads to tenseness, it intensifies pain.  Therefore, the total relaxation of hypnosis automatically raises the pain threshold.