Is there such thing as hypnosis?

Hypnosis happens when you are in a relaxed state, something like daydreaming, when your critical faculties are suspended and you are open to suggestion. The words 'hypnosis' and 'hypnotherapy' are derived from the Greek word hypnos, meaning 'sleep'.


Hypnotherapists induce a hypnotic trance in order to help you overcome addictions and phobias, such as fear of flying, or to relieve pain or stress contributing to illnesses like asthma. Some therapists who practise 'modern' or 'ericksonian' hypnotherapy (a style of psychotherapy called NLP) don't even induce the trance state, having found they can rely on 'everyday trance' - the mind's ability to wander and daydream - as a basis for making effective therapeutic suggestions.


In the 18th century, the Austrian doctor Franz Anton Mesmer practised a kind of hypnotism involving magnets ('mesmerism'). His patients claimed to feel no pain while in a trance and although Mesmer was dismissed as a charlatan, a Scottish doctor, James Braid, became interested in Mesmer's approach and investigated the possibilities of trance-like states of mind as a form of anaesthesia.


Early psychoanalysts like Sigmund Freud made use of hypnosis, but the American psychotherapist Milton H Erickson developed the form of hypnotherapy commonly used today. Many practitioners are counsellors, psychotherapists or psychologists, others are doctors and dentists.



Hypnotic states can be induced in several ways (whirling Dervishes use motion, for instance) but Western hypnotherapists tend to prefer quiet relaxation. You normally see a practitioner for a course of 60-minute sessions. At your first appointment, the therapist will ask about your physical and mental health, the nature of your problem and why you have chosen hypnotherapy. A hypnosis session often starts with a relaxation procedure, such as tensing and releasing different parts of your body, as you lie on a reclining chair or couch, although a good hypnotist can hypnotise you standing up, and pretty well anywhere.


At no time do you loose control of the situation. At any time, should you wish, you could literally get up and leave the session. You will not feel aneasthetized; it's more like being half awake. Some people describe it as being slightly stoned. You are, however, perfectly able to drive after a session. It is a pleasant and relaxing process.


If you need further information have a look at http://www.VancouverHypnotherapy.Org