What really happens in the mind during hypnosis?
Academic institutions are increasingly providing the research interest and means to study hypnosis and hypnotherapy – dissolving old myths and misunderstandings while at the same time clarifying the real truth about hypnosis.
Facts about hypnosis and hypnotherapy:
- Being in the state of hypnosis is an ideal state for heightened and/or concentrated learning
- Hypnosis and hypnotherapy offer you a natural state of mind (alpha state) that we are in about 50-80% of our waking day
- You will experience a natural state of heightened awareness, in fact.
- You will not unconscious nor out of control during the hypnosis process.
- You will not cluck like a chicken! or do anything that would not be in your best interest.
- All hypnosis is self-hypnosis in that you allow yourself to follow along with the suggestions; you can also choose not to be guided.
- You will experience a relaxed, yet focused state of attention, open to suggestions consistent with your goals [you retain complete choice over what's accepted] when in the state we call hypnosis.
- During hypnosis you can be conditioned to have greater accessibility to your inner conscious mind – the true gold mine of your own personal achievement
- Your experience in hypnosis often includes deep relaxation
- Most often an experience called “being in the alpha state” (8-13Hz] occurs
- When our brain wave frequency is slower than when awake (13+Hz), but faster than when we’re asleep (<4 Hz).
At your first visit, I will give you the crash course (5-10 minutes) on what hypnosis is, how it works, and what you can expect. Also, you can check out my video on the right side of this site about “What Hypnosis Is and How Hypnosis Works.”
You’ll discover that the question is not can you be hypnotized, but can you allow your self to be re-trained, to be un-hypnotized from your own self hypnosis so that you can learn to become the person you want to be instead of continuing to react to old programs and patterns that do not serve you, and maybe never did.
Hypnosis myth busting:
Unfortunately, these myths have been with us for centuries now and have led many of us to imagine that hypnosis can put one under a spell, or make people do things they don’t want to do, divulge information that we don’t want to share, or magically stop people from doing things.
All these myths arose over time from ignorance, movies, stage shows and old tales, but have no basis in reality according to reliable modern scientific research.
However, we can be easily influenced if we are around someone who seems credible or knowledgeable about a subject. Or, if we want something to be true, we might be “gullible”. These are common human examples of self-hypnosis in that we accept these influences from others, including the news, the media in general, our own “best friend” and family members, to name a few.
We even mis-perceive or make up stuff in our own mind, often inaccurately or as a projection onto others instead of it being reality. Haven’t you, too, been mistakenly accused of doing something that you didn’t do by someone who merely “thought” or “believed” you did?
There are clear forms of self-hypnosis in our every day life. Aren’t we all already programmed to a large extent from society, childhood and our environment, as well as from ourselves?
What is true, however, is that we have a mind of our own. We just don’t often know how to use our own mind to the fullest extent for our own benefit or those around us.
Live to Your Full Potential!
Our mind is a tool that can be used any way we choose to. It may take some practice and exposure to new options, but if we are capable of learning (and most people are), we can with the right guidance and support for us, find new and better ways of thinking and behaving.
The Problem: We just didn’t come into the world with an instruction booklet on how to use our greatest asset, our own mind, for our greatest benefit. Brain and behavioral research has begun to open our eyes to significant understanding on the workings of our mind.
Because of my years of study in this area, I am well known for teaching people about how their conscious and subconscious minds work and how to use them better to achieve greater happiness, success, health, peace of mind, and effectiveness in life for your self.
What issues can be addressed by hypnosis?
- Acne / Psoriasis / Rosacea
- Acceptance of Self / Others
- Addictions
- Alcohol Usage
- Allergies
- Anger / Irritability / Temper
- Anxiety, Worry & Phobias
- Bet Wetting / Enuresis
- Breathwork
- Breast Enlargement
- Business Enhancement
- Claustrophobia
- Communication
- Confidence
- Creativity
- Dental Fears / Anxiety
- Dysfunctional Patterns
- Dyslexia / Learning Challenges
- Eating Disorders
- Erectile Dysfunction
- Exercise Motivation
- Fears
- Fear of Flying
- Fibromyalgia
- Financial Improvement
- Focus Issues
- Frigidity / Impotence
- Habits
- Hair Pulling / Trichotillosis
- Headaches / Migraines
- High Blood Pressure
- Hormonal Problems
- Hypnobirthing
- Insecurity
- Insomnia
- Intimacy – Emotional / Sexual
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Lack of Energy
- Leadership
- Learning Skills / Acceleration
- Nail Biting / Picking
- Nervousness
- Memory Improvement
- Motion Sickness
- Motivation
- Pain Management / Release
- Parenting Issues
- Perfectionism / Obsessive Compulsive
- Phantom Pain Release
- Poor Eyesight
- Premenstrual Syndrome
- Procrastination
- Public Speaking
- Rebirthing
- Relationship Issues
- Sales Performance
- Self Confidence
- Self Esteem
- Self Sabotage
- Sexual Performance
- Shyness
- Sleep Disorders
- Smoking Cessation
- Snoring
- Spelling Problems
- Spiritual Connection
- Sports Performance
- Stage Fright
- Stress & Tension
- Stroke Recovery
- Stuttering
- Substance Abuse
- Success Orientation
- Surgical Anxiety
- Teeth Grinding
- Test Anxiety
- Thumb Sucking
- Unconscious Blocks
- Weight Loss or Gain
- Work Problems
- Or…Ask Us About Your Personal Interest.
Will hypnosis cause me to do funny things?
We’ve all seen stage shows where persons who were hypnotized did a lot of crazy and silly things. People often ask if that will happen to them.
Absolutely not! When a person goes up on the stage to participate in an entertainment show for hypnosis, they have a certain unspoken contract in mind. They know that they are going to be asked to do a lot of silly things and they agree to that at some level of their mind. If we were to bring the ‘star’ of the show to my office for some purposeful work, they would not respond to any of the suggestions which they had responded to when they were in the entertainment setting.
The context in which the hypnosis is taking place and the understood purpose of the hypnosis in the individual’s mind always determines the type of responses that can be elicited. You can not be caused to do anything in hypnosis that you would not choose to do. And, of course, in an office setting all suggestions would pertain precisely to the goal of your becoming more and more competent in your desired purpose(s).
What does it feel like to be hypnotized?
Actually, everyone has a different subjective experience so I can only give you some of the common reports. Some persons liken it to the peaceful feeling they have just upon awakening on a morning when they don’t have to get up right away. They are fully aware of where they are and what’s going on but it’s just very peaceful and relaxing to lie there; sort of a gray area between waking and sleeping.
Most individuals think that hypnosis should be more like the state of sleep itself where we are not consciously aware of anything. They expect to “wake up” from hypnosis as from a sound sleep. Since we are never “asleep” in hypnosis we don’t need to “wake up” from it. It is simply a very comfortable and natural state of mind we enter into and then fall back out of.
Some individuals will experience a feeling of heaviness in their limbs while others may report a light floating sensation. Breathing tends to slow down in hypnosis somewhat like it does when we sleep at night. There are a number of externally visible signs of hypnosis.
Think of it this way. If we gathered a group of individuals around a swimming pool and asked them to enter the pool, we would see a wide variety of methods. Some would dive in and some would head down the steps in the pool, while others would test the water gently with their foot. The same is true with a group of people entering hypnosis. Some will dive right in and enjoy a deeper quality of relaxation than they have ever had before in their entire lives and they will love it. Others will just gently test the shallow waters.
The point is, it doesn’t matter which you do. You need only a light to medium state of hypnosis to bring about positive behavioral change. Those individuals that enter into a deeper state will not necessarily “do better.” You are not in competition with anyone. It is the nature of the subconscious mind to respond more easily and more rapidly with each repetition of response. Before you know it, you will be able to enter hypnosis “just like that” whenever you so desire. Soon you will cease to ask yourself the question, “Was I hypnotized?” and instead just ask yourself the right question. “What does hypnosis feel like to me?”
The question is not “Can I be hypnotized?”, but rather “Can I be un-hypnotized from my own hypnosis?”
What really happens in the mind during hypnosis?
Let’s take the mystery out of hypnosis. It is a completely natural state of mind. Although you may not have been formally hypnotized before, you have experienced this state of mind countless times, daily in fact. You’ll understand that better when you know what it is that really happens in your mind during hypnosis.
For the moment, imagine dividing your mind into two parts. One is the conscious mind, those things you are fully aware of and focusing on at any given moment, and the second is the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind works like a giant tape recorder. Every experience we’ve recorded in our lives is stored there. Of course it would be too much trivia to be constantly aware of so you can think of it as a filing system that is accessible to us through hypnosis and other methods.
The subconscious mind also controls those bodily functions over which we do not need to exercise conscious control like heart rate, breathing, digestion, and so forth. You can, with learning and practice, gain the ability to bring many of these voluntary bodily functions under your voluntary control and this will be valuable in your dealing with specific physical issues.
Habits are controlled in the subconscious mind and this is of major importance to us. The subconscious mind is also the seat of emotions and since certain emotional connections trigger mental and behavioral responses, you need to be able to gain access to the subconscious mind in order to effectively change those responses.
Imagine, if you will, a filter, screen or network which lies over the subconscious mind. I will call it the critical factor. You can think of it as a kind of protective mechanism so that every single thing we are exposed to does not become accepted as truth by the subconscious mind and become acted upon. In hypnosis we are purposely bypassing the critical factor of the mind so that ideas which are beneficial to us can make a deep and lasting impression on the subconscious mind. The critical factor of the mind merely becomes less active through a variety of methods, but it never disappears. it is simply less active and it will return to full activity should any suggestion be made which your mind does not deem to be in your best interest. You are not a blank slate in hypnosis and you will not accept just any suggestion presented.
Think about sometime when you were watching a sad movie and maybe you were crying or at least feeling some emotions coming up. The critical factor was sill active enough that you knew it was just a movie and yet it wasn’t bombarding you with interfering thoughts like, “Why are you crying? This lady is not dead. You saw her live on TV this morning.” And yet, if your partner asks if you want some popcorn you can turn and respond and then instantly return to the movie and be right back into it again. We go into and out of our subconscious mind all day long. Every time we are involved in some creative endeavor, every time we daydream, every time we get wrapped up in our emotions, every time we drive along in our car and suddenly realize we don’t remember the last mile we drove, every time we are feeling our emotions or acting out of some previously formed habit, we are in our subconscious mind.
It is estimated that we spend between 50% and 80% of our waking hours in our subconscious mind. I like to remind people that when we enter into that state of mind we call hypnosis that we are not going into uncharted territory where no human has ever set foot before. It is a common and completely natural state of mind that we have all experienced countless times before, we just didn’t call it hypnosis.
How do I know if I can even be hypnotized?
Since hypnosis is a completely natural state of mind, there is no such thing as a person who cannot be hypnotized as long as they have the willingness and ability to learn. A thorough explanation of hypnosis and the careful instruction in reaching that wonderful state of relaxation takes place early on in the work we do together. Remember, it is a natural ability of the human mind and you will find it extremely relaxing and enjoyable.
Will I know what is going on during hypnosis?
Absolutely! Hypnosis has nothing to do with being asleep or unconscious in any way. You hear everything, remember everything, and know exactly what’s going on the entire time. You are always aware and at choice.
How can you be helped?
More Questions? Call to schedule a Confidential Free 30-Minute Strategy Consultation with Jane Ann Covington at 404-442-8700.
Center for Developing Mastery offers hypnosis, hypnotherapy, coaching and education to help you positively take back control and effectively make the changes you want to make in order for you to succeed in life, to set yourself free to flourish on your chosen path.
Hypnosis and hypnotherapy can be dynamically powerful to help individuals in many ways including stop smoking, lose weight, anxiety and phobias, procrastination, increase motivation, improve self esteem and confidence, focus and memory, health, realize your Full Potential Self with the dynamic Covington Method that includes a unique and customized combination process of hypnosis, hypnotherapy, coaching and education. Discover our unique, fast, effective, long lasting effects of hypnosis and hypnotherapy and how the can be achieved with Jane Ann Covington’s results focused methods and techniques.
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