The dictionary defines hypnosis as a state of sleep-like consciousness deliberately induced, and characterized by a greatly heightened suggestibility. When a subject or client is in hypnosis, they may appear to the outside observer that they are simply asleep.  However, being in hypnosis is nothing like being asleep. A person in hypnosis is fully aware of everything that is going on around them, they are in control, and they can accept or to reject anything said or suggested to them. Being in hypnosis is a very personal experience that cannot be duplicated. It can be very helpful for personal growth and exploration, for spiritual journeys and quests, as well as self-healing on many levels.

There are many myths and misunderstandings about hypnosis, based on misconception and misrepresentation from the media, incorrect information, and superstition. For example, there are no gender or intelligence requirements for a good experience with hypnosis. A hypnotist cannot make you do anything that goes against your own values and morals. Being in hypnosis is not dangerous. It is like being absorbed in something, or being so totally focused on one thought that everything else fades into the background, something we all do every day. The best source for the truth about hypnosis is a professionally trained hypnotist.

All forms of hypnosis are basically self-hypnosis. The hypnotist is there to act as a guide and translator on this journey of growth and self-realization. Hypnosis techniques can help the client release limiting beliefs, control stress and tension, stop smoking, overcome fears, heal the inner child, promote healing from within. It can also help improve existing skills and talents, connect with others, explore their own past, and create a better future.

Hypertension & High Blood Pressure - is a medical condition where your blood pressure is at dangerously elevated levels.  These can be signs of a potential heart attack, stroke, or kidney failure.  Most often medications are prescribed for this condition, but you can also relieve this potentially life threatening condition with simple techniques learned through hypnosis.  In this deeply relaxed state of mind our subconscious mind is able to absorb suggestions and imagery that will guide us towards better managing our health and physical well-being on a regular basis.  Our conscious mind must deal with day to day affairs such as family, work, traffic and expectations put upon us from the outside world, and which can create stress in our physical beings. Our subconscious mind, with the help of hypnosis, can learn how to send signals to our body as to handling them in a way that is calm and relaxed.  The first Law of the Universe is Free Will.  We choose how we want to live our lives and we can choose to live our lives in a more healthy and human-friendly way.  Sometimes we just need some guidance and support while we learn how to do this for ourselves.  Hypnosis techniques, esp. meditation and guided journeys, enable us to make those choices. Hypnosis is an excellent tool for self-help, and if we give our subconscious mind tools to better handle these stresses as they arise, we allow ourselves to experience a more stable and healthy blood pressure as a result.

Hypnosis and Insomnia: Insomnia is a common problem for many people today. Somewhere around 58% of  people experience it a few nights a week, or more. Insomnia can involve being unable to get to sleep, waking up in the middle of the night, or waking too early in the morning. Left untreated, it can lead to other problems, including daytime fatigue, depression, irritability, impaired work performance, and accidents and injuries. Sometimes it is caused by other medical conditions, but in many cases it's a result of stress: People lie awake at night thinking of everything they should be doing during the day.

Hypnosis, which allows people to tap into their own inner potential for healing and change, is a serious and effective healing modality, but it's also a very relaxing and enjoyable experience.  It is a useful tool for treating many ailments, such as  insomnia that are caused by stress. It's noninvasive, does not involve drugs or their associated side effects, and it is relatively inexpensive, since most people only need one or two sessions of treatment in order to achieve results. People can also be taught to hypnotize themselves, so they can continue treatment at home, as needed, whenever they have difficulty sleeping.

In hypnosis, a person achieves this state of relaxed, focused concentration with the guidance and help of a trained health professional, and then uses it to achieve specific goals, like a good night's sleep. Just as a person in the movie theater loses awareness of the other people in the audience and experiences only the events in the movie, a person suffering from insomnia can shift attention away from the stressful thoughts and feelings that are preventing him or her from sleeping, and achieve restful sleep.

While in hypnosis, a person is very open to suggestions. During a hypnosis session, a practitioner suggests positive changes in a person's physical and/or emotional state or perceptions. These are called hypnotic suggestions. When the person is very relaxed and in the hypnotic state, the practitioner makes suggestions for improved sleep and general health, including suggestions that the person will wake up refreshed, energetic, and happy.

Hypnosis, Headaches, and Chronic Pain: Using hypnosis techniques as a cure for headaches provides a convenient method of reducing stress and providing pain control. Hypnosis has been used for pain control for centuries. The uses of hypnosis for pain control are many, and backed by psychological and scientific studies. It is easy to use hypnosis techniques to provide pain relief for such things as headaches.  It is important to say, at this point, all pain , including headaches, is a warning that the body may need professional medical care.  Regular pain may be an indication that something is serious, so be sure to consult your own professional health practitioner for any medical conditions you may be experiencing.

Hypnosis techniques, can be an effective tool for relieving stress and chronic pain such as headaches.  Headaches can occur when we are under constant stress. Relaxation through hypnosis can bring a high level of relief to the pain of common headaches. Hypnosis is an excellent method to manage chronic headaches; it is noninvasive, does not involve the use of any drugs, and has no side effects. And self-hypnosis, once learned, is always available in case your headaches do return.

Just as a person in a movie theater loses awareness of the other people in the theater and focuses only on the action on the screen, a headache sufferer can shift attention away from pain and no longer feel it. In addition, clients can learn to control some of the factors, such as tension and blood flow to the head, which contribute to many common headaches.

While in the altered state which is hypnosis, a client may feel warm and comfortable, so relaxed that they don't want to move. Their mind is awake and focused, and it is in this focused state of concentration that the practitioner makes suggestions for improved health and pain relief. Under hypnosis, many people can control aspects of the body that are usually not under conscious control: blood pressure, muscle tension, heart rate, and blood flow. Many of these factors  contribute to chronic pain like common headaches, so controlling them helps ease headache pain.  A client can also learn to block out any headache pain so it's not felt. A health practitioner may teach a client to do self-hypnosis, so treatment can continue at home. Learning self-hypnosis can be particularly effective for long-term management of chronic headaches, being accessible wherever and whenever it's needed.

Being in hypnosis is to be an altered state of consciousness, much like the state of mind when one is drifting off to sleep or just waking up. It is like being very aware and relaxed at the same time. The brain waves of a person who is in an altered state of consciousness strongly resemble those of a person who is extremely aware and conscious. It is while in this altered state of consciousness that unconscious material is can be lifted to the conscious level. There it can be examined and explored, and suggestions can be made for guidance, healing and growth.

Edgar Cayce once said self-healing is the best help. These techniques enable you to manage and control obstacles or objectives you have, including stress, relationship issues, etc. A person's thoughts and feelings can influence actions, beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes which help determine our future circumstances. Attitudes and beliefs begin in the mind. When you build better thoughts, you automatically build a better life for yourself. Hypnosis and regression work can help improve the quality of life, in terms of daily experiences, and on a larger scale, in terms of the obstacles and challenges each individual must face. 

Hypnotherapy is the therapeutic application of hypnosis that uses various means to activate and strengthen the client by bringing together the mind's capacities for connecting to the subconscious mind and the unconscious. It is while in such a trance state, the ability to communicate with inner processes is enhanced and intensified. The hypnotherapist guides and facilitates the client into the trance, which is more like a wonderful state of natural relaxation, connecting higher levels of knowledge and wisdom. During this state the client and therapist work together to induce the desirable changes and to internalize them.

Another myth about hypnosis concerns giving up control. There is never a sense of loss of control or becoming unconscious because the client remains aware of their surroundings while disregarding the normal elements of their environment.  The client remains in control at all times and can bring themselves out of the trance state at any time.  It is not possible to get stuck in hypnosis.  If, for some reason the hypnotist leaves the room, the client will gradually return to their normal state of mind.

Anyone can achieve a state of hypnosis or altered consciousness - there are no intelligence or gender differences.  If someone can focus their attention and use their imagination, allowing yourself to move into the very relaxed state of mind will come easily and naturally.  For various reasons, some people do require a bit more time and focus than others, but just about everyone can get there eventually. 

To find out more about hypnosis and hypnotherapy go to the National Guild of Hypnotists at www.ngh.net.