What is Hypnosis?

The technical definition of Hypnosis is
Hypnosis is a state of hyper-suggestibility where the conscious and subconscious (unconscious) minds dissociate.
It is a state of mind where the subject is more likely to accept the operator's suggestions.

But a description rather than the definition of hypnosis may be easier to understand. In general, hypnosis is characterized as

• A State of Increased Relaxation where the conscious mind becomes subdued and ideas and suggestions can be introduced to the unconscious more easily. Notice that I said "in general," meaning for most people, but not everyone.
  
  
• You Have Been in Hypnosis Often Without Even Realizing It.
  Hypnosis is the alpha level of consciousness.
  You pass through this daydream like state as you fall asleep at night.
  And you pass through it again as you awaken in the morning

There are many definitions and many hypnotists even disagree amongst themselves about a true definition, one of the simplest definition would be
‘Hypnosis is an artificially induced state of relaxation
where the susceptibility of the mind to suggestion is increased.’

When we talk about hypnosis, we are really talking about suggestion.
To induce hypnosis, suggestions are given to the client forthem to enter a state of relaxation and are accompanied by the repetition of carefully chosen
key words from the clients own model of their world, and using phrases that focus the attention and induce a state of increased suggestibility.

In other words, this extreme state of relaxation and focusing of the attention makes the client more responsive to suggestion.
Hypnosis represents a ‘peak experience’ where the suggestions given by the hypnotist are remembered both in the conscious and unconscious mind
and acted upon if the client so desires.

To What degree Is A Client Hypnotised?

The degree to which a person is hypnotised is directly linked to the degree to which that person responds to suggestion,
all hypnosis is self hypnosis, and the client chooses to what degree or level of relaxation they are most comfortable with .

You Are Always In Control Of Your State and Your Actions

Hypnosis is also a ‘consent state’ where the hypnotised subject always retains ultimate control of their actions.
Hypnosis works particularly well when a person’s belief system overrides their skepticism.
That does not mean to say that only gullible people can be hypnotised - on the contrary, hypnosis requires a certain amount of concentration
on the part of the subject. Imaginative people who can lose themselves in daydreams often make good hypnotic subjects,
but this is not always the case as scientifically minded people are also easily hypnotisable.

Advertisers Use Hypnosis All The Time

All human beings are susceptible to suggestion and are influenced by it on a daily basis – that’s how advertising works.
Advertisers don’t sell you the product, they sell you the lifestyle and the happiness associated with the product.
This is a subtle way of getting you to buy things you don’t really want!

Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy

In the last twenty years or so, hypnotherapy has grown worldwide to industrial proportions. There are over 5,000 hypnotherapists in Britain.
Hypnotherapy is most often associated with stopping smoking and losing weight, but the list of conditions that can be improved using hypnotherapy is almost endless. Hypnosis often provides a short cut when dealing with fears and phobias and more recently pain management. The beautifully relaxing feeling of being hypnotised provides a ‘comfort zone’ where patients can explore their tribulations and the hypnotherapist can assist in helping the client to decide what the problem is, where it came from in the first place, and what needs to be done about it - following these simple steps: 1) desire for change; 2) change in thinking; 3) attitude change; 4) behaviour modification.
Hypnosis is a relatively narrow field of study and surprisingly, you don’t need any qualifications to set up as a hypnotherapist! The techniques are comparatively straightforward but a background in psychology is desirable. After all, if you are going to become a television engineer, it’s not enough to know how to turn the TV on and off – you should at least have some understanding of electronics!

There are many different methods that are used to reach the unconscious mind to invoke change. 
Each method has it's strengths, and it's weaknesses.

Every person is different, so it stands to reason that the best results will be obtained by utilizing the methods that each person will respond to.
With "Traditional Hypnosis," we simply make direct suggestions to the unconscious mind.  In case you are wondering, as far as I’m concerned,
the terms unconscious and subconscious are interchangeable – they refer to the same part of the mind. 
This type of hypnosis works well for someone who generally accepts what they are told without a lot of questions.

Most hypnosis audios sold today are based on "Traditional Hypnosis" techniques. 
The reason for this is that it really doesn't take much training or experience to write a script and just tell someone what to do. 
Unfortunately Traditional Hypnosis is not very effective for people who are critical or analytical in their thinking processes. 

By contrast, Ericksonian Hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming techniques work far better for most members of today's generation! 
This is because today people are taught to question everything, rather than just follow the flock. 
So these methods do work very well on people who are critical or analytical in their thinking processes.

These methods are much more effective at reaching and influencing the unconscious.   However, it can take years of training, study, and most of all experience to learn how to apply these techniques effectively.  This is a challenge that is only accepted by the truly dedicated.With "Ericksonian Hypnosis," we use little stories, called metaphors, to present suggestions and ideas to the unconscious mind.  This is a powerful and effective method, because it usually eliminates the blockage of and resistance to suggestions that is often caused by the conscious mind. There are two types of metaphors, "Isomorphic," and those of the imbedded command or "interspersal" nature.  

Isomorphic metaphors offer direction to the unconscious by telling a story that offers up a moral. 
The unconscious draws a one-to-one relationship between elements of the story and elements of a problem situation or behavior

As a Master NLP Trainer who has trained with over 28 international trainers over a period of 20years, I personally endorse the NLP techniques as an enhancement to hypnotherapy and creates a lot more options and flexibility with a client achieving their results faster and more effectively.
With "Neuro-Linguistic Programming" (NLP), rather than using suggestions, we use the same thought patterns that are creating a problem,
like an excessive appetite or stress, to eliminate the problems.  NLP in the hands of an experienced practitioner can be very effective. 
I utilize several different NLP techniques in my hypnotherapy practice, and in my training programs