There is no agreed definition of the state of mind called hypnosis, and in our present state of knowledge a scientific explanation is not possible. But it is possible to describe the ways in which hypnosis differs from the normal state of awareness.
Description of Hypnosis:
1. Attention is focussed on internal events. This occurs naturally in everyday life.
2. There is a lessening of interest in and conscious awareness of external realities.
There is increased responsiveness to internally generated realities, often showing itself in ideo motor/ ideo-sensory responses. So hypnosis is not sleep.
3. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis, but a willing subject can be guided into it by a Hypnotherapist.
4. A hypnotherapist in rapport with the subject can guide and stimulate awareness of internal events in ways which elicit the vivification of memories, thoughts, feelings and mislaid abilities.
5. Hypnosis does not create new abilities, but enables existing capacities to be used in new ways. In itself Hypnosis is not a therapy, but a tool of therapy.
6. Hypnosis does not turn client’s into automates and client’s will reject suggestions unacceptable to their personalities.
7. Client’s respond to the hypnotic process and to suggestions in their own creative and unique way and in the light of their personal understanding, experiences and abilities.
8. In the normal waking state, the conscious mind is in control and, whilst maintaining a useful watch on external realities, also imposes all kinds of biases, pre suppositions, prejudices, rigidities, repressions, distortions, and fixed patterns of beliefs, thoughts, feeling and behaviour.
In the hypnotic state the limitations of the conscious mind are set aside for a time and the unconscious mind becomes more literal. There is a more child like pattern of response, an increased availability of thoughts and memories previously hidden from awareness, and a greater openness to new concepts and behaviours.
9. The hypnotic state can be used to obtain post-hypnotic responses and can facilitate such phenomena as positive and negative hallucination amnesia, regression, automatic drawing and writing, and time distortion. Like trance, however, all these phenomena occur naturally in everyday life.
10. The deliberate induction of hypnotic trance and the elicitation of desired phenomena usually requires some learning on the part of the subject.
11. Any normal and willing person can be hypnotised provided that there is adequate motivation and that the personal needs and idiosyncrasies of the individual subject are acknowledged and met. This does not necessarily mean that any hypnotherapist can hypnotise everybody he meets.
12. No special powers are required to be a hypnotic, and practically anyone can learn the relevant skills to some degree.
13. Although there are some typical trends, everybody manifests hypnotic trance and responds to suggestions in his or her unique way.
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