What is Hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a highly affective treatment used within counselling and psychotherapy as well as within medicine and dentistry.

The term 'Hypnosis' is used to denote an interaction between two people (or one person and a group) in which one of them, the hypnotist, by means of verbal communication, encourages the other , the subject to focus their attention away from their immediate realities and concerns and on their inner experiences such as thoughts, feelings and imagery. The hypnotist further attempts to create alterations in the subjects' sensations, perceptions, feelings, thoughts and behaviour by directing them to imagine various events or situations that, were they to occur in reality, would evoke the intended changes.

Hypnosis involves the coming together of a number of psychological processes and skills, including attention (selective and sustained), absorption, expectancy, imagination and very often, though not always, relaxation. (Heap. M & Aravind. K.K. (2002) Hartland's Medical and Dental Hypnosis)

Misunderstanding and misconception have prevented many from considering hypnosis as a treatment within a therapy, for example, that hypnosis is sleep; the subject loses control and does not remember the hypnosis upon being alerted; the subject may not come out of hypnosis.

Research has proven that hypnosis is not sleep. Brain activity shows that the individual is able to hear and respond to the hypnotists suggestions during hypnosis and remember what has happened. Although the hypnotic process involves the client focusing on instructions and responding to suggestions from the 'therapist', the client remains fully in control of his/her actions and disclosures and can 'awake' from hypnosis at any time.

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