What is hypnosis?
Surrounded by stigma, mystery, and mythology, hypnosis carries a lot of misunderstandings about what it really is. It’s hard to get even the experts, at times, agree on what it is.
Some people see it as a relaxed awareness. It can be, doesn’t have to be. If you look at the rallies of Hitler in WWII, you will see anything but a relaxed awareness. Those people were worked into a wild frenzy through hypnotic techniques.
Some see hypnosis as some kind of mind control thing, where the subject is trying to resist and the hypnotist breaks down their will until the fully surrender and are at the hypnotist mercy, forced to do their bidding. This is pathetic and leads to so many misunderstandings of hypnosis. It makes most people believe they can’t or don’t want to be hypnotized. I had a fellow say to me, “I can’t be hypnotized.” I responded with, “It sucks to be you.” A hypnotic trance can be a very beneficial state to be in. After talking with him a bit longer, I lead him into a trance and showed him it isn’t really a bad place to be.
Hypnosis it’s not what you think it is. It’s what you think it is.
No two trances are the same. They are as unique as each snowflake, and as individual as your fingerprints. They come in many forms like when you are watching a movie that draws you in and your blood is pumping, your heart is racing, or maybe you begin to uncontrollably cry when a character dies. It’s driving for 20 minutes to arrive at your destination and can’t recall the route you took or how you got there. These are all forms of hypnosis or hypnotic trance, and you go in and out of them several times a day.
So, hypnosis, what is it?
It’s a relationship between the hypnotist and the subject as they enter into a feedback loop of communication between the two of them which creates a hypnotic state. It creates a blur between the conscious and unconscious mind that allows information to flow freely back and forth with no difficulty.
It is a means of accessing unconscious resources, a way of getting to the good stuff you already have in you and unlearning the bad habits you have developed. It is a series of processes where you can re-write things that have been programmed in your unconscious, where you can change things like a hard-drive defrag in your computer. You can clear the clutter in your brain and re-boot with a fresh operation system.
It is hacking into the REM state, the state of rapid eye movement, that occurs in the first 90 minutes of the sleep cycle and is where dreams happen. During this cycle, your brain and body are re-energized. The Pontine Tegmentum is shut down to 3 different neurotransmitters to the motor neurons that keep you from thrashing around during your sleep while you dream. It keeps your body still while your eyes are whipping all over the place and you’re having these metaphorical powerful dreams that help you discharge emotional arousal from the previous day.
The REM state is the hypnotic state. When you go into hypnosis you are gaining access to the REM state where metaphor itself is extremely powerful and can bring lasting change. Combined with other powerful tools like Mindscaping or Sports Performance Enhancement you can get rid of what has been holding you back and create the successful life you have been looking for.
Shane: l was very fascinated by the blog you wrote about hypnosis. I remember asking you about the subject a few months ago. Thank you for publishing this. I just want to know…how does what you are writing about hypnosis ( and l
am not being a doubter here, please understand that), intersect with teachings of faith in the Bible as well as faith itself. I seriously want to understand this and thank you in advance for your prayers and your answer.
Hey Steve,
Thanks for the comment. That’s a great question.
As a minister and studying human behavior and psychology for over 30 years, one thing I’ve learned, and am sure you will agree with. People tend to demonize things they don’t have a clear understanding of.
Hypnosis is one of them. Hypnosis is nothing more than being in a trace state.
Trance is natural phenomena, like when you are driving down the road and 15 mins later you don’t remember how you got there, you were in a trance. Or, watching a TV show and lose focus on anything else going on around you in the room.
Many preachers put their congregations in a trance, most of the time without being aware of it.
Most religions, if not all, use some form of trance inducing techniques, like the alter call, prayer, ritual, music, etc.
Those who oppose hypnosis or say it is demonic usually:
1.) Fail to understand hypnosis or
2.) Fail to understand their religion.
So to answer your question is it spiritual, or how does spirituality play in all of this?
The Greek word for spirit, pneuma, means breath. So, I guess in that sense it is as spiritual as breathing.
Hope this helps.