Now that you know a little about what hypnosis is capable of, we need to talk about some of the limitations that are built into hypnosis as well as some of the myths surrounding hypnosis. People think that hypnosis is an all powerful source that controls ones mind. They think it is capable of leaping tall buildings and all kinds of crazy things.

Myth1 Mind Control

One of the first limits is the idea of mind control. Mind control hypnosis does not exist. When someone is hypnotized they are not a slave. They are not someone who has to do everything they are told to do (darn it ). In hypnosis they simply want to do more of the things that are suggested to them.

However, there are limits. Fore example, you can not get someone to break their moral code. You can not force someone to commit a crime like murder or theft if they wouldn’t be willing to do that anyway under normal circumstances.

The reverse is also true. You cannot treat criminal behavior with hypnosis. You need to have a persons will included in the process. For example, lets say someone is a kleptomaniac and they truly want to stop stealing. Then hypnosis can be used effectively.

If someone is a thief and doesn’t care about being a thief, then hypnosis will do nothing to change that person. If it worked differently, we would have no reason to have prisons.

In hypnosis, your mind is still under your control. The difference is under hypnosis you get to experience things you would not allow yourself to experience otherwise. As a result, you get to enjoy a different kind of life. You get to test out what life would be like if the world was different.

Myth 2 Hypnotic Sleep

Hypnosis is not sleep. The word sleep may be used as a suggestion to put someone under hypnosis but it is not sleep like you do at night when you fall asleep. At night when you go to sleep you sleep and dream. You are totally unconscious. Our minds just disappear somewhere and return again in the morning. For the most part, there is a clear distinction between being awake and being asleep.

Hypnosis is a blurring of that distinction. You are not quite the same way as you are when you walk around wide awake. Yet, you are not the same as you are when your fully asleep.

In hypnosis, you tend to be more aware of things going on around you. You are more aware of sounds. You are more aware of where those sounds are.

Myth 3 Hypnotic Memory Loss

People tend to think that when they wake up from hypnosis they will have forgotten everything that happened. They will know what happened before and what happened after. They will not know anything in between unless the hypnotist told you to remember something.

If it is suggested, you can take away someone’s memory or add to that memory. You can completely change memory for a short term.

Myth 4 Getting Stuck in Hypnosis

Another concern people have is related to the idea of sleep. What if you never wake up? What if you are hypnotized and the hypnotist can’t get you back? This simply cannot happen!!! The very worst thing than can happen even if the hypnotist leaves, moves to another state, or even dies, you will fall asleep and with in a half an hour to two hours you will wake up having had the worlds best sleep.

A person not waking up does happen. Sometimes, people enjoy the hypnotic trance so much the do not want to wake up. There is no danger they will wake up on their own feeling rested and ready to go.

Myth 5 Reveling Dark Secrets

The final myth is the idea of people telling their secrets. People have a feeling that when they get hypnotized they are vulnerable. They feel they will open up and expose things they are not ready to expose.

Hypnosis can be used to unlock doors that are normally kept locked shut. It is usually done in a way to help people overcome problems and difficulties about themselves. It is done with their consent and desires . Sometimes, the person becomes so comfortable and opens up to you telling you these deep dark secrets. This is where client hypnotist confidentiality comes into play. If you were to tell me that you murdered or raped someone I would have to report that, otherwise, anything said in therapy stays in the room period.
This is true 99.9% of the time. I do warn you though, there are unscrupulous people out there. Be very careful and sure of who you are dealing with.

So Rick wanted to know my thoughts on self hypnosis vs standard hypnosis. By standard hypnosis I take it you mean having a hypnotist trancing you. Both can and do work very well. As I mentioned, I had difficulty trying to put myself into trance. I also mentioned that all hypnosis is self hypnosis. You are the one doing the work. The hypnotist is just the helper that is guiding you through the induction and giving you specific suggestions for whatever you’ve gone to them for. In self hypnosis, you are leading yourself into trance or you are relying on a prerecorded script to guide you. So don’t be confused when I reference both “hypnosis” & “self hypnosis” in the same post. I often don’t distinguish between the two.

Here are a few tips to help you:
Most but not all trances start with relaxation. Relaxation is the doorway to trance. The problem is that not very many people know how to relax. The simplest and easiest way to relax is with deep breathing.
Take a deep breath and hold it for a few seconds. Then slowly exhale. As you exhale, tell yourself that all your stress and tension is leaving your body as you exhale. Feel your stress and tension just fade away as you exhale. Repeat your breathing several times. As you feel the stress and tension leaving tell yourself to replace the stress and tension with a warm tingling feeling. Start at the top of your head and tell each body part to feel the tingling. Constantly give yourself positive encourgement like, Yes that’s it, it feels so good to just relax. Your muscles becoming so lose and limp. Can you feel your muscles becoming lose and limp? Yes that is right, you can feel it.

If you are writing your own script, keep you senteces short or brake them up. Long drawn out sentences detract from concentration or attention. Your script should look something like this:

And now you're so beautifully relaxed
nobody wanting anything
nobody expecting anything
and absolutely nothing to do whatsoever
except relax
I want you just to let your mind
and your imagination
drift...

Use your voice to add inflection where necessary. Do not sound monotone. Use as much detail as you can when describing a scene. Like this:

I want you to imagine
that you're standing on the terrace
of a lovely old house
a house like a stately home
or country mansion
you can feel the sun on your head
and shoulders
not too hot
just comfortable
and there's a gentle breeze
playing against your skin

You want to paint a picture so that your mind can actually see it.

Another thing to work on is visualization. Close your eyes and actually see what is being described. Once you can visualize and relax, you are in for some fantastic experiences.

If you are still having problems going into trance, you can try a program like Brainwave Generator. It can be found here: http://www.bwgen.com/download.htm this program helps take the brain from the beta state (wide awake and alert) to the alpha stage (Relaxed but alert) This is where hypnotic trance is found. It comes with a few preset backgrounds on it. I am told Complex 2 is the one you want it on. I tried it but it gave me a headache after a few minutes. I know people who swear by it. So to each their own.

GregD

In a paper published earlier this year Elkins et al. write [1]:

"This case study reports on a 51-year-old male Parkinson's patient who received 3 weekly sessions of a hypnosis intervention, as well as instruction in self-hypnosis. Actigraphy was used to assess rest-tremor severity. Results revealed a 94% reduction in rest tremors following treatment. Self-reported levels of anxiety, depression, sleep quality, pain, stiffness, libido, and quality of life also showed improvements. The patient reported a high level of satisfaction with treatment. These findings suggest clinical hypnosis is potentially feasible and beneficial treatment for some Parkinson's symptoms. Further investigation with diverse samples and an ambulatory monitoring device is warranted."

Unfortunately, the rest of the paper is behind a pay wall, so we're left with many questions, e.g.:
- how many people did they see before he presented?
- did other people have other responses?
- what happened to his motor scores?
- why hasn't it made more news?

Reference:

[1] Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2013 Apr;61(2):172-82. doi: 10.1080/00207144.2013.753829.
"Feasibility of clinical hypnosis for the treatment of Parkinson's disease: a case study."
Elkins G, Sliwinski J, Bowers J, Encarnacion E.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23427841

John

[QUOTE=johnt;1037419]In a paper published earlier this year Elkins et al. write [1]:

"This case study reports on a 51-year-old male Parkinson's patient who received 3 weekly sessions of a hypnosis intervention, as well as instruction in self-hypnosis. Actigraphy was used to assess rest-tremor severity. Results revealed a 94% reduction in rest tremors following treatment. Self-reported levels of anxiety, depression, sleep quality, pain, stiffness, libido, and quality of life also showed improvements. The patient reported a high level of satisfaction with treatment. These findings suggest clinical hypnosis is potentially feasible and beneficial treatment for some Parkinson's symptoms. Further investigation with diverse samples and an ambulatory monitoring device is warranted."

Unfortunately, the rest of the paper is behind a pay wall, so we're left with many questions, e.g.:
- how many people did they see before he presented?
- did other people have other responses?
- what happened to his motor scores?
- why hasn't it made more news?

Reference:

[1] Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2013 Apr;61(2):172-82. doi: 10.1080/00207144.2013.753829.
"Feasibility of clinical hypnosis for the treatment of Parkinson's disease: a case study."
Elkins G, Sliwinski J, Bowers J, Encarnacion E.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23427841

John[/

email the researcher, they'll often send you a copy of the paper.