1. Self-Hypnosis Benefits and Limitations
If you have ever been to a hypnotherapist they may have told you that all hypnosis is self-
hypnosis. This is essentially true. What this means is that no one can make you go into hypnosis
sleep hypnosis meditation your consent or cooperation. The media and stage hypnotists have led
a lot of us to believe that hypnosis is an unnatural state that can be imposed upon us by those
with mind control powers.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Hypnosis is a natural state of mind that we all enter into
several times a day. Any time your attention is so focussed that you are not aware of what is
going on around you, you are in a hypnotic state. Whether it's watching TV or reading or
playing, any time we slip out of the present and into our minds and where our attention is
focussed, we are in a state of hypnosis.
There are other times too when we go into a light hypnotic state. For instance when we are called
into the office we are in a highly suggestible state. When we are in a large crowd at a concert or
other event, we are in a light state of hypnosis. These are just a few examples of when we are in
hypnosis in our regular daily lives.
From these examples we can gather that hypnosis is a state of mind where we are focussed on
other than what is happening right in front of us, or we are so focussed on what is in front of us
that we lose awareness of all else. It is a state where we are suggestible, meaning that we can
internalize information and make it part of our reality or belief system. An example of this is
when we watch a movie and cry at the end. Although the events did not happen to us, we are so
engaged that we experience the emotions as if it was happening to us.
