How do You define Hypnosis?

I often have people who visit me and tell me that they already saw a hypnotherapist in the past, and yet they did not feel that they “were under”.

It’s interesting how people define what hypnosis feels like. I feel that if someone saw someone else and felt that they were not hypnotised then this means that the person they saw simply did not explain what it is. It is nothing like you see on TV and Stage. If you think you will be in a deep sleep and then forget about everything then you are expecting the wrong thing.

Our subconscious mind is more open to suggestion when we let go and relax, but in fact it is open to suggestion all of the time. All we do in hypnosis is find the best way for you to be more open to exactly what you want. No one can make you do anything that you do not want to do. You are always in control, you can move and you will most likely remember everything that happens.

How do hypnotherapists define hypnosis?

I thought a good way to show how everyone speaks about the experience differently would be to give some examples of other hypnotherapists and how they explain how hypnosis feels to their clients:

Other people’s ways of talking about hypnosis...

My viewpoint on hypnosis being 'not a state of eyelids', a state of focus, and a natural state that everyone goes in and out of at multiple times of the day. 

Quietening and focusing the mind, allowing the resolution of an issue or issues, it may not necessarily be the only thought heard, but the one being focused on, for me this is shown by the fuzziness of all other thinking at the point of hypnosis, i know it is there, but do not follow it. so, i think,
allowing a single focal point to be achieved in the storm of noise

I suppose it's kind of an altered state of focused concentration. That is, if it really exists. 

Perhaps it's more of an altered state of perception either negative or positive which is determined by the level of engaging / ritualistic performance of the operator.

Hypnosis is our most natural state of mind where everything is ok and in which we accept this truth. So that we can create problems or solve them we have to have a vacation from it.

 In my world there is no such "thing"as hypnosis. There is
1. Now
2. Neurology (state)
3. Results
I seem to meet the "he could not put me under" most from smokers who have already seen a hypnotist and not achieved the result they think they want. I say something along the lines of:" if you want to be put under, go and see an anaesthetist. My work is the opposite of this. It is about waking up: coming out of the dopey trance you are putting yourself in and finding the freedom you seek to make good choices, and then carry them through.

I define hypnosis as the art of getting real results from imaginary or suggested events.

A new book called Can’t. Just. Stop. An Investigation of Compulsions by Sharon Begley helps to explain OCD behaviour and show you ways in which you can understand its cause and therefore work to help free yourself from the feelings of stress and anxiety that it can cause.

There are many motivations for human behaviour, these include the basic drives for food, shelter and sex which we are all most aware of. They also include more complicated ones, such as compassion, envy and anger.

Compulsion is something that some people suffer from more than others. Many may have a mild symptom of wondering if the door really was locked or if the oven is left on, but for some these fleeting thoughts can become more intense and cause great distress.

As Sharon Begley explains..Compulsions come from a need that is desperate and tortured. They may bring a relief, but they bring little enjoyment, and while one part of our brain desperately wishes to stop them, another is afraid of stopping.

We describe as “compulsive” someone who reads, tweets, steals, cleans, watches birds, lies, blogs, shops, checks Facebook, eats or Snapchats etc not only frequently but with the urgency of one who is not fully in control of their behaviour.

Much research has been undertaken into what causes these compulsions and the effects that they have and a growing body of scientific evidence shows that they are often a response to anxiety.

Because we are not in control in part of our life we grab hold of any behaviour that offers a short term relief by giving us an illusion of control. We try to take control by using something else to focus on.

Writing in The Guardian Sharon explained her own thoughts...

“I used to view life-altering compulsions as foreign and almost frightening. But in the course of my research, two things happened. First, when I got to know people who were compulsive, their behaviour didn’t seem unreasonable at all. It seemed like an understandable response to angst that would otherwise eat them alive. Second, I realised that although people with the most extreme compulsions seem like outliers, the anxiety that drives them to those extremes is universal – and underlies milder compulsions, too. Actively behaving to allay anxiety is a deep and ancient impulse.”

It is estimated that about 1% of the population suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder, known to most as OCD.  

Why do we feel that compulsion?

Compulsions are all about avoiding unpleasant outcomes. They are repetitive behaviours we engage in to alleviate the angst brought on by the possibility of negative consequences. But the actual behaviour is often unpleasant – or at least not particularly rewarding, especially after umpteen rounds of it. At its simplest, the anxiety takes the form of the thought: “If I don’t do this, something terrible will happen.” If I do not check my fiancé’s web history, I will not know whether he is cheating. If I do not religiously organise my cupboards, my home will be engulfed in chaos.

You can find out more about the book here : Just click the link to find it on Amazon....

Can’t. Just. Stop. An Investigation of Compulsions by Sharon Begley is published by Robinson Books at £14.99