Many people wonder whether they can be hypnotized. They\u2019ve read about its benefits, know people who have been successful with hypnotherapy, and are eager to try it themselves. Yet, they are concerned that maybe they won\u2019t \u201cgo under\u201d.\u00a0While there are various levels of depth, so that some people can achieve greater depth than others, or go under more quickly and easily, virtually everyone can be hypnotized if they want to be.<\/p>\n
Much mystery has surrounded the topic of hypnosis, especially since a conclusive scientific explanation of how hypnosis works has notyet been established. But it is known that we all naturally go into hypnosis as we fall asleep at night, and we are still in hypnosis when we first awaken.<\/p>\n
Virtually everyone, whether aware of it or not, has experienced hypnosis spontaneously, at least once, during their waking life.<\/p>\n
Think back to a time when you were avidly reading an inspired, artfully\u00a0written, and highly entertaining\u00a0novel for hours and hours, transfixed.<\/p>\n
Or remember the experience of feeling captivated while watching an exhilarating movie about a time and place that intrigues you \u2014 one filled with engaging characters who took you with them on their adventures, transporting you into their world so totally that you forgot where you really were.<\/p>\n
Perhaps you became very quiet and still. Did you lose track of time, or become unaware of your own body or the activity around you?<\/p>\n
You were in a hypnotic state.<\/p>\n
Can you remember driving on the freeway, maybe on a long-distance trip by yourself, or during your daily commute to work, when the monotony of the road, the lack of physical activity, and the music on the radio lulled you into a state of reverie?<\/p>\n
Did your conscious mind drift, giving way to memories from the past\u2013 a conversation with a friend, or perhaps a fantasy about what you would do when you arrived at your destination?<\/p>\n
Were you so inwardly focused that you actually missed the exit you should have taken? Or were you surprised to realize that you reached your destination safely and that what seemed like twenty minutes was really an hour?<\/p>\n
You were experiencing a spontaneous hypnotic state.<\/p>\n
Admittedly, there are those who resist being guided into hypnosis. Some fear losing control or being manipulated to do things they don\u2019t want to do, despite reassurance that hypnosis is a state of greater control (at the subconscious level, where 90% of your mind\u2019s power resides) in which you never accept any suggestions that go against your will.<\/p>\n
If you don\u2019t trust your hypnotherapist, or you don\u2019t really want to change your behavior (yet), but have only come because, for example, your spouse has pressured you, hypnotherapy is not for you. Do not waste your time and money. \u00a0But if you are fully on board with the process, trust your therapist, and are ready to do your part, hypnotherapy can be the brief-term solution you’ve been hoping for.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>