Altered States of Consciousness and Hypnosis
Altered States of Consciousness and Hypnosis
Introduction Far from its one time connection with carnivals, mediums, and the occult, hypnosis and the altered states of consciousness it helps create have proven to be a beneficial framework of reality in a number of circumstances. For example, countless numbers of people with chronic pain problems have learned the benefits of self-hypnosis to calm themselves and their reactions to physical pain. While the term “hypnosis” often carries a certain number of negative connotations that do not truly convey the beneficial and physiological relation response that is the legitimate hypnotic response, many people are still hesitant about the concept in general. The simple fact is that hypnosis is not a form of mind control and is not the will of one person being exerted over another. Hypnosis certainly cannot force someone to do something they would not normally do. It is neither a strange, mystical force or a state of being unconscious or out-of-control. What is hypnosis it is what the Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter (10/00) calls “really about a person taking control of his or her own mind and body” (pp. 4). Health professionals, mental health counselors, even sports performance consultants advocate hypnosis as a form of stress reduction, pain management and personal performance enhancement. The ability to harness and control one’s personal feelings and attitudes has proven to be immensely beneficial and offers potentials far beyond that of a some sort of self-proclaimed fakir performing tricks to make “members of the audience” dance on table tops or bark like dogs. Hypnosis actually has little to do with performing tricks or mind control and everything to do with reaching the inner stillness that exists at the core of all human consciousness and can serve as a guide and comfort in countless situations.
The Benefits and Processes of Hypnosis Hypnosis is a process that leads an individual into a deep
Introduction Far from its one time connection with carnivals, mediums, and the occult, hypnosis and the altered states of consciousness it helps create have proven to be a beneficial framework of reality in a number of circumstances. For example, countless numbers of people with chronic pain problems have learned the benefits of self-hypnosis to calm themselves and their reactions to physical pain. While the term “hypnosis” often carries a certain number of negative connotations that do not truly convey the beneficial and physiological relation response that is the legitimate hypnotic response, many people are still hesitant about the concept in general. The simple fact is that hypnosis is not a form of mind control and is not the will of one person being exerted over another. Hypnosis certainly cannot force someone to do something they would not normally do. It is neither a strange, mystical force or a state of being unconscious or out-of-control. What is hypnosis it is what the Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter (10/00) calls “really about a person taking control of his or her own mind and body” (pp. 4). Health professionals, mental health counselors, even sports performance consultants advocate hypnosis as a form of stress reduction, pain management and personal performance enhancement. The ability to harness and control one’s personal feelings and attitudes has proven to be immensely beneficial and offers potentials far beyond that of a some sort of self-proclaimed fakir performing tricks to make “members of the audience” dance on table tops or bark like dogs. Hypnosis actually has little to do with performing tricks or mind control and everything to do with reaching the inner stillness that exists at the core of all human consciousness and can serve as a guide and comfort in countless situations.
The Benefits and Processes of Hypnosis Hypnosis is a process that leads an individual into a deep
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