How does hypnosis work? The simplest definition of hypnosis is ‘communication between your conscious and subconscious minds’
Your conscious mind being you’re rational logical decision making mind and your subconscious is in charge of all your autonomic processes like breathing and blood circulation. Your subconscious mind is also in charge of your behaviours and emotions.
Behaviours like anxiety, fears, lack of confidence and the smoking habit are seated in your subconscious mind. It can therefore be difficult to change these behaviours by just making a conscious decision.
When you are in hypnosis and therefore have that good communication with your subconscious you can then issue a new set of instructions to work from, which in turn will create new more constructive ways of behaving.
Another definition for hypnosis is the art of suggestion and can therefore be compared to the placebo effect.
The whole placebo effect is based on suggestion because in the medical profession they know that if a medic gives a patient medicine there is a certain chance that they will get better no matter what has been given to them. Therefore every new drug that is bought onto the market has to be tested against a placebo drug to see how effective it really is.
The suggestion there is that if a doctor gives you medicine you will get better.
Everyone is quite happy to accept that we are all suggestable to a certain degree at times. All hypnosis does is enhance that suggestibility and use it to a person’s advantage.
To say that hypnosis does not work would be the same as saying that the placebo effect does not exist.
A hypnotic induction usually just involves being talked through a relaxation. You hear what is being said to you and you remember what is being said to you. It feels just like meditation and you are in control at all times.
