The Process of Hypnosis: An Overview

Takeaways

  1. Hypnosis targets the subconscious mind to make lasting changes in beliefs, emotions, and habits.
  2. The process of hypnosis involves three stages: induction, change process, and emergence. Each stage plays a crucial role in guiding you through the transformative experience.
  3. Hypnosis can be used to remove limiting beliefs, replace existing beliefs with more empowering ones, instill new beliefs, and reframe past events in a positive light.
  4. Common misconceptions regarding hypnosis are discussed.

Introduction

Let’s take a look at the process of hypnosis so that the reader can get an overall understanding of how the hypnotic process works.  Please understand that this article is not meant to answer all of your questions.  That is best left up to a conversation between you and a professional consulting hypnotist.

Learn more about hypnosis and its benefits by visiting the “About Hypnosis” page.

First, the Mind

To begin, you first need to understand the concept of the mind.  The mind does not exist physically. It is simply a concept used to describe consciousness.  We can subdivide the mind into two parts: the conscious and the subconscious mind. For a more in-depth look at the mind check out “The Mind: What it is and How it Works. “

There is a third part of the mind that few people know about and it’s the critical factor.  The critical factor plays a key role in the hypnotic change process.

Conscious Mind

The conscious mind is the rational, “thinking” part of your brain, often referred to as the objective mind. It’s responsible for logic, reason, and decision-making. For example, have you ever found yourself debating whether to indulge in a chocolate cake or enjoy a slice of Key Lime pie? That’s your conscious mind at work.

Subconscious Mind

In contrast, the subconscious mind is subjective and operates below our level of conscious awareness. It stores memories, beliefs, emotions, and automatic behaviors like habits. The subconscious mind communicates through emotions and physical feelings. For instance, imagine you’re walking alone late at night in a rundown neighborhood. The tension in your body and heightened awareness is your subconscious mind warning you to be alert.

All permanent change occurs in the subconscious mind!

Critical Factor

Now that we’ve distinguished between the conscious and subconscious minds, let’s discuss the critical factor. The critical factor acts as a guard at the entrance of the subconscious mind.  Imagine it sitting between the conscious and subconscious minds.  It evaluates incoming suggestions and will either allow them to enter the subconscious or rejects them based on the information already stored within the subconscious. 

The critical factor plays a significant role in the hypnosis process, ensuring that only suggestions in line with your values and beliefs can enter your subconscious mind.

With a basic understanding of the mind’s structure, we can now explore how hypnosis interacts with these components to create change.

Change Process

This is the heart of the hypnosis session, where transformation occurs. The change process aims to achieve one or more of the following objectives:

  • Remove a limiting belief: Overcome fear or any belief that’s holding you back. Imagine deleting a program from your computer – once it’s gone, it’s gone for good.
  • Replace an existing belief: Choose a more empowering option. Think of uninstalling an outdated program and replacing it with an improved one, similar to upgrading from VisiCalc to Microsoft Excel.
  • Instill a new belief: Develop a belief where none existed before, such as boosting self-confidence. Envision adding a brand new program with unique features to your computer.
  • Reframe a past event: Alter your perspective on a past event in your life, so it no longer negatively impacts you and may even become a positive experience. Consider a romantic breakup that eventually led you to meet the love of your life.
  • “Wisdom” session: The goal of this type of session is to tap into a higher level of inner wisdom.  
  • “Recreational” sessions:  This is a session in which the client wishes to explore new levels of expanded consciousness.  One of the most common is past life regressions. Here, the session is to satisfy a curiosity.

When creating a change the hypnotist in conjunction with the client may use  a combination of:

  • Direct suggestion
  • Using your imagination
  • Drawing on your personal wisdom to reframe a life event
  • Post-hypnotic suggestions: These suggestions come into play after the session is over, reinforcing the work done during the session. For example, “Whenever you see the color green, you will feel inspired to take a step towards your goal.”

Please understand that the above is not an exhaustive list of the tools available to the hypnotist.  It is only meant to give a taste of the different methods available.  Based on your unique situation and needs, the hypnotist will use all of the tools available to help you create the desired outcome.

Keep in mind that the change process may require multiple sessions, depending on the issue at hand.

Emergence

The emergence phase signifies the end of the hypnotic session. During this stage, you transition from the hypnotic state back to your normal state of consciousness. As you emerge, you’ll likely feel relaxed and alert.  No grogginess.

Now that we’ve explored how hypnosis works on the mind and the process it entails, it’s essential to address some misconceptions about hypnosis.

Misconceptions about Hypnosis

There are several common misconceptions surrounding hypnosis, which we’ll debunk here:

  • Being forced to do something against your will: This is a myth. Your critical factor will always protect you.  It ensures that you never accept or perform any action that goes against your values and beliefs.
  • Entering a “zombie” or “blacked-out” state where you don’t recall the session: This is untrue and created by bad Hollywood movies. During the session, you’ll remember everything that occurs and be aware of your surroundings.  If a car drives by you’ll hear it.  If someone walks down the hall again you’ll hear it.  You’ll even think extraneous thoughts such as “after the session, I need to stop at the grocery”, 
  • Getting stuck in hypnosis: This is not possible.  Again a misconception created by Hollywood.  Remember,  all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. You control whether or not you enter the hypnotic state.  You control the depth of that state.  And you control when you emerge from it.

By understanding how hypnosis works on the mind and debunking common misconceptions, you can feel confident in exploring the potential benefits of hypnosis in your own life.

Conclusion.

Now that you have a better understanding of how hypnosis works and its potential benefits, you may feel more confident in exploring this powerful tool for personal change. Remember, the key to unlocking your potential lies within your own mind, and hypnosis could be the doorway to a more empowered, happier, and fulfilling life.