How Hypnosis Works

by Colin Christopher | on July 16th, 2013 |

If you’ve ever seen a stage hypnosis show, it’s amazing how seemingly ordinary people can suddenly do extraordinary things, or at the very least be transformed in a matter of seconds to believe they are Brittney Spears or Beyonce performing a concert, or Simon Cowell delivering scathing remarks about the latest bad talent on the X-Factor, for example.

There’s a more serious side to hypnosis, however, and even more intriguingly, everyday people can safely use some elements of these powerful mind-over-matter techniques on themselves to lose weight, quit smoking, better cope with pain, overcome fears and phobias, make more money, perform better in the bedroom, improve self-confidence and achieve world-class success in their careers.

And while the average person might not be too familiar with this side of hypnosis, some very well-known people have been using it for years.

Who Uses Hypnosis?

The Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Kate Middleton is reportedly using hypnosis for the unpleasant side effects of her pregnancy.

Adele used hypnosis to overcome her stage freight and put on a stellar performance at The Oscars.

Top athletes like former soccer superstar David Beckham and Tiger Woods, the world’s number one ranked professional golfer, have also used hypnosis to improve concentration and athletic performance.

Doctors are even doing hypno-surgeries without the use of anesthesia.

What Does Hypnosis Feel Like?

There are two common questions that just about every patient asks: What does it feel like to be hypnotized? Will I be in control?

Hypnosis is a deep state of relaxation or a highly focused state of awareness and most people love it. In fact, when you wake someone from a hypnotic state, they usually can’t wait to do it again. This is one of the reasons so many people use hypnosis for stress reduction.

The body benefits as well because the side effects are very similar to a nap, and the person feels rested, relaxed and recharged.

Hypnosis is much like daydreaming, or if you’ve ever been driving and all of a sudden realized you were in deep thought and don’t quite remember driving the car, it’s very similar to that. Under hypnosis you are awake the entire time and are fully aware of what is happening around you.

The person being hypnotized has complete control of everything he does. While a hypnotherapist or hypnotist can offer suggestions, ultimately each person will make the decision whether or not to accept those suggestions and act upon them. That means a hypnotherapist can help you to stop smoking or to stop overeating, but would never be able to convince you to inflict harm on another person or do something completely outside of your belief system.

How Does Hypnosis Work?

The subconscious mind responds automatically to a real or imagined environment, at the unbelievable rate of 20 million environmental stimuli per second. These responses become programmed into the subconscious mind like the hard drive of a computer and turn into habits unless altered in some way.

Hypnosis bypasses the conscious mind, allowing access to the subconscious mind that would otherwise be impenetrable.

When the subconscious mind is reprogrammed, amazing and powerful life changes begin to take place. Most people see huge improvements through hypnosis, but it doesn’t work for everyone. 15% of the population is extremely hypnotizable, 70% mid hypnotizable and a mere 15% are considered low hypnotizable.

What to Expect during a Hypnosis Session

Find a hypnotherapist that you feel comfortable with, and who is certified by the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners. The first session will usually be exploratory in nature, where you discuss what you want help overcoming or improving. After that, hypnotherapy sessions will vary in length from as few as two visits to as many as 15 depending on the severity of the issue.

A hypnotherapist might also send the patient home with self-hypnosis exercises to do that include: visualization, listening to an audio recording before going to sleep and relaxation exercises.

If done properly and under the care of a certified hypnotherapist, patients should see new responses, thoughts, attitudes, behaviors and feelings for the issue they were seeking help for. Keep in mind that hypnosis will only work if you really want to make a change. In other words, if you’re overweight and are happy with your body and your only motivation is to please someone else, your subconscious will be less receptive to the power of suggestion.

The Takeaway

We all have the power to live a more positive and fulfilling life, and changing the way we live starts with changing the way we think. Getting deep into the subconscious mind with hypnosis is all natural and one of the fastest and most effective ways to make these changes.

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Colin Christopher is a certified clinical hypnotherapist and author of the book Success Through Manipulation: Subconscious Reactions That Will Make or Break You. Colin is also one of the most sought after stage hypnosis performers in North America, having appeared in front of hundreds of thousands of people.