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Hypnosis: How Do They Do It?

There are some basic hypnotists' methods that are common practice and can be discussed without giving away any trade secrets. They are that basically there are three must have situations for hypnosis to be successful: The person must want to be hypnotized, the person must believe that they can be hypnotized, the person must feel comfortable and relaxed about being hypnotized. If these conditions are present then the hypnotist can guide the person into a hypnotic trance by one of the following methods:

1. A fixed gaze or eye fixation. This is what most stage or movie hypnotists use when they wave a pocket watch in front of the subject. The hypnotist will try to get the subject to gaze intently on the object and tune out any other stimuli present. The hypnotist will then talk to the subject in low tones, with the intent of lulling the subject into a relaxed state. This method will not work on the majority of the population.

2. Rapid method. This is when the hypnotist will rapidly fire suggestions at the subject in a bid to overload the mind with lots of sudden commands. The purpose is to have the subject surrender his or her conscious control over tot he hypnotist. This is used most often when the subject is part of a stage performance.

3. Imagery and Progressive Relaxation. This is the method used most often by psychiatrists. The patient is coaxed into a relaxing state by a soothing and slow vocal pattern. The purpose is to completely relax the subject and to gain focus. A test will be conducted to ascertain if the subject is open to suggestions by asking them to relax a limb, or to pretend that they are limp like a rag doll. The whole process of putting someone into a hypnotic state can take anywhere from a few moments to a little more than 30 minutes.

4. Rocking or Loss of Balance. Parents have been using this method for centuries without most being aware of the fact that they are hypnotizing their babies. Many parents rock their babies to sleep in their arms using this type of rocking motion that puts the infant off balance. They drift into a trance-like sleep, so totally relaxed by the rocking that they totally relax and close their eyes.

There are many ways that psychiatrists use hypnotism as a tool in treating their patients. One method for using hypnotism is "habit-control".

Hypnotic treatment is applied to a particular habit that is entrenched in a person's subconscious like overeating or smoking. The hypnotist suggests or reprograms the person's way of thinking concerning the habit by suggesting a negative response to the occurrence of the habit. When the person for instance lights up a cigarette they will immediately experience nausea. Thus the negative response (the nausea) to the cigarette will transfer over time to the person feeling negative about smoking. This way the habit is easier to break because of he negative feeling associated with doing it. Habit-control hypnotism is used in many seminars, CD tapes and audio programs.