How does hypnosis work?

Hypnosis is a very interesting phenomenon that we in the Western world have been dealing with for more than 100 years. Around 1900 hypnosis was incredibly important it has been less important for a while because medicine also offered many solutions to fears and other problems, but now that we live in a time when people prefer to solve their problems themselves rather than depend on a pill hypnosis is back in full swing, but what is hypnosis now

What is hypnosis?

Hypnosis is another state of consciousness. It also really affects which parts of the brain are active and which are not. When you are under hypnosis, your attention is detached from your surroundings and you are more focused on your train of thought[1].

The other state of consciousness involves being more open to suggestions. Comments someone makes to you while you are under hypnosis are more likely to be seen as truth because of this.

This is something that show hypnotists, for example, take advantage of, allowing people to go crazy.

Fortunately, hypnosis is increasingly used to help the very people get rid of problems such as anxiety, stress, insomnia, dealing with illness, pain and much more.

It helps you shift your focus from what is not going well, to what is going well that will reduce your symptoms.

Because you’re open to these suggestions, it can even change your beliefs about how the world works and how you’re supposed to function within it.

What does it feel like to be under hypnosis?

Being under hypnosis is a unique experience for everyone, what is not unique about the experience is that before hypnosis you start to relax and you notice that your consciousness is "different."[2]

Being under hypnosis, then, at least means feeling some form of relaxation. In addition, the experience can be very separate, causing all sorts of thoughts to surface, such as:

"Now is this hypnosis?"

"Am I already under hypnosis."

"This is weird."

"This is fun."

You may sometimes notice that you wobble back and forth slightly and your eyelids twitch slightly. Some people start laughing while under hypnosis, while others shed a tear due to the deep relaxation (this is a minority of people, though). In general, you are pleasantly relaxed.

How do you hypnotize someone?

To hypnotize someone, one thing is very important, patience. In fact, some people get under hypnosis faster than others. At hypnosis shows, people are often chosen who get under hypnosis super fast and therefore go along well with the hypnosis, but if you want to help someone with a problem you may just have someone who is a little more difficult to bring under hypnosis.

In this case, patience is very important.

There are a number of steps you take before putting someone under hypnosis. For example, you check that the person is following your instructions properly and you ask for permission to put the person under hypnosis.

You can choose from several types of inductions to put people under hypnosis; you’ll learn these during our training program. And you’ll learn one induction right away during the hypnosis workshop (in Wormerveer or in Zwolle).

In addition, you will learn what to look for to check if someone is under hypnosis, such as:

• Wobbly
• Trembling eyelids
• Smiling/crying (those don't happen often)

You’ll also learn a technique to check whether someone is under hypnosis, namely the arm levitation.

You will also learn what to look for to see if this is a hypnotic arm-levitation, or if someone is just trying to be nice and raise the arm. So you can then see if someone is consciously or unconsciously moving the arm.

Why do certain techniques work under hypnosis?

Research involving people with fibromyalgia shows that cognitive behavioral therapy is more effective when people are under hypnosis than when they are not.

How does hypnosis enhance or make certain techniques work?

As mentioned, you are more likely to take something on when you are under hypnosis.

Good advice on how to deal with thoughts is also more likely to be absorbed as a result.

Repeating suggestions while under hypnosis helps you internalize them more deeply. This can be incredibly effective for building self-confidence.

Like suggestions such as:

"I can do anything."

"I'm good enough."

"I am strong."

This includes using your senses when visualizing something, which can shift your focus to what is good and help you clearly distinguish between what you like and don't like. This helps you to make decisions in the future that are especially enjoyable.

What are hypnotic suggestions?

There are several hypnotic suggestions, namely immediate suggestions, post-hypnotic suggestions and suggestions when someone is not under hypnosis (this works especially with children).

Direct suggestions are very direct statements that seem very logical. Because you give them while the person is under hypnosis, he is much less critical of those statements and the response is more "yes, logical."

These may include suggestions such as:

"You don't smoke."

"You sleep easy."

Post-hypnotic suggestions are precisely about behavior after hypnosis (although of course the direct suggestion tries to influence that as well. For example, a post-hypnotic suggestion might be:

"When you wake up you feel good and rested."

Some people are not aware of the post-hypnotic suggestion at the time they perform it, while others clearly realize or remember it after they have performed the post-hypnotic suggestion.

Then you have waking suggestions. These are suggestions you give when the person you are helping is not under hypnosis. This works especially well with children. Think of kissing a wound to make it hurt less. The kiss is then the suggestion that it helps against the pain and for many children that is then reality.

In adults, this is often a form of contagious behavior, such as laughing or yawning. For people who suffer from tics and obsessions, seeing a tic can trigger a tic, or seeing someone cleaning causes someone obsessive to clean as well.

Reinforce suggestions with your body

Body language is very important for communication, this is also true for people under hypnosis. This is, among other things, why it is so important to smile and be enthusiastic when someone comes out of hypnosis, so that by doing so you reinforce the feeling that everything has gone well and has concluded well.

When someone is under hypnosis, you can also use touch to enhance the effect of the suggestions.

Hypnosis works by influencing a person’s current state of mind, using both verbal and nonverbal techniques. Want to learn more about hypnosis? Then come to a hypnosis workshop.

Want to get started right away with techniques to help people with problems? Then come to a seminar or enroll in one of the Hypnosis Institute Netherlands' training courses. (Ask about online options if this suits you better).

[1] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1178224219826581

[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0965229919303954