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Hypnosis isn't what you think

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Contributed by: Bob Hudson on 9/22/2007

We've all seen it on TV. The hypnotist who makes people do stupid stunts - cluck like a chicken, bark like a dog - and we've laughed at their antics. We've seen the Hollywood horror films where the hypnotist has gone "bad" and created an army of zombie slaves. We've even vowed to our friends that we'd NEVER let someone mess with our minds like that!

Well, guess what. None of that is true. Good old Hollywood strikes again and another urban legend is born. The moon is made of green cheese and space aliens are coming to get us. Yeah. Right.

Most of what you've seen on TV is called "Stage Hypnosis." It's theater. The audience members who participate in the shenanigans are picked ahead of the show and coached to act silly. Zombie slaves do not exist and a hypnotist cannot ever control your mind in any way. Nobody can ever be hypnotized to cluck like a chicken or bark like a dog ... unless they want to.

So what is real hypnosis then?

First off hypnosis is a medical tool endorsed by the AMA (American Medical Association) and used by the medical community worldwide. It's often used by dentists for pain free dentistry and by cancer patients to ease their symptoms while undergoing chemo and radiation therapies. Hypnosis has a very wide range of applications that include the popular "Quit Smoking" and "Weight Loss" programs that have been so effective over the years.

All hypnosis is self hypnosis. The hypnotherapist (as they're called these days) is simply a professional guide who leads you through the process. He or she has been professionally trained and certified in medical hypnotherapy. Every time you lie down for a good night's sleep you enter the hypnosis state. Hypnosis is that stage just prior to actual sleep. It's that time when you're really beginning to drift off and you've stopped thinking about work, paying bills, kids, mortgages and all those other things that keep us awake. If you heard a strange noise or the baby crying during the hypnosis state you'd be instantly wide awake and that sound would have your full attention!

Here's another myth: You cannot go into hypnosis and get stuck there. It's a natural precursor to sleep and the worst that could happen is you might take a nice nap. Of course you'd awaken from your nap just like you always do.

Normally the subconscious is too busy to listen. During hypnosis there's a window open to the subconscious that allows you to have a conversation with yourself. That's the time when you can enlist your subconscious mind's aid in quitting smoking, losing weight, improving your golf game and a hundred other things that are for your benefit.

For example: Say you love chocolate but you're dieting and you want to avoid the sugar in chocolate. The hypnotherapist doesn't tell your subconscious that you don't like chocolate anymore - he simply enlists the aid of this powerful part of your mind to assist you in having the willpower to avoid it while you're dieting. You still love chocolate ... but now you have the inner strength to avoid it until you're ready to eat it again. The same goes with smoking. You gain the strength to avoid it and, once your body is detoxified, you'll be able to make the choice not to smoke again. Hypnosis makes these difficult transitions much easier to effect.

Hypnosis has many wonderful applications. It's an elegantly simple medical tool that has helped millions of people overcome destructive habits, improve their lives in a myriad of ways and become happier, more functional people. The side effects are an increased ability to focus and lowered stress. Who doesn't want that?

So don't be afraid of hypnosis. It's not scary at all. If you need to lose weight, quit smoking or change destructive habits in your life you'd be very wise to enlist a professional hypnotherapist's help. You'll probably be very happy that you did!

For anyone interested in finding out more how hypnosis can help, the author's website is: www.ClearPathHypnosis.com and he can be reached at ClearPath@InBox.com. He's currently conducting weight loss seminars in the Denver area and works with individuals on a private basis as well.

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Bob Hudson

Arvada , CO

Bob Hudson has posted 8 stories and 1 comment since joining on 9/18/2007. Bob Hudson 's average story rating is 5.

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