Hypnosis is a widely acknowledged process that can change the lives of many, by using hypnosis you can change your ways of life to be happier, healthier and more personally satisfying.
Hypnosis is created when a person is so intensely focused that it creates a freedom within the unconscious mind to act beyond the normal restrictions of what the conscious mind deems possible, real and proper
Hypnosis training is best started by learning about the past and present of hypnosis itself. The history of hypnosis reaches centuries back; it wasn't until the 1880's that hypnosis advanced from the 'Dark Ages' and into a more scientific realm.
It was then that a Scottish neurosurgeon by the name of James Braid came up with the term hypnotism. Not only is James Braid responsible for coining the term hypnotism he is also responsible for the study that proved that hypnotism was not a product of magnetic fluids flowing through our bodies.
Braid spent time studying Animal Magnetism and Mesmerism and concluded from those studies that hypnosis could be induced by anyone as long as they followed a certain set of simple rules.
As Braid experimented and studied hypnosis he coined the term hypnosis for reasons that the subjects undergoing it looked to be sleepy. After further study he found that one could be hypnotized and still be wide awake, at this time he attempted to change the term hypnotism to monoidealism; mono- meaning one, and idealism for the focus on a particular idea.
This term made better sense as the act of hypnosis is created by complete focus on one idea to the extent that it eventually becomes a reality for the subject. The term monoidealism did not take and hence today hypnosis is still known as hypnosis.
As James Braid has shown us through history there are rules to follow and steps to take to induce a person into a hypnotic state. These steps are known today as the 4 Stage Formula. The 4 Stage Formula begins with Stage 1, to Absorb Attention. Absorbing attention is simply to capture the focus of your subject.
This requires intense concentration and the ability to draw your subject into you and to keep them following your lead with suggestions and language, after you have accomplished this you can move on to the second stage.
The second stage of the 4 Stage Formula is to Bypass the Critical Factor. Critical factor is known in hypnosis as the reasoning of the conscious mind that says, "this is not possible".
Resistance to hypnotic trance is created when the critical factor stands between your subject and their hypnotic state. This must be bypassed in order for your subject to respond to you on an unconscious level.
Once you have bypassed the critical factor, which you will learn as we move through different articles, you will be able to present hypnotic suggestions in the form of advice. As long as no critical factor is standing in the way the suggestions will resonate with your subject and the advice will come out through the conscious mind and take effect.
After you have bypassed all critical factors stage 3 of the 4 Stages is to Activate an Unconscious Response. Activating unconscious responses is your sign that you have successfully led your subject into a hypnotic state.
Any unconscious response is a positive sign for you as a hypnotist, as well as for your client, because you are doing your job. Unconscious response can vary; a good example of an unconscious response is an emotional response.
Emotional responses are derived from an unconscious level, you have no choice in your emotions they are simply a product of your unconscious reacting to and implementing the thinking and understandings you posses.
Make sure to note that if you are dealing with a subject that is in a heightened state of emotion, say a breakup or recent loss, the subject is already in their own hypnotic process.
You as the hypnotist will have no control over a person in hypnotic process of which you are not the authority. They will not listen to you or attempt to follow your suggestions, they are immune to your reasoning and need time to emerge from the state they are in before you can induce a hypnotic state of which you are in control of.
You must be able to access and retrieve a response from the unconscious before you can begin working toward any desired outcome. This brings us to the fourth and final step in the 4 Stages; the fourth stage is to Lead Unconscious to Desired Outcome.
This step is simple to explain really it is as it sounds. Once you have your subject in a hypnotic state and have accomplished the three previous stages you will lead your subject through their unconscious by way of suggestions to obtain your desired outcome. When you successfully combine all four of the 4 Stage Formula you will be engaging with your subject in a conversational hypnotic interaction.
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