Hypnotherapy Manchester What is Hypnosis

Hypnosis is not a state of deep sleep. It does involve the induction of a trance-like condition, but while in this state of deep relaxation, the patient is actually in an enhanced state of awareness, concentrating completely on the hypnotist's voice. In this state, the premeditated mind is suppressed and the subconscious mind is revealed.

The therapist is able to suggest ideas, concepts and lifestyle adaptations to the patient, the seeds of which become firmly planted.

Exaggerated news stories, stage hypnotists and general gossip have given the illusion that you lose control in hypnosis. Really, once hypnotized, you are relaxed and also focused - furthermore able to choose to get up & walk away at any time. You choose to give your attention to the hypnotherapist, and you can withdraw it at any time.

Actually recent understanding of hypnotherapy and hypnosis completely contradicts these misconceptions on several issues. Subjects in a hypnotic trance have absolute free will. And also they're not really in a semi-sleep state as they are experience a deep inner focus and relaxation.

Hypnosis is a totally natural state of mind. As soon as you are under hypnosis you will feel very relaxed, just like that wonderful feeling while you are tired lying in your bed late at night and also you are so overcome with comfort that you may wish the moment could last forever. Through simple hypnotic, calming techniques you can easily attain this state at which time it becomes easy, with the help of a trained hypnotherapist, to visualise yourself becoming healthy and happy and more confident.

For several thousands years, various cultures from around the globe have used different means to produce a trance state, for instance meditation has been the centre point for many religions for thousands of years. Hypnosis used to be referred to as 'mesmerism', after Austrian doctor Franz Mesmer, who believed in a force that he called "animal magnetism". The term hypnosis originally comes from "hypnos", the Greek word for sleep.

In hypnosis the conscious mind is happy to take a 'back seat' to allow the therapist to talk directly to the automatic subconscious, safe in the knowledge that it can intervene at any point if it so chooses. In this way it can be said that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis as you allow yourself to be hypnotised.

There is no evidence that anybody has ever become locked in the hypnotic state.. The worst that might happen could be that you fall asleep.

Hypnosis has also been used to access what some believe are "repressed" memories of events which they have shut out of their conscious memory to avoid distressing and painful memories. Some people have used hypnosis to access memories of previous lives which are otherwise hidden to the person. It has never been demonstrated that such memories are genuine.