Thursday, December 31, 2009

By Adam Cox

Myths have always chased hypnosis and its therapeutic offshoot, hypnotherapy. Some believe them to be some type of spell while others refuse to even recognize their existence. Following are some of the popular myths about hypnosis and the truth behind them.

Hypnosis has nothing to do with magic spells of any kind. It hinges more on the science of the human mind and is very simple to practice for anyone who is willing to learn it. The genuineness of hypnosis is suspected even by people who have seen it casting its spell on subjects. They hold that the subjects who have been under hypnosis are mentally not powerful enough to withstand the impact of the practitioner. But this again is a complete fallacy. Hypnosis can be done on anyone regardless of his or her mental strength.

Another belief is that hypnosis is an alternate state of consciousness, which again is a big misconception. A hypnotized person is completely conscious of his environment. That individual is just in a relaxed state where the concentration levels are very high and the person can accept new inputs easily.

Some researchers have found that hypnosis works on just 5% of the human population, and this is another common myth. Although, the research has some element of truth to it, what makes it hollow is the fact that the researchers made use of the same hypnosis technique for everyone. One hypnosis technique for all is not a viable solution as different individuals come under different character types, and hence respond to different methods.

Many people take hypnosis to be a variant of meditation. But while hypnosis is an interaction technique, meditation is all about a mental state and usually has nothing to do with communication. Trance too is not related to hypnosis at all. The person doesn't communicate to achieve a state of trance, whereas hypnosis is not possible without communication.

A sizeable number of people believe that it is impossible to bring about changes in one's appearance and conduct through hypnosis training or hypnotherapy. Hypnosis obviously cannot attain something that is abnormal to the body. But by mentally conditioning a person to abandon addictive habits like eating too much and constant smoking, and by raising one's motivation levels, hypnosis can bring about significant physical alterations in a person and ensure a healthier body.

Undergoing hypnotherapy is a fine way to lead a happy and fulfilling life, and hence one should not pay heed to the misconceptions, and go for hypnotic sessions with an open mind.

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