subject: How Hypnosis Can Help You To Develop Better Habits. [print this page] Firstly, what is hypnosis? Firstly, what is hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a state of consciousness under which people become more suggestible to change.
The pioneer or father of modern hypnosis, Milton Erickson, in the 1950s, established that people could be induced into a relaxed or trance-like state, under which they could be subject to post hypnotic suggestions. His work was built upon and expanded by Bandler and Grinder in the 1970s and early 1980s to produce tools to enable use of hypnosis to modify behavior of a person to improve their state of being or to solve problems or undesirable habits.
Hypnosis is similar in a way to electricity; we have been using electricity for over 150 years but not many people can explain what electricity is, only what it does.
You flick the light switch, the light comes on.
Similarly with hypnosis, it can be seen as the process of shifting a person from one style of operating to another less habitual way that is more beneficial to the individual going forward into the future.
Hypnosis typically is a state of induced relaxation similar in some ways to meditation.
The principal difference between hypnosis and meditation is that the latter usually involves trying to clear the mind of focus ( ie. to relax and think of nothing ) while the former attempts to focus the mind on a specific aspect that the subject wants to change, such as ceasing a smoking habit and involving more positive associations than negative ones to the changed behavior.
Thus, it is a cognitive or learning process at a subconscious level.
This is a simplified explanation of hypnosis and what it can do and there are many forms of hypnosis such as 'stage' hypnosis, self-hypnosis and therapist guided hypnosis just to name a few.
Some people may be familiar where a skilled performer hypnotizes a whole audience or part thereof to do stunts or to display behavior they usually would not do in public.
This however, is not what most hypnosis is all about; it is entertaining and amusing but hardly therapeutic or useful in sustained behavior change for individuals.
So, hypnosis involves a state of guided relaxation, either via a therapist or by your self, using tapes and other media or therapy sessions.
While in a hypnotic state, positive suggestions and reprogramming of thoughts and behaviors can be made to bring about changes to improve personal behaviors and habits into the future.
It does not involve 'mind control', magic or charlatan methods; it is a well established therapeutic method with many potential benefits, similar to meditation in some ways.
The works of Milton Erickson are fascinating and can often be very beneficial in understanding how to change negative habits or behaviors to positive habits and behaviors, to promote a better future to the person who would like to change some aspects of his or her life.
