Can everyone be hypnotized?

Can everyone be hypnotized?

By Dr Steve G

19 4 2014

YES. The lightest state of hypnosis (Alpha) is achieved easily. Everyone enters a hypnotic state every day, several times per day. It's that state you are in when you are watching TV, reading a good book, playing video games, and, yes, even driving. It's the state you are in when you are just waking up or just going to bed. You are not fully conscious, but you are not fully unconscious either. In this state you're up to 200 times more suggestible than when you are fully awake (Beta).

Many people, when they hear about hypnosis, say, "Well, I can't be hypnotized." These people have been misinformed, mostly by Hollywood, about what hypnosis is and is not.

It is not necessary to be in some sort of an otherworldly trance to be in hypnosis. Hypnosis is a natural state which everyone moves in and out of throughout each day. Many of our everyday normal activities are actually performed under hypnosis without us being aware of it.

Hypnosis is just like the state you are in when you have been driving a car for a long distance. You know that feeling. It's not that you are oblivious to everything, it's just that you have tuned out all of the unimportant stimuli. Your focus is the road. If something were to happen which required your attention, such as a car trying to pass you, your body and mind would be able to properly respond. Also, you would be able at any time you chose, to notice the beautiful trees or old farm mills or anything else you may be driving past.

Another example of hypnosis is playing video games. Some people can play video games for hours in one sitting. If someone were to talk to you while you were in a video game session, you would be able to respond.

A third good example of a hypnotic state is being on the computer. People who are using a computer are focused on what they are doing, but can intelligently answer the phone when it rings.

So,hypnosis is no different than driving a car, playing video games, or working on a computer. Most people engaged in these activities would not think they are in a trance, but they are. They are in a light hypnotic trance known as Alpha.

Oh, by the way, reading a fascinating article (like this one) is another form ofhypnosis...surprise! You're in hypnosis!!!

In alpha, your mind is slowed down just a little, your focus is narrow, your breathing is slow, and you are relaxed. Most people have either driven a car, played a video game, worked on a computer, or read a really good article; therefore, to say that you cannot be hypnotized is to misunderstand the true nature of a hypnotic state. Since you are up to 200 times more suggestible even while you are in the light state of alpha, anything beyond this is unnecessary for most purposes (i.e. programming someone to lose weight, stop smoking, overcome fear of flying, etc.). You can have an extremely effective hypnosis session while being aware of and able to recall every word spoken by the Hypnotherapist.

What if I fall asleep during the hypnosis session?

That was a valid question a few years back, before we had advanced research on the topic. It has been discovered by several research groups that the hearing acts like a surveillance camera. Your eyes close, but you ears cannot close. They remain open always, taking in information constantly. When a mother is "asleep" and hears her baby cry, she will "awaken" immediately.

The truth is, we never really sleep, a part of our brain is always alert. That part is our hearing. It stays alert to protect us and or offspring. If someone breaks into your home while you are "asleep," you will be alerted as soon as you hear a noise. Your hearing is "on" 24/7, taking in information and recording it. In hypnosis, we use this to your advantage, so even if you fall "asleep" during the session, your brain is still recording all of the information in your subconscious mind.

What if I'm too intelligent for you to be able to "put me under?"

Intelligence is directly correlated to suggestibility. The more intelligent you are, the more easily you can be hypnotized. People of a below-average IQ find it difficult to go into a hypnotic state. Geniuses are naturally close to a hypnotic state of Alpha most of the time and therefore enter hypnosis easily. This accounts for their ability to transfer information from their subconscious mind to their waking like and bring to the world their creations.

What if I get into a hypnotic trance and can't wake up?

This cannot happen. Less than 10% of the population achieves such a deep trance state that they dissociate or "black out" like they do when they receive anesthetic. Such people, called "somnambulists," do not consciously remember what happens during hypnosis unless the hypnotherapist suggests that they will. Even these people will wake up at the end of a session. Most people, however, achieve a light trance state (alpha) in which they are aware of what is happening although they are completely relaxed and focused.

If I purchase several of your hypnotherapy CDs or MP3s with different objectives, how do I manage these for optimum results?

Ideally, you would listen to each hypnotherapy CD or MP3 exclusively for three weeks. However, if you want to combine hypnosis recordings, simply group them in logical categories (i.e. the recordings pertaining to confidence, the recordings pertaining to positive change, the recordings related to finances, etc.) and listen to a different hypnotherapy CD or MP3 from that particular group each night for three weeks. Then switch to the next category, then the next, etc. in three-week cycles.