WHAT DOES BEING HYPNOTISED FEEL LIKE?
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Have you ever driven a familiar route only to wonder how you got there?, or perhaps you were watching television and an advert came on and you no longer could remember what you were watching? - If so, you were in a hypnotic state.
There are many fears and misunderstandings about the use of hypnosis and hypnotherapy, and the myths and mystery that surround it are totally undeserved.
Hypnosis is usually induced by the use of the therapist's voice, though you are unlikely to actually "feel" hypnotised. There is no such thing as a 'hypnotised feeling', though many people find their senses to be far more alert than usual - you will certainly not 'lose control' at any time, nor can you be manipulated in any way.
There is no form of unconsciousness and nobody can be made to do anything that they do not want to do; a person in hypnosis is aware of everything happening around them, aware of themselves and their therapist, and will retain a full and accurate memory of everything afterwards.
Hypnosis, a totally natural phenomenon, is simply a very comfortable and relaxed state during which it is quite easy to converse sensibly with the therapist. Almost anyone can enter the hypnotic state easily, with the exceptions of the truly mentally subnormal, very young children, and anybody under the influence of hard drugs or very large quantities of alcohol.
This is a reliable and safe therapeutic technique which is centuries old and is recognised by many branches of orthodox medicine as a valuable alternative to drugs to accelerate healing, and to help combat pain.
Whilst not a panacea for all ills, hypnotherapy can be an effective treatment method for a great many problems where psychological factors are involved.
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In this relaxed state, a professional qualified hypnotherapist can communicate directly with the unconscious mind, this is why it is so quick and easy to change habits of a lifetime with hypnotherapy.
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Technical Stuff.. - The working frequencies of the brain
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1) Beta (14-40Hz) – The Waking Consciousness and Reasoning Wave
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Beta brain waves are associated with normal waking consciousness and a heightened state of alertness, logic and critical reasoning. This is the state we are in while we work, have conversations and interactions in our daily lives.
While Beta brain waves are important for effective functioning throughout the day, they also can translate into stress, anxiety and restlessness. The voice of Beta can be described as the voice in our head or our constant stream of thought.
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2) Alpha (7.5-14Hz) – The Deep Relaxation Wave
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Alpha brain waves are present in deep relaxation and usually when the eyes are closed, when you’re slipping into a lovely daydream or during light meditation. It is an optimal time to program the mind for success and it also heightens your imagination, visualization, memory, learning and concentration.
It is the gateway to your subconscious mind and lies at the base of your conscious awareness. The voice of Alpha is your intuition, which becomes clearer and more profound the closer you get to 7.5Hz. This is an optimal state for hypnotherapy. This is a time when the constant chatter of the Beta state ceases to a large degree and the subconscious mind is open to suggestion.
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3) Theta (4-7.5Hz) – The Light Meditation And Sleeping Wave
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Theta brain waves are present during deep meditation and light sleep, including the all-important REM dream state. It is the realm of your subconscious and only experienced momentarily as you drift off to sleep from Alpha and wake from deep sleep (from Delta).
Your mind’s most deep-seated programs are at Theta and it is where you experience vivid visualizations, great inspiration, profound creativity and exceptional insight.
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It is at the Alpha-Theta border, from 7Hz to 8Hz, where the optimal range for visualization and hypnosis or reprogramming of your mind begins. It’s the mental state which you consciously create your reality. At this frequency, you are conscious of your surroundings however your body is in deep relaxation. This is the description of what hypnosis is. It isn’t sleep, it isn’t a magic trick, it’s simply a relaxed brain wave state.
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4) Delta (0.5-4Hz) – The Deep Sleep Wave
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The Delta frequency is the slowest of the frequencies and is experienced in deep, dreamless sleep. Delta is the realm of your unconscious mind, and the gateway to the collective unconscious, where information received is otherwise unavailable at the conscious level.
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Among many things, deep sleep is important for the healing process – as it’s linked with deep healing and regeneration. When people don’t get enough deep sleep it is detrimental to their health in more ways than one. Once a person is in the Delta state even though their subconscious mind is very active, hypnosis would not be effective because the person would not be able to hear the suggestions given. This is a time when the subconscious is like a computer sorting, filing, organizing and discarding data.
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5) Gamma (above 40Hz) – The Insight Wave
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This range is the most recently discovered and is the fastest frequency at above 40Hz. While little is known about this state of mind, initial research shows Gamma waves are associated with bursts of insight and high-level information processing.
