Hypnosis what it is, how it works and what the technique is for

Actress Deborah Secco, her husband, Hugo Moura, and daughter, Maria Flor, told the public that they underwent hypnotherapy treatment to manage anxiety and pain, in addition to sleeping and eating better. Did you know that technique can be used for this? In this article, I tell you what hypnosis is, how hypnotherapy and self-hypnosis work, what it is for and its benefits.

What is hypnosis and hypnotherapy?

Hypnosis is a natural state of mind. We access this state several times during our day. We can say that hypnosis is a state of focus and concentration, which can be used in a voluntary and profound way.

That is, hypnosis is a genuine psychological phenomenon, but one that has valid uses in clinical practice, where it is known as clinical hypnosis or hypnotherapy.

So, summing up, Hypnosis is a state of highly focused concentration, often associated with relaxation and heightened suggestibility, i.e., an increased ability to accept suggestions..

What is hypnosis and hypnotherapy used for?

In a hypnotherapy treatment, while in a hypnotic trance state, people become much more open to helpful suggestions than they normally are.

These suggestions are intended to take effect after the person leaves the trance and is no longer in the office.

What happens in a hypnotherapy treatment is to use this natural state of mind to:

Releasing traumas that may be impacting emotional, mental and physical health Elimination of bad habits and building positive habits Re-signification of beliefs that may be harming the person Elaboration of past events with the aim of clarifying and desensitizing, gaining other perspectives that are beneficial to the individualBring the suggestions that the person needs according to their needs.

Hypnotherapy treatment is also a great ally:

In the treatment of chronic painFor those who are undergoing chemotherapy or intensive treatments with many side effectsFor those who are in good health and want to have a greater gain in well-being, quality of life and high performance.

The most frequent clinical uses of clinical hypnosis include: anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, compulsions, insecurity and phobias.

Fears and Myths of Hypnosis

There is a popular myth that goes along with the stage hypnosis (entertainment hypnosis), the one we see on TV, that the hypnotist has complete control over the mind of the hypnotized. This could not be more wrong.

People in a hypnotic trance state are in complete control of themselves and would not do anything that they would normally consider against their values..

To be successfully hypnotized, a person must be willing to undergo the process voluntarily and follow the hypnotherapist’s instructions and suggestions.

How the hypnotic trance state works

I’ll give you 3 examples of your everyday life that define the state of hypnotic trance to demystify the fears of hypnosis and open your mind to know yourself even more and understand the power we have when we use our mind in our favor.

The first example is when you’re doing something that you find very boring or exhausting, like a meeting you can’t handle or a boring class. The feeling that time doesn’t pass, that the clock doesn’t run. But when you don’t want to wake up in the morning, those 5 minutes of your alarm clock snooze feel like just 30 seconds.
In these two situations, the time was passing the same way, but, as you are so focused on an idea – for time to pass quickly or for time to pass slowly -, you simply go into a trance and start to perceive time in a distorted way . The name of this is distorted perception of time.Now, when we watch a movie, we start to feel emotional reactions related to what is happening in the story, such as fear, sadness, happiness or anger, even though we know it is fiction, that everyone there is an actor. The mind begins to react to the movie as if it were a real event. The name of this is breaking the critical sense. This is the second characteristic of being in a trance, that is, hypnotized.
What happens is that because you are concentrated and focused on the screen and the suggestions of the story, the trance happens – you start to be hypnotized by the film. The third and final example is a direct consequence of the breach of critical thinking. Being immersed in the film’s story, a person is likely to find themselves aware that they are sitting on the couch. Then, you notice that you have emotions related to the story as if you were participating in the film. This back and forth feeling happens over and over again. It’s what we call a ripple effect (like a sine wave). The ripple effect is a characteristic of trance during a hypnotherapy session.

Being hypnotized is not being passed out, unconscious or asleep. In reality, the person is on the back and forth of the ripple effect between rational and emotional mind. You are literally riding the wave of what the hypnotherapist is talking about and letting the emotional processes happen.

These are the three characteristics that define the hypnotic trance: distorted perception of time, breakdown of critical sense and wave effect. They are completely spontaneous and natural reactions, which routinely happen to any of us.

How does a hypnotherapy session work?

A clinical hypnosis session, or rather a hypnotherapy treatment, can be understood in a few steps.

Case Analysis: the first stage is a meeting in which we will make a complete anamnesis of the individual’s history and set up the treatment according to his needs, trying to understand what the patient seeks with hypnotherapy, what are his greatest difficulties and what is the complexity of what he seek to resolve. And it is very important, because each case is different. As much as the technique is the same, the way to apply it and the way to conduct the treatment varies according to each person.Conversation to explain and demystify what hypnosis is: is when the client is explained the power he has in his own mind and how our self-protection mechanisms work. That’s when fears and myths are eliminated, and the person can clear all their doubts, in addition to clarifying how the treatment will work. When the person is safe and confident, it is time to proceed with hypnotherapy.Preparation for treatment: stage made with some self-hypnosis audios and mental exercises. Hypnosis: this is when we actually begin the therapy, starting with what we call an “induction”, where the individual is put into a hypnotic trance to go through the process. This can happen in different ways, but it usually occurs from a process of physical and mental relaxation. Remembering that nothing ′′ magical ′′ happens at that moment, it’s a state you enter and exit naturally several times throughout the day.
During therapy, it is time to reframe experiences, regulate emotions and thus increase learning by learning to deal with traumas in a more functional way.
It’s in therapy that we set our goals and visualize in detail the changes we want to have. It is common that, at the end of this phase, people feel a sense of relief and freedom, and this usually makes all the difference in their lives. Directing new positive suggestions: after having sufficiently explored the specific subjects signaled by the individual, the time comes for new directions – always in accordance with the treatment objectives. It is possible to direct positive suggestions so that the person has the opportunity to feel even better, happier and motivated.
This phase of the clinical hypnosis session usually enhances the results of the therapeutic treatment. Return of Hypnosis: The final moment of the clinical hypnosis session is when the therapist directs the client to bring their attention back to the present moment and emerge from hypnosis. Relaxation goes away, the person opens his eyes and gradually returns to his waking state.
From there, the hypnotherapist and the client can talk about the session, point out details and more.

The number of sessions may vary according to each patient and professional. The most important thing is for the person to be open and willing for treatment. Thus, hypnotherapy can help you overcome many problems and challenges.

How does self-hypnosis work?

The state of hypnosis can be induced by a professional, the hypnotherapist, as I explained earlier, but it can also be self-induced through self-hypnosis.

Even a five-minute exercise can be very helpful. Remember that hypnosis is the state of concentration and focus on a single idea.

For this, follow the step by step:

Sit or lie down comfortably in a peaceful environment. Then close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Inhale and exhale focusing on body relaxation, part by part. Just this beginning already puts many people in a light trance and state of relaxation where the body also regulates itself with its own mechanisms. send suggestions simple and direct to the mind. For example: I can easily wake up early. At that moment when you give the suggestion, imagine some pleasant events, seeing yourself happy and achieving success.

Another way to practice self-hypnosis is with pre-recorded audio. There are many professionals who make some self-hypnosis audios available and today we even find some on YouTube. The initial process is the same, but instead of giving suggestions yourself, listen to the audio suggestions and follow the instructions.

But I also recommend the PlenaMente application, developed by Omni Brasil, the largest hypnotherapy training center in the world. Also, on my Instagram page, @gabi.artz, I make available some self-hypnosis audios for anxiety, insomnia, among others.

You can easily test the benefits of self-hypnosis, but like any process we are learning, it is practice makes perfect. So I recommend doing this practice every day so that your self-hypnosis process becomes more and more efficient and powerful.

Why Practice Self Hypnosis?

Because self-hypnosis has numerous benefits. I would say that all healthy and successful people, or almost all, have learned to master this technique even intuitively.

Self-hypnosis, in addition to strengthening your ability to focus and concentrate, which will help you in all areas of life, can also help you fight bad habits and become self-motivated.

Self-hypnosis helps you to increase disposition and unlock creativity by recovering the mind and body from the exhausting fatigue that prevents us from creating. With self-hypnosis it is possible to create solutions and suggestions that will encourage you to continue. It can also be used to achieve public speaking or increase self-confidence, in addition to improving memory and learning. There are so many benefits that it’s even hard not to want to do it, right?

Other cases where self-hypnosis is…