What Is Hypnosis

What is Hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a heightened mental awareness when focused attention occurs naturally in animals and humans in everyday life. When this natural state of mind occurs, we tend to be in a daydream-like condition where we are more aware of our surroundings.

We all know what it’s like when we are driving, daydreaming, and missing our turnoff or arriving at a destination without remembering how we got there (but we did it without any problems). We all know what it’s like when we are absorbed when reading a book and asked a question by someone else and don’t initially hear or acknowledge them.

Where Did Hypnosis Come From?

Let’s start with Franz Anton Mesmer: Franz Anton Mesmer May 23rd, 1734-1815 was a German physician who theorized that there was a natural energetic transference between animated and inanimate objects, which he called (animal magnetism) and other spiritual forces group, which he called (mesmerism). Mesmer treated individuals and groups to overcome many physical and psychological problems.

With his patients, he used to create a focal point by staring into the patients’ eyes (creating a trance-like state of mind, which is, in modern terms, known as a hypnotic induction). He would then move his hands across the patient’s shoulders and down the arms and press his fingers on the patient’s hypochondrium, holding them in position for many hours, which brought about the desired change.

What is hypnosis, and what is a baquet?

When working with groups of patients, Mesmer put a vessel called a “baquet” in the middle of the floor with holes punctured at the top, which would correspond to how many patients were in attendance. Iron rods from the holes were bent at right angles, pointing outwards towards the part of the person’s body that needed healing.

From the iron rod, there was a rope that the patient would hold, which was supposed to communicate with the vessel and then to the next person around the vessel. This was a very early form of healing, which was quickly stopped by King Louis XVI, who appointed four members of the Faculty of Medicine as commissioners to investigate animal magnetism as practised by d’Eslon and Mesmer.

Hypnosis And Dr James Braid

The word hypnosis was proposed by Dr James Braid (1799-1860) around 1841, a Scottish surgeon studying Mesmer’s work. The word hypnosis derives from a technique from mesmerism after Dr Braid attended an event on hypnotism by Swiss magnetizer Charles Lafontaine in Manchester. Dr Braid initially concluded that the phenomenon was a form of sleep and called it hypnosis after Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep and master of dreams. 

The words “hypnosis and hypnotism” came from neuro-hypnotism (nervous sleep). In 1847, Dr Braid realized that the phenomenon of catalepsy, anaesthesia, and amnesia could be induced without sleep. Hence, he attempted to change the name, but it was too late. The term hypnosis was here to stay because it had already been adopted all over Europe.

The Future Of Hypnosis

Hypnosis has moved on a very long way since Dr Braid. Nevertheless, it has become widely accepted as a precious natural alternative therapy and has proven incredibly effective, whereas modern medicine has been ineffective. In modern times, hypnosis can be used as a powerful tool by hypnotherapists to access the subconscious part of the mind, where they can use the skill of hypnotherapy to help people stop smoking, lose weight, or overcome fear and social phobias.

What Is Hypnosis? What is A Hypnotic Induction?

Hypnotic induction is the process undertaken by a hypnotist to establish the state or conditions required for hypnosis.

Progressive Relaxation Induction

A progressive relaxation technique is where the hypnotherapist suggests that a client slowly relax muscle groups that lead from one to the next, from the head down through the body to the feet, to create physical relaxation. This technique can be used for people who find it difficult to relax and who don’t like to rush things.

Rapid Induction

“Rapid Induction” tends to be the best hypnosis induction and is the most effective way to quickly produce the somnambulistic state of hypnosis in less than four minutes.

Instant Or Shock Inductions

This kind of induction is superb for obtaining an instant bypass of the conscious critical analyzing mind by instantly interrupting the logical thinking of the mind with something either mentally or physically unexpected.

What is Hypnosis, and what is a Confusion Induction?

A confusion induction can overload the conscious analyzing mind with information where the conscious mind has no comprehension or understanding of the information it receives. If the analyzing mind can’t make sense of the information it’s receiving, it becomes bored and switches off, giving access to the subconscious mind.

Contact Quays Clinic

If you are looking for hypnotherapy in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, or Tyne and Wear, make Quays Clinic your number-one choice. Ian Smith is an Internationally respected therapist.

Quays Clinic: Telephone 0774 3353367

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