What is Hypnosis Like?

Hypnosis

Have you ever sat in a cinema watching a good film and been surprised how quickly the time has passed? Most people are surprised to learn that they have been in a light trance when watching an enjoyable film; Hollywood calls it "willing suspension of disbelief".

You are completely in control

Watching a movie has all the hallmarks of a hypnotic trance:

• you are fully conscious and could choose to respond to some external stimulation if you wanted to
• time seems to travel at a different speed
• you are aware of what is going on around you (e.g. people coughing, opening packets of sweets, etc.) but you are concentrating on something else

You will have experienced "willing suspension of disbelief" in a number of circumstances:

• As a child in the playground playing "Let's pretend"
• If you have ever acted in a play
• Reading a good book
• Listening to an accomplished talker

In the state of "willing suspension of disbelief", the part of the brain that filters messages going into the subconscious, the "critical faculty", is by-passed.

In the same way that when you are watching a movie you are relaxed and comfortable, you will feel very relaxed and comfortable in a hypnotic trance. Just as you could decide to get up and walk out of the cinema in the middle of a film, you could decide to come out of a hypnotic trance whenever you chose to. You are completely in control.

The Subconscious Mind

The human mind can be thought of as having two parts: the conscious and the subconscious. If you think of the conscious mind as where you work out what you are going to do and how you are going to do it, the subconscious is where you get things done. When you drive a car, you use your conscious mind to decide where you are going to, how you are going to get there and when you will leave, and you use your subconscious mind to manipulate the controls of the car, assess the dangers and select an appropriate speed. The conscious mind directs the car and the subconscious controls the car.

The subconscious mind is where your skills, habits, beliefs, values, memories and emotions are stored and processed (to read more about the subconscious read our article).

The Practice

Hypnosis cannot be beaten as a way of making changes quickly and easily. Our practice is based in Hinckley town centre, and so is easily available to all in the Leicester, Coventry, Leicestershire and Warwickshire areas.