Author: MJT
Does Hypnosis Really Work?
Being Hypnotized
Being placed under hypnosis has been described as being
placed in a trance or dream like state; this is achieved by tricking the mind
into suppressing the conscious mind and allowing the subconscious mind to take
the forefront. It is thought that the subconscious mind is more open to
suggestion and imaginary play than our conscious mind. This would explain why in a state of
hypnotism, that people are willing to act a way that they might not normally
act.
It is a common misconception, that hypnotism allows the
hypnotist to control the mind; this is not true, but to the contrary, they are
accessing the subconscious mind. The
subconscious mind is more open to suggestion because it controls the body’s
automatic functions such as breathing, the heart beat, all of the “how to’s” of
the body, the subconscious mind is responsible for.
For example, people don’t have to think about walking, they
simply do; nor do they have to think about reading or tying a shoe, once a
skill is learned our brain puts the skill onto the “auto pilot” section of our
brains, this is our subconscious mind.
As it is accustomed to reacting automatically is not hard to imagine that
it would have fewer inhibitions than our conscious mind.
Because the subconscious mind is so sensitive to suggestion,
the use of hypnosis in a medical capacity is highly debated, while it can
sometimes be useful there is also risk of imprinting the brain with false
memories. These false memories are
thought to happen because something is suggested while the mind is in this
highly relaxed and heightened awareness state.
People who are especially susceptible to hypnosis can even experience
memory loss from the experience.
The human brain itself is an enigma to the scientific world,
everything that is learned about the brain raises more questions; this is why
understanding hypnotism can be so difficult, every brain reacts a little
different to the experience and some brains are not affected by it at all.
Scientist have found that for a person to be hypnotized
there must be certain factors: the brain must be completely relaxed, allowing
the subconscious mind to take the foreground of the mind; the person must want
to be hypnotized or at least feel the social pressure to perform; and the
person has to be willing to do whatever is suggested of them, while the
subconscious mind is more open to suggestion it still will not put the body
into danger, the survival instinct is still prevalent even in the subconscious
mind.
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