Have you ever closed your eyes and begun to dream? Have you ever taken yourself back to that perfect beach on holiday in this way? If you have, you have put yourself on the threshold of hypnosis. But, if you have actually said to yourself “It’s just as if I were there right now” you have hypnotised yourself.  So nearly all of us have experienced hypnosis.
The hypnotherapist purposefully places you in a hypnotic trance, if you are willing and cooperative, and uses this state to stimulate your imagination. The therapist acts like “dream pilot” guiding your thoughts and imparting useful suggestions. The patient will not accept a suggestion unless it is reasonable and pleasing.

Under hypnosis a person is in control of all of her faculties. She can hear, see, feel, smell, taste and speak. However, her critical faculty lies suspended so she will accept pleasing and reasonable suggestions which under normal circumstances she might reject. The patient is in control at all times, not the therapist. Unpleasant or unreasonable suggestions will not be accepted. Since it’s a completely natural experience its absolutely safe.

Text based on Hypnotherapy by Dave Elman 1964