Hypnosis as a System for Changing Consciousness

"Does hypnosis exist?" This question will seem strange, especially to those who believe in the existence of hypnosis. And if so, then what is it? The impact of a mysterious mystical power? A property of our physiology? Suggestion? Belief?

Many, for example, are convinced that hypnosis is only a condition. From their point of view, hypnosis is like "Little Egypt," the southern part of Illinois-it is not on the map, but it still exists in the minds of people and in their history. Another metaphor that allows you to better understand this approach: the stars of the Big Dipper have nothing to do with each other, but our imagination connects them into a single constellation, which, again, many believe, can even influence our life.

The main problem when discussing the process of hypnosis is that too many conflicting definitions have been attached to this phenomenon, what is and what is not hypnosis. Because of this, people have a preconceived opinion about hypnosis. We can say that people in general are hypnotized by faith, and therefore, in a sense, it does not matter what exactly exists in reality-since it turns out that everyone has their own reality.

There are many wonderful works that give a large number of definitions for hypnosis. That is why we will not give the classical concept of hypnosis in this article. A person, following his principles, can either accept such definitions of hypnosis, or reject them. If we assume that hypnosis is a special effect that introduces a person into a mystical state, selects his mind and makes him obey the hypnotist-then no, such hypnosis most likely does not exist. Judge for yourself: if hypnosis, as a kind of superpower, exists, then what is the point for hypnotists to write their books on hypnosis? Better to just go to any big corporation and get its boss to hand the hypnotist the reins or write a huge check. If we try to discard the mystical side of hypnosis and assume that hypnosis is a form of changing consciousness, then it will be much easier for us to understand the work of hypnosis, and to make this process more understandable and visual.

Hypnosis includes many states, just like human sleep. Although the types of sleep have different names, they still belong to the same group called "sleep." It is the same with hypnosis. Imagine a straight line segment, where at one end is the conscious world of a person, and at the other-a dream. Between these points on the segment, we can catch many states-just the same, hypnosis is the section between sleep and wakefulness. We can say that hypnosis "manifests itself" when internal processes occurring in the consciousness and subconsciousness of a person are exacerbated, while external processes are weakened.

A hypnosis-like mechanism can be seen in electricity. Until now, scientists are trying to understand what electricity really is. If you think in terms of generally accepted concepts, then electricity is a form of energy that moves along wires and delivers energy to the right places. Hypnosis works the same way, spreading impulses through the brain.

Hypnosis as a Medium of Communication

In our definition, hypnosis is a connection that appears in a person when they are communicating with another person. It is at the moment of communication, through words, intonation, facial expressions, and gestures, that a person can feel and understand someone else's experience in the past, and this experience becomes real for him-real like his own.

However, when someone says the word "rose" in English, you might think of a flower, probably a red one. But this someone may have been referring to a woman named Rose. And someone else might have thought that someone stood up (rose is the past tense of rise). And if you say, "Beautiful red rose"-then even in this case, each person will again present something of his own, and so he can recall the past experience associated with these images, up to an unpleasant situation.

Perceiving someone else's experience, we literally make our own, giving it forms that are close and understandable to us.

But how to start the process of immersion in the inner world?

Once, my wife and I watched a virtual tour of one of the European museums. Suddenly, when I saw the statue of the nymph, I experienced some kind of uncontrollable fear that suddenly rolled over me and...I ended up at my 10-year-old age. Childhood memories washed over me. I walked through the museum, went near the window, bumped into something with my back-It seemed to me that someone was forcibly holding me back. I made a sharp movement, trying to escape. I jumped to the side and I watch in horror as the statue sways on its pedestal. She almost fell. No one was holding me back, I just forgot that there was a statue behind me, and I almost smashed it with my sharp push. A moment later, I returned to reality-the similar color of white marble was enough to immerse me in long-lost childhood memories, and to deprive me of my connection with reality for a while.

How could I get so deep in the subconscious? Do we really need a strong trance and suggestion to go back to the past? Or does this phenomenon have simpler mechanisms?

Negative hallucination is one of the methods of standard hypnosis. A person is put into a hypnotic state and it is suggested to him that he does not hear or see anything or anyone. Coming out of the trance, the "good" hypnotized person, indeed, will see nothing. Plus, they will not hear, and even forget what was suggested to him-although he will follow this suggestion. Probably, many are familiar with the situation when children repeatedly do not respond to the call to go to dinner? Or as some acquaintance persuades you with all his might: "I can't make decisions. It is completely impossible"-and despite this he has just made the decision to find you and talk to you. Or someone is looking for their glasses, not seeing that they are lying in front of him. Such circumstances are examples of negative hallucinations.

Take a person who says, "Everyone hates me and has always hated me." Obviously, in a person's life there were good people who helped him, but these moments, unfortunately, fell out of the person's reality. But still: are these things hypnosis?

Wonderful or Flat World

In the ancient world, people were convinced that the world was flat. This idea was inspired by those in power. Therefore, as it were, people were limited to this plane. The same happens in our case: if we restrict ourselves to the outdated concept of hypnosis, then we are in a flat world. Our world becomes voluminous when we move away from excessive mysticism in hypnosis and begin to notice hypnotic phenomena around us which occurs without any trance. Someone may say to you, "I can't do anything, I'm a loser." But in fact, he does a lot, and quite successfully. Such suggestions and self-talk affect people's faith, and through faith they become reality, even if they have nothing to do with reality.

To summarize, if you define hypnosis as a special state in which a person is necessarily in a deep trance, then hypnosis does not exist. And if you understand hypnosis as a system for changing consciousness, then you understand that hypnosis is a system of concepts and ideas. Even if you look at it through the eyes of a materialist, hypnosis is still one of the most interesting processes in the history of the formation of civilization.

And if you bring a mystical experience into hypnosis-then a picture can open that shocks the imagination.

Hypnosis includes physical and mental processes. These processes and details from reality can return a person to the past using internal memory and experience. Since in this world we have the opportunity to learn something new, it is sad that most people have consolidated in themselves only the concept of classical hypnosis, and believe that they have no other way to approach the idea. We will be glad if this article helped you learn something new and interesting for yourself. Perhaps, pushing away from the old understanding of hypnosis, we can now move forward and gain access to new horizons.