Hypnotism Day 2025 is on Saturday, January 4, 2025: does hypnotism really work?

Saturday, January 4, 2025 is Hypnotism Day 2025. Orange Live on World Hypnotism Day,

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You will find immeasureable skepticism and a substantial quantity of myths around hypnotherapy, yet evidence indicate it has definite effects, practical programs and real-world impact, although you will find arguments about whether or just how much the 'placebo effect' might be an issue. Regardless, Hypnotism Day aims to tackle myths mind-on, explore situation studies and educate about modern programs of hypnotherapy.

Yes

Hypnosis Myth #1

Only weak-minded people can be hypnotized

The truth is that everyone can be hypnotized. As a matter of fact, each one of us are using hypnosis in some form every single day of our lives either consciously or unconsciously.

We are experiencing some form of a trance-like hypnotic state each time we engage our imagination, each time we engage our emotions, each time our attention is focused upon our subjective experience.

The goal of a hypnosis session is successful installation of a desired outcomes deep into the subconscious mind from where it eventually expresses automatically without any further conscious activity.

We disempower ourselves when we choose limiting beliefs which reduce the number of available options toward reaching desired outcome; and we empower ourselves whenever we open ourselves to more options.

The people that are easiest to hypnotize are those who have great imagination and are able to maintain the focus on the desired objective. In other words, its people who still nourish that childlike quality of pretending, acting "as if" that which they desire to experience is their only reality.

Hypnosis Myth #2

Hypnotist has complete power over you when you are hypnotized

People who play the role of a hypnotist are not only those who label themselves as hypnotist, but can be anyone who is skilled with using language, capturing another person's imagination or is perceived as having an authority by the listener in a given context. You could say that the first hypnotists we experienced in our lives were our own parents - even if they did the whole act of hypnotizing unknowingly.

Hypnotist or another person who is playing the role of a hypnotist (knowingly or unknowingly) can have as much power over you as you give them. Hypnosis can be done in much more subtle ways than someone telling you to "take a deep breath and close your eyes now ... and hold onto every word I say ... because your life may depend on it". It may be a simple statement that someone utters which stimulates your imagination and more importantly your emotions - a statement of hope and encouragement or of some dismal consequences.

It is always up to you, whether you are having a session with a hypnotist, listening to hypnosis recording or receiving information through some other media - from a doctor, a lawyer, a salesman, an ad in a paper, watching news, reading books or newspapers - whether you want to accept or reject the ideas and statements offered. For that reason we say that "all hypnosis is ultimately self-hypnosis" and that you are always in control.

The role of a hypnotist in a therapeutic setting is to help you establish communication channel with your subcosncious in order to overcome your inner obstacles and reach your goals. All that any hypnotist can do for you, you can do for yourself on your own, too - if you take some time to learn self-hypnosis. A skilled hypnotist can help you a great deal simply due to experience and knowledge of variety of helpful techniques, but ultimately all the power is right in your mind and it is only a matter of learning to access it and practicing to develop, or rather unfold it so that you can accomplish anything you desire.

Hypnosis Myth #3

If you can hear the hypnotist, you were not hypnotized

This misconception has probably come about due to another common misconception which equates the state of hypnosis with sleep.

A lot of people believe that when they are hypnotized they will not be aware of anything that is happening around them. Yet, if you lost all connection with the hypnotist, how could you follow the instructions?

While the level of awareness of your surroundings may shift to some degree, you will still be aware of the hypnotist or his voice. The better you are able to play the game of "let's pretend" and immerse yourself in your subjective reality (inner world experiences), the less will you be aware of your surroundings in the way that you are accustomed to. That's why we call it - "altered reality". In this altered reality, your awareness of the hypnotist may change and you may interpret him as someone else - maybe a friend or a stranger or magician - but you will still be aware of the hypnotist's voice.

Hypnosis Myth #4

You can remain permanently stuck in hypnosis

No one ever got stuck, but some people enjoy deep trance so much that they don't want to come out. Imagine being in a state where your body feels so deeply relaxed that you may not need to pay any attention to it, and your mind is completely free of any stresses associated with your daily life and you are finally able to experience all of your most cherished dreams and secret desires come to life in full color with exquisite sensations. At least here, perhaps for the first time, you are able to experience total freedom, inner peace and happiness and all seems absolutely perfect in your world. You are in control.

Do you kno

Is hypnotism possible?

Hypnotism is possible, and it's not something to fear if you are working with a trained professional in a clinical setting. I wouldn't try it for entertainment purposes or to please anyone else - only do it if you are comfortable with the idea of what is going to be suggested to you.

A person in my office went to a hypnotist that was working through a hospital as a quit-smoking technique. She told me about her experience when I was getting divorced and couldn't sleep or relax. I went for a session in the hope of stress relief.

The hypnotist and I had a short discussion about what I hoped to gain through the session and what was going to happen. I was seated on a comfortable lounge-type chair. She started speaking to me in a calm, low voice and told me to close my eyes and relax. She asked me to focus on the sound of her voice and then to think about different body parts and how they would feel when they were relaxed.

I remember sitting in the chair, feeling relaxed and half-thinking that it wasn't working because I still felt conscious of what was happening to me. She asked me to raise my left hand and it felt heavy. I lifted my hand slightly, the movement was a bit jerky. Again, I had a vague thought that maybe I was cheating or the hypnotism wasn't working because I had to think about moving my hand because it wouldn't move on it's own. She then read from a script about stress and relaxation and sleeping.

The hypnotist then took me out of the relaxed state. She gave me a cd to listen to when I was in bed at night. I left, wondering if it had worked. I listened to the cd that night. I don't think I got even a minute into it before falling asleep. Same thing for the next couple of weeks. After that, I think I got a few minutes into the cd before falling asleep. I did relax more during the day, I stopped finding myself all tense and my teeth clenched - which had been happening before I saw the hypnotist.

All together, it worked very well for me. I *never* felt that I was out of control, and it's been a few years and I still remember what happened during the session. And my co-worker who quit smoking - she's been without a cigarette for 5 years now. She said she does think about smoking sometimes. The hypnotist had asked her what she wanted to associate smoking with so she wouldn't be tempted to do it anymore. She asked for smoking to be associated with nausea. My co-worker still gets a vague sense of nausea when she thinks about lighting up.

what is hypnotism?

Hypnotism is being put into a state of mind where you are very relaxed but still aware of your surroundings(like when you drive along a road you drive every day you can daydream while driving and then without realising it your at your destination and you do know you drove the whole way but never noticed anything along the way)some people are open to the power of suggestion after being hypnotized and can be told to stop fearing something and will stop fearing it.