The Shaolin Warriors from the Chinese State Circus demonstrate their skills in Southampton

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Self-hypnosis is an easy and useful technique for children to learn. Self-hypnosis is often taught to children by a trained hypnotherapist and it is designed to help them relax in difficult situations. The first step to self-hypnosis is to find a comfortable and quite place to sit or lie down to relax.

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Hypnosis and hypnotism: what exactly is it? The word itself is derived from “hypnos”, a Greek word meaning sleep. The most commonly used definition is “a trance-like state of heightened suggestibility”.

The concepts and ideas behind it have been around for centuries, medical science has now come to recognize and accept it only in the last 50 years or so.

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What is hypnosis?

If you search around the web today you will come back with a hundred and one definitions. The reason for this is that even now people can not agree!

So what is it?
Here’s MY definition
Hypnosis is the utilization of an altered state to introduce suggestions to the unconscious mind.

Some types of suggestible altered states:

• Shock
• Distress
• Anxiety
• Panic
• Trance
• Meditation

What is hypnosis like?
Well it’s just like trance or daydreaming, because that’s exactly what it is! The ONLY difference is the inclusion of suggestions.

Consider a few natural trance states that you might have been in this week:

• Watching a movie
• Driving on autopilot
• Being “miles away”
• Daydreaming
• Getting a massage
• Reading a book
• Listening to music

The hidden hypnotist

Unfortunately anyone in a state of authority can unwittingly perform negative hypnosis, if you are in an altered state, so it’s important for people to be aware of their language in times of stress and shock. Examples include:

• High school teacher
• County Judge
• Police Officer
• Doctor or surgeon
• Parent

How?
Well, when you are in an altered state like trance or shock anything that is said to you bypasses that part of the mind that analyzes whether those statements maybe be truthful or not.

Let me give you a couple of examples:
Positive Hypnosis –

• You explain to someone in trance that they will feel better
• You tell someone in a state of shock that help is coming and that the worst is over

Negative Hypnosis –

• The medical professional explains to you while you are in a state of anxiety that the procedure has a marginal success rate and recovery will take several months
• The dentist about to give you an injection says, “you might feel some pain”