Ever since i came onto this site, i always got those questions of "Are you a hypnotist? What does it feel like? Will i lose my will? Is it dangerous? etc." After doing this for a whole year now, i thought i made up a general basic guide, about some FAQ's about hypnosis and more.

First of all, no discussion of hypnosis can really take place, sadly, without the debunking of a number of myths about it. Many of these myths lead people to the erroneous conclusion that hypnosis is restricted to the realm of fantasy, and not something that can really happen to anyone. While I'm not the first, by any means, I'd like to do my part to set the record straight, as someone who's been both a hypnotist and a subject before.

When most people think of hypnosis, they think of the blank-eyed zombie who sleepily mutters 'yes Master, I am in your power'. It's as cheesy and stupid as it is hot for people who are into that sort of thing, but let's break this down. The first misconception that many people have about hypnosis and trance is that it's like sleeping. This would only make sense; people in trance are breathing regularly, typically with their eyes closed, and for all intents and purposes they look like they're sleeping. A simple enough conclusion to make, but also quite wrong. Which brings me into the definition of what trance actually is. Trance, in its simplest form, is your brain going on auto-pilot, where it's not really focusing the conscious mind on whatever it is you're doing.

Some of you may be thinking: "Wait...that happens to me all the time! Is that really trance?" The short answer is 'yes'. If you've ever gone on a pleasant drive and arrived at your destination, only to realize that you have absolutely no memory whatsoever of what you did on the way there, that is in fact trance; your conscious mind isn't really focused on what you're doing, because it's so routine you do it all the time, and therefore so long as nothing noteworthy happens (like someone suddenly slamming their brakes in front of you) you don't even notice it. The same thing happens when you're so absorbed in a task, like reading, that you suddenly realized you failed to note the three to five hours that have passed without a single movement in your body.

You may be thinking that all of this sounds incredibly boring and mundane. It is. It's still trance, however; that's literally all trance is. Hypnosis, on the other hand, is when someone induces that mental state within a subject, along with a third element, which I'll get to shortly. Basically, the clichés of the hypnotist, such as the pocket watch or their induction spiel, are all rooted in this basic principle. For example, if you've ever wondered why hypnotists would dangle a shiny object in front of a subject's face, or told them to stare into the hypnotist's eyes, or any of that...you might be thinking that it's nothing more than a prop, and in a way, it is...it could literally be anything. It's not important that it be any particular item (though I'd recommend a light one, as holding it for several minutes without moving can strain you if it's heavy); what is important is that the subject focus on it, intently, putting all of their conscious mind into studying every aspect of it.

The reasoning behind this, of course, is that it gives the conscious mind a target to focus on. Most of the time, our conscious minds are busy processing all kinds of information at any given moment. Any one of them can be incredibly distracting from the hypnotist's goal; to put the subject into a trance. When driving for example, you tend to be doing a very small number of related tasks, most of which you handle subconsciously; you adjust pressure on the pedals to check or increase your speed, you nudge the wheel to go around curves, etc. Well, if a subject is just sitting there with a hypnotist, their minds are probably all over the place. That object, the focus, is what trains the subject's mind on one thing and one alone, and dropping everything else. There's more to it than that, but I'll get to it later.

So far I've mentioned two of the three elements to hypnosis. The first being the trance state, the state where the subject's conscious mind goes on auto-pilot, leaving only the sub-conscious. The second, the hypnotist who places the subject into this state, which is obviously needed for suggestions and whatnot. The third is the reason behind the slightly misleading phrase that is common among hypno-fans: "All hypnosis is self-hypnosis." The meaning most people have behind that phrase is two-fold: One, that you cannot be made to do anything you wouldn't want to do (for example, something harmful to yourself), and two, that no matter what the hypnotist might suggest, it's up to you to actually obey or disobey; everything, from the choice to listen to the hypnotist's induction and fall into trance, to actually following whatever suggestion he has for you, is your choice, ultimately. These things are somewhat true, but not absolute, as I'll get into right now as I discuss the third element of hypnosis: The surrender of the subject's will.

You read that correctly. The third key element of a successful hypnotic session is the surrender of the subject's will to the hypnotist. When a subject is hypnotized, their conscious mind isn't 'home', and the sub-conscious is more vulnerable to suggestion than you might think (that is, after all, the entire point of hypnosis). Essentially, in a lot of ways, your willpower is significantly reduced when hypnotized, and a key portion of hypnosis is that the hypnotist's will temporarily 'replaces' yours. This is also where some of the... I don't want to say 'danger', but definitely something to be aware of, comes to play. Remember that bit where I said you can't be made to do something you don't want to do? That's true, but the lines aren't completely solid. With carefully worded language, a smooth transition and a suggestible subject, it is possible to bypass some of one's usual restrictions, simply because the subject's will has been subjugated during the trance by the hypnotist. This is the third key element of hypnosis. To sum up:

* Trance (the distraction of the conscious mind)
* Hypnotist (to guide a subject into trance and plant suggestions)
* The Surrender of Will (to permit the hypnotist to take control and guide the subject through the trance)

These are all the key elements.

Now, reading my above paragraph, you might be thinking that hypnosis is an incredibly dangerous thing, as a less than scrupulous hypnotist might take advantage of a subject and plant evil suggestions that brainwash the subject in various ways. However, let me put your mind at ease and basically refute my own point above. While you can be persuaded to do or say some things that you wouldn't normally, there are a number of limits. In fact, too many to list. For example, not everyone is suggestible to the same degree or in the same fashion. I've seen subjects who go completely zonked while under, for example, and can be made to experience certain feelings while under trance, but the moment they awaken, it's over, and trying to get them to *do* something in trance snaps them out. Others have even the slightest suggestion last long after trance, whether the hypnotist attempted a post-hypnotic suggestion or not. Everyone is different.

Similarly, not everyone feels the same way in trance. Some people feel exactly the same in trance as out, and that has nothing to do with how easy or well a hypnotic suggestion works. Others, as I've said, completely zonk out. Also, some types of suggestions work better than others. Suggestions that say 'you will do this and this later' are the least likely to 'stick'; emotional suggestions and trigger phrases (if well implemented) are the better ones, typically.

So, the next question: "Can I be hypnotized?" The short answer is yes. The longer answer is "Yes, but only if you trust the hypnotist enough to surrender your will to him, and depending on how your mind works, you may or may not feel like you are in trance, and even then, the ability of suggestions to work may vary." I will say, if you try being hypnotized and you feel it didn't work, consider that it may either be the result of your mind just not feeling totally zonked, or it could be the result of an unskilled hypnotist with sloppy hypnotic technique. Trust me, there's a lot of crappy hypnotic stuff on the internet. The entire reason I learned my own techniques is because I was unsatisfied with the content I could find myself.

So yeah, these are the basic things you need to know about Hypnosis. If you have more things to ask, you can message me, or leave a message in the comments. Either way is fine.