Hypnotism?

SlimWallet

What do you guys think of being hypnotized? Who here has experience with being hypnotized by a clinical hypnotist? I didn't think much of it until I saw a recent Dr. Oz episode where world famous hypnotist Paul McKenna shared his hypnosis techniques for weight loss. Dr. Oz mentioned at the beginning of the show that some of the most important major medical institutions such as Harvard and The Cleveland Clinic now acknowledge and recognize the effectiveness of hypnotism. So keep that in mind if you have any biases against the practice. I was a bit of a skeptic myself before the show. But it's hard to dispute it now with this new understanding I have.

Would be interested in hearing your experiences about it. It does feel similar to meditating when listening to some of these audio tracks I have. They tell you to breathe and count backwards from 300. A while back I made a topic on overcoming cuff anxiety. Maybe I've finally found my answer. I may go see a hypnotherapist soon.

Dakini

Meditation is said to be a form of hypnosis.

I tested the waters with hypnotherapy years ago, and my experience was that some people are more suggestible than others, but also, some practitioners are better at hypnotizing people than others. Also, they can plant a suggestion in your mind, but you can overcome it. That was my observation, but maybe it depends on the hypnotherapist.

Also, there seem to be two different kinds of hypnotherapy. One plants a suggestion in your mind. The other is longer-term, and involves something like conventional therapy, but it's done while you're in an altered state of consciousness, so the therapist has easier access to your deeper thoughts. It's said this produces more rapid results than conventional therapy. I saw this demonstrated several times on TV (the therapist explained that viewers were seeing just 2 or 3 sessions in a longer process).

TheEccentric

My Mother is a fully trained Hypnotherapist and from her I have learn't how to do Self-Hypnosis as well as conducting it on other people, it does work, it can help to stop you from overeating, smoking, nervousness and phobias aqnd any other negative habbit or pattern. I must say thopugh Meditation is definately not a form of hypnosis, they are similair states in some ways but they are induced and in some ways feel completely different. I have not practiced Hypnosis since I have started mediating however as it is now my focus.

SlimWallet

Dakini said:

Meditation is said to be a form of hypnosis.

I tested the waters with hypnotherapy years ago, and my experience was that some people are more suggestible than others, but also, some practitioners are better at hypnotizing people than others. Also, they can plant a suggestion in your mind, but you can overcome it. That was my observation, but maybe it depends on the hypnotherapist.

Also, there seem to be two different kinds of hypnotherapy. One plants a suggestion in your mind. The other is longer-term, and involves something like conventional therapy, but it's done while you're in an altered state of consciousness, so the therapist has easier access to your deeper thoughts. It's said this produces more rapid results than conventional therapy. I saw this demonstrated several times on TV (the therapist explained that viewers were seeing just 2 or 3 sessions in a longer process).

That was very helpful, Eccentric. It's good I learn these things before signing up and paying such a high amount of money. It's on average about $90-$100 per session around here. I wonder if I should ask ahead of time if the type of hypnosis they have is suggestion or conventional. I also wonder about their credentials. Some of these hypnotherapists that I'm looking up in my area on Yelp greatly differ in their backgrounds. Some have nothing other than their basic certification in hypnotherapy. Then there others who are "clinically" certified. And some who are not only clinically certified but also have a Master's Degree in Psychology. I even came across one who had her doctorate in Hypnotherapy! She also has NLP in her toolbox. It's a vast difference for each one.

TheEccentric said:

My Mother is a fully trained Hypnotherapist and from her I have learn't how to do Self-Hypnosis as well as conducting it on other people, it does work, it can help to stop you from overeating, smoking, nervousness and phobias aqnd any other negative habbit or pattern. I must say thopugh Meditation is definately not a form of hypnosis, they are similair states in some ways but they are induced and in some ways feel completely different. I have not practiced Hypnosis since I have started mediating however as it is now my focus.

Oh wow. Any tips you can share on self-hypnosis would be appreciated. I'd love to save myself from paying huge amounts. Any tips for cuff anxiety? Cuff anxiety is when your heart rate spikes suddenly when a medical professional takes your BP. It could be for anything that suddenly causes you to be anxious actually. Stage fright would fall under same category.

DaltheJigsaw

It works, but dangerous when the individual doing it does not know how to do it properly. You can severely mess the other individual up.

footiam

Dakini said:

Meditation is said to be a form of hypnosis.

I tested the waters with hypnotherapy years ago, and my experience was that some people are more suggestible than others, but also, some practitioners are better at hypnotizing people than others. Also, they can plant a suggestion in your mind, but you can overcome it. That was my observation, but maybe it depends on the hypnotherapist.

Also, there seem to be two different kinds of hypnotherapy. One plants a suggestion in your mind. The other is longer-term, and involves something like conventional therapy, but it's done while you're in an altered state of consciousness, so the therapist has easier access to your deeper thoughts. It's said this produces more rapid results than conventional therapy. I saw this demonstrated several times on TV (the therapist explained that viewers were seeing just 2 or 3 sessions in a longer process).

I can't see how meditation is a form of hypnosis.

Dakini

Well, OP, you don't need long-term hypnotherapy, it sounds like (the kind I mentioned in Paragraph II, where they do talk-therapy on you while you're "under"). You just need help dealing with anxiety relating to one issue. I wonder if you might be able to train yourself to handle the blood-pressure cuff situation differently. For example, next time you go to the doctor, practice relaxing yourself as if you're going to sleep. Imagine that it's nap time. That's what I do when I go to the dentist. I practically fall asleep in the chair.

lobster

Somewhere I have a hypnosis relaxation DVD of Paul McKenna. Very effective. Hypnosis, trance and NLP work very well in my experience. Not the same as meditation as mentioned.
I would check out DVD's, Youtube, for anxiety routines. Do some research. You can befriend and program your subconscious to relax, refresh, take up meditation etc.
I know it works well when it tells me I am going into a deep trance. I am not conscious and then it tells me I am waking up and a part of me has been conscious enough to hear and wake up again . . .

how

Anyone seeing the world through ego tinted glasses is under hypnosis..
Anyone taking off those glasses should see hypnosis for what it is.
It's neither good or bad, just selective.

The main difference I see between hypnosis and my meditation is that hypnosis functions through the embracing of specific phenomena whereas my meditation functions as the non exclusion of any phenomena.

In terms of Buddhist practise, there are some forms of "Meditation"practise that seem indistinguishable from hypnosis but because of the potential for misinterpretation & attachment, they are best left to those being so guided in a committed master/disciple relationship.

SlimWallet

lobster said:

Somewhere I have a hypnosis relaxation DVD of Paul McKenna. Very effective. Hypnosis, trance and NLP work very well in my experience. Not the same as meditation as mentioned.
I would check out DVD's, Youtube, for anxiety routines.

I've looked at Paul McKenna's website but it just redirects you to his "I Can Make You Thin" product. He must be heavily pushing that right now. Probably something to do with his all his talk show visits he's doing right now here in the US. I wish it were so easy to just make myself relax and go to sleep, that's amazing how the poster above you can just do that so easily. I can't relax that easily.

What do you all look for in a good hypnotherapist? Do all clinical hypnotherapists know NLP? And what major difference between a certified vs. clinical hypnotherapist?

Dakini

Not all hypnotherapists know NLP. You can email them or call them to ask.

SlimWallet

Dakini said:

Not all hypnotherapists know NLP. You can email them or call them to ask.

Okay, so because they are clinically certified it doesn't mean they have NLP. But it does seem like a clinical vs. a basic certified hypnotist is better educated overall.

lobster

I can't relax that easily

try hypnotism as a quick fix
Yoga and Buddhism as a life practice.

You probably don't want to hear that. However you are here, so hear it anyway . . .