Hypnotism is the application of Hypnosis, which is but a name given to the natural phenomena that we all experience on a daily basis. However, we experience it involuntarily; similar to breathing! But like breathing, we can voluntarily experience it. We can hold, shorten and deepen our breathing. Similarly, we can voluntarily enter the state of Hypnosis or trance.

Hypnosis got its name from the Scottish surgeon, James Braid in 1842. He named it Hypnosis after Hypnos, the Greek Goddess of sleep, because he thought it to be a sleep like state. However, he later discovered that although there were similarities to sleep, it was not a state of sleep. He subsequently tried to change t he name to Mono-ideaism, but Hypnosis as a name, was more readily accepted and remains to this day.

The swinging watch is often associated with the art of Hypnotism and although rarely used, it is possible to induce a hypnotic trance by using a swinging watch; or a swinging anything come to that! The reason is that the swinging object is merely a point of fixation. Some Hypnotists will get you to fix your gaze on an object, even one that doesn't exist and this assists in the entering this natural state.

Although not a sleep state, brain wave activity in sleep and Hypnosis is the same, e.g. Beta (the awaken state) Alpha, Theta (REM Sleep state where we do our dreaming) and Delta (a comatose like state. Hypnotherapy uses different depths of trance for differing reason and outcomes. In a deep state it is possible to administer surgery without the aid of chemical anaesthetics!

Hypnotherapy, is the use of Hypnosis, trance, as a medium to facilitate therapy. In this state the client will enter altered brain wave states, but, be aware of what is happening, often intently aware. Yet although aware, this is not the same as the state we call consciousness. Hypnosis allows us access to memories, events, happenings that we are sometimes not aware of or can access consciously.

Although not specifically a state of relaxation, Hypnosis, often produces deep, profound, relaxation; mostly as a natural side effect. This is more obvious when you see a stage Hypnotist at workand often people are intensely engaged in activities, that appear anything but relaxing! However, the stage Hypnotist will use this state of Hypnosis for the purpose of entertainment. So, although the Stage Hypnotist and the Hypnotherapist use the same phenomena, trance, to do their work, they use it for very different reasons and outcomes.

An easy way to view Hypnosis is as a medium that makes things easy not to do! Using smoking as an example, using Hypnosis to stop smoking doesn't mean that you can't smoke; it just makes it easier not to! Although with some subjects it would appear, at least to them, that to smoke would be impossible. Mostly this is because of a post-hypnotic suggestion that makes the consequences of smoking extremely unpleasant; this is known as an aversion technique.

Although, technically, everyone is capable of entering the state of Hypnosis, how we each experience it is different. Some people are highly susceptible and some are not. The more we try to analyse it as it is happening, the less we experience it. This is merely the consequence attempting to consciously introspect the process; but you can't consciously control subconscious process! So, the more open you mind is; the more you can delve into the depth of it!

Although you would normally need an IQ of (approx) above 70 to access this state voluntarily, Hypnosis has little to do with intelligence, in that having a higher IQ would not enhance the achieved state. This is simply because Hypnosis is a natural state, say like running, in any race; someone will come first and someone else, last! However, like running, practice often helps us enhance the state achieved and improve it.

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