Hypnosis WHAT IS HYPNOSIS? Hypnosis is a very normal altered state of consciousness, one we all experience now and again in which the mind remains clear, and focused on something. like while watching a movie or driving to work on "auto pilot?" well this is the same kind of state as hypnosis. Some misconceptions about hypnosis are that one might not wake up, but even the deepest most suggestable persons always wake up. Maybe some think it might be a frightening experience like a bad trip, but it's actually very normal and very pleasant. After being in trance many people ask if they've really been hypnotised, just because it feels like such a normal state and they were expecting something very strange like a weird LSD trip.   WHAT IF I TRIED HYPNOSIS AND IT DIDN'T WORK ? Hypnosis has evolved greatly in the last 10 years. Unfortunately, many hypnotists are still using old methods of hypnosis which only work for a few people. Not everyone is the same, so different techniques must be used depending on each person. In the most difficult of cases we can utilize special brain wave training using binaural beats and isochronic pulses to speed the mind into a theta trance. A shamanic drum rhythm uses the same technique to produce deep trance states. A live hypnotherapy session has the advantage over self hypnosis in that the hypnotist can judge which type of induction to use for each person, this is why in my mp3 self hypnosis sessions I try to include every trick possible to cater for all types of people, with the advantage of the special effects, only available using stereo headphones for those that need an extra deepening process. Gestalt hypnosis, WHO DISCOVERED HYPNOSIS? Basic Hypnosis was discovered in its most primitive form by Franz Anton Mesmer, in 1778. Mesmer's method of inducing a trance was based on animal magnetism, the belief that living creatures had magnetic fields that influenced unseen forces. A patient would be immersed in a vat filled with chemicals, Mesmer believed he could alter their magnetism and clean them of whatever ailment they suffered. Then Dr. Sigmund Freud discovered more efficient ways to use the mind to overcome physical symptoms. Freud used hypnosis to discover traumas from the past and tried to change those old messages with some success. Later a well know doctor Milton Erickson expanded work of Freud to create new methods of achieving trance and opening the door to the subconscious using psychoanalysis. Erickson pioneered the use of verbal techniques and hypnotic suggestions. His works stands as the most popular text book, and his induction techniques are still widely used, like cognitive therapy. CAN HYPNOSIS BE USED FOR PAIN CONTROL? Absolutely, and one of the best ways to demonstrate with a video from youtube where an operation was performed in 2004 without any chemical anesthetic but by using selfhypnosis I aslo watched an incredible BBC documentary "the Power of Suggestion" whereby a Valencian doctor Angel Escudero always operates without using general anesthetic, but by sending his patients into a trance, and where the subjects are completely awake to observe and discuss their own operation without any fear.