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Hypnosis Is Entangled in Myths and Magic and Has Utility in Both
How much do you know about hypnosis, how it works, where it began, and how you may use it daily without knowing it?
On a usual work day, most of us would travel the same road, train, or bus route to our jobs, and during that trip, something very interesting would happen; we wouldn’t remember the trip. Not remember the trip, you’re saying? Yes, you would have blocked out everything about that usual trip because it either lacked novelty or you were intently preoccupied with something else.
But the fact is that, even if you weren’t preoccupied, you’d still block out the trip. Of course, the “sameness” of the trip plays a part, too. I will bet that you reached your destination and felt as though you had just gotten into the car or onto the bus. This is the magic that our mind has and illustrates its power. It is, in fact, an example of how we engage in self-hypnosis. No special techniques or lessons are needed here.
“Everyday ‘trance’ states are part of our common human experience, such as getting lost in a good book, driving down a familiar stretch of road with no conscious recollection, when in prayer or meditation, or when undertaking a monotonous or a creative activity.”
I first had professional interaction with a type of hypnosis, Ericksonian, at a two-day…
