Self-hypnosis

First, let me say that I believe all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. And I do not believe anyone has a precise definition of hypnosis, but I favor the definition provided by the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis: (source, http://www.asch.net)

“Hypnosis is a state of inner absorption, concentration, and focused attention. It’s like using a magnifying glass to focus the rays of the sun and make them more powerful. Similarly, when our minds are concentrated and focused, we are able to use our minds more powerfully. Because hypnosis allows people to uses more of their potential learning self-hypnosis is the ultimate act of self-control.”

While the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis definition refers to it as a “state” of inner absorption, some other definitions refer to it as “a process” or as “a procedure” that involves a therapist and a subject. I do not think anyone has an absolute definition of hypnosis and prefer to think of it as a combination of a procedure, a process, and a state of inner absorption, with the emphasis on ‘a state of inner absorption’. That is, hypnosis is a type of relaxed or passive concentration where we are so absorbed and focused on our own ideas, we are able to exclude or minimize the energy we give to the other things going on around us. I particularly like the example of using our mind as a magnifying glass to focus and concentrate our ideas and thoughts so that our subconscious mind receives them clearly and accepts them.

You probably do not realize it, but you often put yourself into hypnotic trances every day. You often become so inwardly absorbed and focused on your thoughts that you can ignore many of the things going on around you, even as you know they are happening. One common example is becoming so caught up in a good book or a powerful movie that you react as if it were real. But I think the best example of this kind of everyday trance is a day dream.

Think about the times when you were in a classroom as the teacher was lecturing at one end of the room and you were staring out a window. Your eyes were open and you were seeing, yet you weren’t looking at what you were seeing. Your ears were also open and recording the changes in air pressure we call sound waves, so you were hearing but you weren’t listening to what you were hearing. This daydream-like state is what a hypnotic trance feels like. And in this state of relaxed or passive concentration we are more accepting of suggestions that may be offered to us by a therapist, an audio program, or simply by our own self-talk, imagination or visualization of what we desire.

I think there that the major difference between hypnosis and meditation involves intention. That is, when we are in the meditative state of inner absorption and using it with a very deliberate purpose or intention of offering suggestions to our mind-body (aka subconscious) to elicit a therapeutic response, then I call that hypnosis. If we are enjoying the meditative state purely for the many benefits inherent in mediating alone, then I call that meditation. Bottom line is that I see the ‘trance state’ as a meditative state of inner absorption, and when that state of inner absorption is being intentionally used to effect a therapeutic outcome, then I call it hypnosis as opposed to just meditation.

PS: And I like Miraval too… in fact, our Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine plays a role at Miraval, and the current medical director, James Nikolai MD, is one of our Fellowship graduates.
First, let me say that I believe all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. And I do not believe anyone has a precise definition of hypnosis, but I favor the definition provided by the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis: (source, http://www.asch.net)

“Hypnosis is a state of inner absorption, concentration, and focused attention. It’s like using a magnifying glass to focus the rays of the sun and make them more powerful. Similarly, when our minds are concentrated and focused, we are able to use our minds more powerfully. Because hypnosis allows people to uses more of their potential learning self-hypnosis is the ultimate act of self-control.”

While the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis definition refers to it as a “state” of inner absorption, some other definitions refer to it as “a process” or as “a procedure” that involves a therapist and a subject. I do not think anyone has an absolute definition of hypnosis and prefer to think of it as a combination of a procedure, a process, and a state of inner absorption, with the emphasis on ‘a state of inner absorption’. That is, hypnosis is a type of relaxed or passive concentration where we are so absorbed and focused on our own ideas, we are able to exclude or minimize the energy we give to the other things going on around us. I particularly like the example of using our mind as a magnifying glass to focus and concentrate our ideas and thoughts so that our subconscious mind receives them clearly and accepts them.

You probably do not realize it, but you often put yourself into hypnotic trances every day. You often become so inwardly absorbed and focused on your thoughts that you can ignore many of the things going on around you, even as you know they are happening. One common example is becoming so caught up in a good book or a powerful movie that you react as if it were real. But I think the best example of this kind of everyday trance is a day dream.

Think about the times when you were in a classroom as the teacher was lecturing at one end of the room and you were staring out a window. Your eyes were open and you were seeing, yet you weren’t looking at what you were seeing. Your ears were also open and recording the changes in air pressure we call sound waves, so you were hearing but you weren’t listening to what you were hearing. This daydream-like state is what a hypnotic trance feels like. And in this state of relaxed or passive concentration we are more accepting of suggestions that may be offered to us by a therapist, an audio program, or simply by our own self-talk, imagination or visualization of what we desire.

I think there that the major difference between hypnosis and meditation involves intention. That is, when we are in the meditative state of inner absorption and using it with a very deliberate purpose or intention of offering suggestions to our mind-body (aka subconscious) to elicit a therapeutic response, then I call that hypnosis. If we are enjoying the meditative state purely for the many benefits inherent in mediating alone, then I call that meditation. Bottom line is that I see the ‘trance state’ as a meditative state of inner absorption, and when that state of inner absorption is being intentionally used to effect a therapeutic outcome, then I call it hypnosis as opposed to just meditation.

PS: And I like Miraval too… in fact, our Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine plays a role at Miraval, and the current medical director, James Nikolai MD, is one of our Fellowship graduates.