The Mind is limitless. So are the possibilities.
When most people hear the word hypnosis, a few things immediately come to mind.
Quit smoking.
Stop overeating.
Maybe overcome a fear of flying.
And yes, hypnosis has long been used to help people work on behaviors like these. But if that's all we think hypnosis is about, we're missing a much bigger picture.
Because human beings are creatures of habit.
And not all habits involve cigarettes, food, or biting your fingernails.
Some habits happen in your thoughts.
Some happen in your emotions.
Some happen in the way you react to certain situations.
Some happen so automatically that you don't even recognize them as habits anymore.
"Are You Going to Put Me to Sleep?"
This is one of the questions people ask me most often.
"Are you going to put me to sleep?"
Usually followed pretty quickly by:
"Can you control my thoughts?"
No.
That idea of hypnosis comes largely from movies, television, stage performances, and the old image of someone swinging a pocket watch while saying, "You are getting sleepy..."
That's entertainment. It's not a good description of what happens in a typical hypnosis session.
Hypnosis is not sleep.
You don't suddenly lose control of your mind. You don't hand your thoughts over to the hypnotist. You don't become an unconscious puppet waiting for someone else to give you instructions.
In fact, during hypnosis you may be very aware of what's happening. You can hear what's being said. You can have thoughts. You can make decisions. And you remain an active participant in the experience.
A hypnotist isn't climbing inside your mind and taking over the controls.
A better way to think about hypnosis is as a state of focused attention in which you are working with the hypnotist—not surrendering yourself to them.
And that's an important distinction.
Hypnosis isn't mind control. It's cooperation.
The purpose isn't for me to control your thoughts.
The purpose is to help you work with your own.
You Have More Habits Than You Think
Think about how many things you do without consciously deciding to do them.
You may automatically reach for your phone when you're bored.
You may procrastinate whenever something feels overwhelming.
You may become nervous before speaking in front of people.
You may replay conversations over and over in your head.
You may immediately assume the worst when something doesn't go according to plan.
You may constantly compare yourself to other people.
You may have trouble saying no.
You may start projects enthusiastically and repeatedly abandon them.
You may criticize yourself every time you make a mistake.
You may avoid opportunities because somewhere along the way you learned to associate trying with the possibility of failure.
These patterns are very different from one another.
But they have something important in common:
They can become automatic.
And that's where hypnosis becomes interesting.
Hypnosis Isn't Just About Breaking Habits
Sometimes the goal isn't to stop doing something.
Sometimes the goal is to begin doing something differently.
Someone may want to develop greater confidence before speaking publicly.
Another person may want to become more consistent about exercising.
Someone may want to establish a healthier bedtime routine.
Another person may want to stop procrastinating and become more comfortable taking action.
A musician might want to work on performance anxiety.
An athlete might want to improve focus and mental preparation.
A student might want to become calmer and more focused while studying or taking an exam.
Someone going through a major life transition might want to work on confidence, motivation, or adjusting to change.
The possibilities extend far beyond the handful of things normally associated with hypnosis.
Breaking Old Patterns
Imagine walking through a field every day.
At first, you have to push through the grass.
But if you keep taking the same route, eventually you create a path.
The more you walk it, the easier that path becomes to follow.
Eventually you don't even think about where you're going. Your feet simply follow the familiar route.
Our behavioral and mental patterns can feel remarkably similar.
We repeat something often enough that it becomes familiar.
Familiar becomes automatic.
Automatic becomes "That's just how I am."
But what if it isn't simply who you are?
What if it's a path you've practiced walking?
That's an important distinction.
Because a practiced pattern can potentially be challenged, interrupted, and replaced with a different response.
Sometimes You're Building, Not Breaking
This may be one of the most overlooked aspects of hypnosis.
People often come asking:
"How do I stop doing this?"
But another useful question is:
"What do I want to do instead?"
Stopping procrastination is one thing.
Developing a habit of taking the first small action is another.
Reducing negative self-talk is one thing.
Practicing a more useful internal conversation is another.
Breaking an old bedtime habit is one thing.
Creating a consistent routine around sleep is another.
Being less afraid to speak up is one thing.
Practicing calm, confident communication is another.
Change isn't always about removing something.
Sometimes it's about rehearsing and reinforcing something new.
What Can Hypnosis Be Used For?
Depending on the individual and the circumstances, hypnosis may be used as part of work involving habits, confidence, motivation, relaxation, stress management, performance, focus, fears, sleep routines, procrastination, nail biting, smoking cessation, eating-related behaviors, public speaking, test anxiety, sports performance, personal development, and many other behavioral or mindset goals.
It can also be used alongside appropriate professional care in some clinical settings. Hypnosis isn't a substitute for needed medical or mental-health treatment, and no responsible practitioner should promise that hypnosis can magically cure every condition.
That's not what makes hypnosis fascinating anyway.
What makes it fascinating is something much more practical.
Human beings learn patterns.
And because we learn patterns, we can also learn new ones.
The Question Isn't Only "What Do You Want to Stop?"
Maybe there's something you've been trying to change for years.
Perhaps you've been calling it a personality trait.
"I'm just a procrastinator."
"I've never been confident."
"I'm terrible in front of people."
"I always overthink everything."
"I can never stick with anything."
Be careful with the words "I am."
Sometimes we take something we've repeatedly done and turn it into an identity.
A behavior becomes a habit.
A habit becomes a story.
And eventually the story becomes:
"This is who I am."
But your past behavior isn't necessarily a permanent description of your future behavior.
So instead of only asking:
What habit do I need to break?
Try asking:
What habit do I want to create?
What response would I rather have?
What would I like to become more automatic?
Because hypnosis isn't only about helping someone put down a cigarette.
Sometimes it's about helping someone begin practicing a different path.
And after walking the new path enough times, it may begin to feel a whole lot more familiar.
Noēma Mindset
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