The word 'hypnosis' often conjures up images of unfortunate victims of stage hypnosis humiliated by doing silly task and appearing to have no control over what they are doing. Hypnotherapy is different.
Human givens therapists use hypnosis as part of the therapy. A human givens therapist understands that caution is necessary when they use hypnosis. They know that people can very quickly go into trance during everyday life . Just watch the video clip of a lecture on hypnotherapy by Ivan Tyrell on the page How can hypnotherapy help to learn more.
In fact a hypnotherapist, makes use of the natural trance states that we all go in and out of during the day and night to varying degrees. It is not a state that is specific to hypnosis and somehow magically created by the therapist. A 'trance' state is just a state with a narrow focus of attention; it is part of our genetic heritance - a given of human nature.
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Trance and hypnotherapy
You may understand better what I mean if you think about what happens to you when you read a good book, when you are doing a video game, when you are engaged in a sport - your focus of attention is very narrow to the exclusion of all that is around you. Sounds seem to come from a distance, you are hardly aware of the temperature, pain levels are reduced, etc. - you are completely absorbed by the activity on which your attention is locked - as it is in hypnotherapy.
Other ways we go into trance naturally
recalling a memory - we have to exclude all environmental stimuli to be able to access a memory learning something new - we have to connect new information with what is already stored in our brain doing something creative and/or practise a skill with which we are well-versed (what psychologists call 'flow') experiencing a high level of emotion: greed, anxiety, anger, lust being depressed - our attention is locked on how we feel meditating, or doing yoga or tai chi receiving an aromatherapy massage daydreaming - you may be oblivious of someone trying to talk to you
As you can see that some trance states come about very suddenly, some gradually; the depth of the trance depends on level of involvement, either through focussing our attention or paradoxically: by relaxing.
PTSD The 'flashbacks' in Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome are 'post-hypnotic' trance states, whereby a sensory reminder, such as a particular smell, certain sights or sounds can trigger of a re-experience of the original traumatic event.
