The word “hypnosis” was coined in 1834 by the Scottish physician James Braid. He derived the word from Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep. He also coined the word “hypnotist” to refer to one who induces the state of hypnosis in another person.

Although Dr. Braid is credited with being the father of modern hypnosis, largely because he named the technique that he developed and employed in his patients, the state of hypnosis is as old as mankind – even as old as life itself. It is, in fact, a natural state that living things with higher levels of intelligence experience many times a day, in many situations, without being aware of it at all.

Have you ever driven home from work in the evening and not remembered how you arrived there? (This assumes that you were not under the influence of drugs – just fatigued and preoccupied from a long day). Have you ever been so focused on something – like a television program or a book you were reading – and been unaware of what was going on around you? Have you ever been caught day-dreaming by someone, who informed you that you were “a million miles away” or that you had the “thousand-yard stare”?

You were in a state of hypnosis.

You were awake, able to respond, fully functional. You may have felt that you were acutely aware of your surroundings, but in a way that was different from the way you customarily think you are aware of what is around you. You may have felt physically lighter, or even that you were able to float above your body, as though in a dream. You may have noticed that your breathing slowed, or that your heart rate became slower. You may have noticed that your muscles relaxed or even that parts of your body felt numb.

You may feel that there are times that you are able to focus your concentration so intensely that you can direct your thoughts in a particular way. You may practice meditation and thereby induce a state of relaxation in yourself that clears your mind or enables you to harness your creative energy.

Any time that you are able to focus your mind to achieve a specific goal or outcome you are practicing self-hypnosis.

What is actually taking place?

Your mind has two main operational divisions: the conscious and the sub-conscious. Your conscious mind comprises about 12% of your functional capacity and your subconscious mind comprises about 88% of your functional capacity. It is your conscious mind that is in the forefront when you are engaging in conversation, making choices at the grocery store, reading an interesting novel, or deciding which movie to see. Your subconscious mind is always at work in the background, protecting you, guiding you, maintaining your value system, storing your memories and categorizing your experiences according to your beliefs and values.

When you are purposefully and deliberately interacting with your environment, you are using your conscious mind. You are in a cognitive state. The rest of the time, you are being guided by your subconscious mind. Whenever your subconscious takes over, you are in hypnosis. When your conscious mind encounters a challenge it cannot resolve, the subconscious takes over and operates automatically, using stored information from memories and past experience. You “escape” into hypnosis.

In addition to drifting in and out of hypnosis naturally, and in addition to using self-hypnosis, you can experience the state of hypnosis while guided by another person, such as a hypnotist. In this guided state, the hypnotist can draw upon the resources of your subconscious mind to assist you in achieving relaxation or well-being. The hypnotist can also assist you to achieve specific goals by going directly to your subconscious and helping you to replace certain memories or though patterns with others that you feel would benefit you more.

While you are in the guided state of hypnosis, you are fully awake and aware. You may even be what is called “hyperaware”, where you feel as though you are able to recall memories more vividly, or to experience your senses in a more acute way: sounds are clearer, colors are brighter, tastes and smells are more intense. You may be able to “see” images that your mind creates, much like it does in the dream state. Yet, unlike the dream state of sleep, you are not asleep nor unconscious.

At all times during hypnosis, you can come out of the hypnotic state and respond to your environment. You cannot be coerced or forced into doing anything that your subconscious mind would not allow you to do. Your mind will not accept suggestions or directions that would cause you to do something that you believe is dangerous or contrary to your values or beliefs. Your subconscious mind is extremely powerful, programmed at all times to protect you. Since your subconscious is the active portion of your mind during hypnosis, it will not allow you to be harmed.