Hypnosis was accepted by the American Medical Association in 1958 as an acceptable technology for treating nervous strain and stress related symptoms. Does it definitely work? And what should a person consider critical when seeking out a hypnotist, or buying hypnotherapy CDs?

There are many different hypnotic techniques that are used to reach the subconscious mind to invoke change. Each method has its positives and its negatives. We are all different, so it stands to reason that the best results will result from using techniques that each individual will react favorably to.

Most companies that sell hypnosis recordings offer tapes that consist of standard traditional hypnotic techniques. A few vendors offer much more up-to-the-minute and effective Ericksonian hypnosis techniques. And fewer still offer NLP techniques.

The newest and by far most effective methodology is video hypnosis. Video hypnosis utilizes the latest NLP thought processes to trigger rapid changes in a person. Video hypnosis techniques are not subliminal in nature.

With "Traditional Hypnosis," we simply make post-hypnotic suggestions to the subconscious mind mind. In case you are wondering, as far as I'm concerned, the term unconscious and subconscious are equal - they refer to the same part of the mind. This type of hypnosis works well for a subject who generally accepts what he/she is told without a lot of questions.

Most hypnosis CD's sold today are based on "Traditional Hypnosis" methods. This is because it doesn't take much experience or training to write a script and just command someone to do something. Unfortunately Traditional Hypnotic Suggestion is not very efficient for people who are critical in their thinking processes.

By contrast, Ericksonian Hypnosis and NLP techniques work much better for most people in today's generation! This is because today individuals are taught to question everything they hear, rather than just follow the flock. So these methods do work effectively on people who are critical in their thinking processes.

These methods are much more effective at reaching and influencing the subconscious mind. However, it can take many years of training, study, and most of all experience to learn how to apply these techniques effectively. This is a task that is only accepted by truly dedicated hypno-therapists.

With "Ericksonian Hypnosis," we use little stories, called hypnotic metaphors, to present new ideas to the subconscious mind. This is a powerful and effective process, because it usually eliminates the blockage of and resistance to suggestions that is often caused by the conscious mind. There are two types of metaphors, "Isomorphic," and those of the imbedded command or "interspersal" nature.

Isomorphic metaphors offer direction to the subconscious mind by telling a story that offers up a moral. The subconscious mind draws a one to one relationship between the elements of the story and the elements of a negative behavior. For example, if a child is telling a lot of lies, the parent might tell the child the story about the "Boy who cried wolf." The subconscious mind would draw a comparison between the boy in the story and the child, and realize that telling lies could lead to disaster, so the child would probably stop lying.

With the Embedded Command technique, the hypno-therapist conveys an enlightening story that engages the conscious mind. The metaphor includes hidden direct suggestions that are almost always accepted by the subconscious mind. For example: While the subject is in trance, he/she might hear the hypnotist say something like: I'm going to tell you a story about ...[a beach that has feelings. Isn't that] ...strange to... [you]? It's a warm summer's day, and... the beach [feels great].

The hypnotist pauses, shifts his voice tonality, and verbally stresses the bracketed text. The subconscious mind recognizes a "Selectional restriction violation." Beaches can't have feelings. So it's like the subconscious mind says to itself: "Wait a minute, a beach can't feel anything, so that must mean that I'm supposed to feel great."

Since the suggestions are hidden in a story that is misdirecting the conscious mind, its very unlikely that the conscious will realize that it has just received a suggestion, so it will not resist it.

Process Instructions direct the subconscious mind to find a memory of an appropriate learning experience from the past where something appropriate was learned, and then apply that experience to make a change in the present.

With "Neuro-Linguistic Programming" (NLP), rather than using post-hypnotic commands, we use the same thought patterns that are creating a problem, like feelings of stress, to do away with the symptom. NLP in the hands of an experienced practitioner can be very effective.

NLP Anchoring: Have you ever heard an old song and had it remind you of feelings from the past? When you originally heard the song, you were feeling those feelings, and they unconsciously became associated with the sound of the music. So the music became an Anchor for the feelings. Now when you hear the song, it triggers the same feelings again.

Anchoring can be a very useful technique. Suppose that you have a memory of being commended for a great accomplisment in the past. If you go back into that memory, you'll be able to recreate the feelings of self-esteem that you had at that time. If you touch two fingers together while you re-experience those feelings of self-esteem, that touch will become an anchor for the feelings of self-esteem.

Now suppose that you want to create motivation to stick to a diet and lose weight. If you make a mental image of yourself with a thin, sexy body, and simultaneously trigger the anchor - (press the two fingers together again), your subconscious mind will connect the feelings of self-esteem to your mental image of you with the thin body and your level of motivation to lose weight will increase dramatically.

NLP Flash: This is a very powerful Neuro-Linguistic Programming method that can be used to turn things around in the subconscious mind, so that thoughts and experiences that used to trigger feelings of stress actually trigger relaxation instead.

The NLP Flash method is also a fast way to obliterate a conditioned response. For example: If a smoker has a cigarette while watching TV, his/her subconscious mind will pair the two behaviors together so that he/she automatically gets a compulsion for a cigarette anytime he/she watches TV. The Flash will cause the smoker's mind to disconnect the image of a cigarette from the TV so that he/she does NOT get a craving to smoke just because he/she is watching TV.

With "Subliminal" recordings, the recording has two tracks. One track contains a cover sound that is heard by the conscious mind. The cover sound could be anything from music to the sound of a running stream. The number two track contains direct commands that are heard by the subconscious mind mind. These suggestions are repeated many, many times during a session.

Subliminal programs can play in the background while you are working, or talking on the phone or partisipating in any other activity. You don't have to stop what you are doing and relax like you do with self-hypnosis CD's. Subliminals can be an addition to hypnotic programs. But Subliminals will never replace Hypnosis or NLP because they are not as effective! They don't even come close!! Some studies have claimed that it can take up to 80 hours of listening to a subliminal recording before it will have any effect on many people.

The last hypnotic method that we're going to discuss is Video Hypnosis. Video hypnosis is the most compelling form of hypnosis!

The methods used in video hypnosis are based on the Neuro-Linguistic Programming technology, which works based on the utilization of a person's existing thought processes instead of post-hypnotic suggestion.

Over 70% of the people on the planet learn much more quickly and easily by seeing, rather then by hearing.

Think about it. If you feel an craving to eat or smoke when watching television, it's because your subconscious mind recorded the video image of either food in your hand, or a cigarette in your hand, and then banded together that image with an image of the television. You never spoke to yourself and told yourself in words to associate them together, did you?

And that's why the Video Hypnosis technique is so powerful and effective. It's not hypnotic in the traditional sense, relying on the spoken word; rather, it relies on transmitting images to the subconscious mind. And if you've ever cried when watching a sad television show, then you know how useful video hypnosis can be at reaching the subconscious mind. With this technology, results usually start with the very first viewing of the video!

The Video Hypnosis technique is offered under the registered trademark of Neuro-VISION. It reprograms the subconscious mind through a high-tech digital process. This frees a person of their compulsions, urges, and tensions and allows a person who smokes to quit without willpower or weight gain, and a dieter to lose their cravings and appetite. Results start with the very first viewing!

(c) 2007 By Alan B. Densky, CH. This document may be re-printed as long as it isn't altered and the author's name and clickable web address links are retained.

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