by Ian Sherred

Created on: October 22, 2009   Last Updated: October 26, 2009

For centuries, hypnosis has been viewed as a mysterious phenomenon, and often treated with suspicion. However, as we've increasingly come to understand, it's a state of mind that everybody experiences on a daily basis. Despite this, there are times when hypnosis just doesn't appear to work. Understanding why that might be tells us a lot about hypnosis, and a lot about how we operate as human beings.

Hypnosis is something that happens every single day of our lives. We all experience a trance state every time our attention is locked and narrowed down on something - a book, a computer game, a conversation, or even our own train of thought. Hypnotists and hypnotherapists deliberately create that natural trance state, and turn it inwards for a while, for a specific purpose. If hypnosis is a perfectly natural state of mind, why is it that serious literature on the subject often refers to "scales of hypnotisability" or a small "hypnotisable" percentage of the population? This persistent, if mistaken, belief probably arose because of the rigid, directive style of hypnosis that was the norm for much of the 20th century. Whilst a small percentage of the population may indeed respond well to this approach, it stands to reason that the vast majority of people will not.

People prefer communication to being ordered about, after all. Moreover, this approach to hypnosis runs the very real risk of simply not connecting with what's happening inside the listener's mind. For example, a directive hypnotist might inform their client that they are "walking in a beautiful and relaxing forest", but perhaps the client is imagining themselves strolling on a beach -or perhaps they find forests to be terrifying and lonely, rather than relaxing, places. At best, these sort of discrepancies will cause the listener to question the hypnotist's credibility. Modern hypnosis tends to take a more indirect path, and is based on rapport. This can only be created when the client feels truly listened to and understood.

Once that has happened, the hypnotist or hypnotherapist will be able to create hypnotic suggestions that truly mean something to the client as an individual. Subtle language patterns are used, so that the whole atmosphere is collaborative and conversational, rather than dictatorial and authoritarian. Trust, rapport, empathy and a true understanding of the listener's view of the world are the essential ingredients for hypnotic success, therefore. When these elements are in place, and when the right sort of hypnotic language is used, our natural talent for hypnosis can be used to remarkable effect.

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