It's a myth! Not only can you be hypnotized but you enter a state of hypnosis many times throughout your day.
To understand what a hypnotic state is, let's explore your naturally occurring brainwave states. You transition through different brainwave states regularly depending on what you are doing.
The different brainwave states reflect different levels of brain activity and can influence various aspects of mental and physical well-being. Understanding and harnessing these states can be beneficial for activities such as meditation, learning, and stress management.
Brainwave states
Delta (0.5 to 4 Hz)
Associated with: Deep sleep, restorative healing, unconscious mind.
Characteristics: The slowest brainwaves, dominant during deep, dreamless sleep. They facilitate physical and emotional healing.
Theta (4 to 8 Hz)
Associated with: Light sleep, deep relaxation, meditation, creativity.
Characteristics: Present during light sleep and deep meditation. They are linked to intuition, creativity, and accessing the subconscious mind.
Alpha (8 to 12 Hz)
Associated with: Relaxed wakefulness, calmness, and learning.
Characteristics: Commonly experienced during relaxation while awake, such as when daydreaming or practicing mindfulness. Alpha waves help in reducing stress and improving mental coordination.
Beta (12 to 30 Hz)
Associated with: Active thinking, problem-solving, focus, and alertness.
Characteristics: Dominant during active conversation, critical thinking, and decision-making. High beta waves are linked to anxiety and stress.
Gamma (30 to 100 Hz)
Associated with: High-level information processing, peak focus, and cognitive functioning.
Characteristics: The fastest brainwaves, involved in high-level cognitive functions, such as perception, problem-solving, and consciousness.
Hypnosis state
The brainwave states that we use in a hypnosis session are alpha and theta. As you have learned, these are natural states that you already experience many times each day. During a hypnosis session, we can use these states with intention.
You already experience the alpha brainwave state (light trance) when you're watching television. Advertisers and media organizations know this and use repetitive messaging to affect your decisions and thinking by speaking to you when your subconscious mind is more impressionable.
Young children spend much more time in the slower brainwave states which makes them much more suggestible and imaginative. The majority of your programming occurred during this time shaping your perspective, your habits, your behaviours and even your fears. It's nearly impossible to change these things using our conscious (thinking) mind. Hypnosis allows us to intentionally use deeper states of relaxation and the slower brainwave states to give new updates to the programming that already exists in your subconscious mind.
So not only can everyone be hypnotized, everyone experiences hypnotic states quite regularly. I have been inducing hypnotic states in my clients using reflexology and Reiki before I fully understood hypnosis and brainwave states. Do some people relax more quickly? Absolutely. If you have difficulty with relaxation or if you have an especially busy mind, we can discuss different approaches to help you get there so we can use these natural brainwave states with intention for your healing and for more ease in your life.
Book a hypnosis session in Belleville, Ontario or try adding hypnosis onto a reflexology and Reiki session for even deeper relaxation. [Book hypnosis with Michelle]
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