FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about Hypnosis and Self Hypnosis

Self hypnosis can be used for just about anything that depends on your own efforts. "Your own efforts," incidentally, is a much broader category than most people think. For instance, it includes many of the autonomically mediated functions – those things your body does without your conscious involvement. So your use of self hypnosis is not limited to just those things you consciously do and control.

A complete list of all of the ways in which self hypnosis has been used would be too long and probably impossible to compile. However, here is a partial list of applications:

Academic Applications

Class Participation Fears
Communication Apprehension
Concentration
Focus, Attention Span
Learning
Memory (see Memory, below)
Presentation Skills
Sleep Assisted Learning
Stage Fright
Study Skills
Subject Mental Block Removal

Addictions (chemical or substance)

Attitude

Career
Family
Interpersonal
School
Work

Cancer (definite but limited or sporadic success)

Career Enhancement

Behavioral Control
Concentration
Decision Making
Focus
Motivation
Tenacity

Concentration (see Academic Applications, above)

Fears, Phobias

Fitness

Motivation
Performance

Habit Control

Food and Eating
Nail Chewing
Procrastination
Smoking
Substance Abuse

Health

Image Projection (how others perceive you)

Learning (removing blocks, concentration, comprehension) (see Academic Applications, above)

Medical

Analgesia
Anesthesia
Bodily Functions (under autonomic control)
Dermatology (warts, rashes, skin conditions, etc.)
Healing Facilitation
Obstetrics (birth, related procedures)
Pain
Skin Conditions (Dermatology)
Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
Treatment Motivation

Memory

Academic Studies
Buried or Repressed Memories (this particular category has been seriously abused in recent years)
Dream Memories
Names and Faces

Motivation

Academic
Career, Job Performance
Fitness, Health
Personal Achievement, Development
Sports

Pain Control (see Medical, above)

Performance (music, sports, business, personal, speaking, academic, etc.)

Personal Relationships

Problem Solving

Reading (blocks, speed, comprehension, motivation)

Sales

Attitude
Memory for Names, Faces, Facts
Motivation
People Smarts
Personality, Likeability
Persuasive Qualities
Subliminal Communication
Tenacity, Drive

Self Confidence

Sex (dysfunctions, inhibitions and mental blocks, pleasure)

Shyness

Sleep (more, less, better)

Smoking, Quitting (of course!)

Speech, Speaking in Public

Audience Rapport
Concentration
Memory
Presence of Mind on Stage
Stage Fright, Communication Apprehension

Sports Performance

Competitiveness, Sportsmanship
Concentration
Drive
Image Rehearsal
Peak Performance
Practice Effects

Stress, Tension

Anxiety Attacks
Hypertension
Panic Attacks
Relaxation
Stress Management

Subliminal Communication

Timing (time awareness, internal clock, etc.)

Weight Loss, Control (dieting, eating disorders, metabolic influence)

"How many things can I work on at one time with with self hypnosis?"

There is no answer to this question that is correct for everyone in every circumstance. It depends upon the "things" involved, how strongly the subconscious mind is attached to them, what is going on in your life at the time, and how you respond to hypnotic suggestion in general. The safest strategy for beginners is to start with just one project – perhaps an easier one – then, with some success and experience under your belt, progress to other, more difficult objectives.

Just what is more or less difficult is of course highly variable across individuals. What proves easy for one person may be very difficult for another. (See the answer to the smoking question below, for example.) And common sense is not much help here. We're talking about subconscious values, and the best way to determine in advance how important something is to your subconscious mind is to use ideomotor questioning .

"How can self hypnosis help me quit smoking?"

The cessation of any habit, while complicated in its dynamics, is essentially a matter of getting rid of the desire, or drive, to commit the habit. The drive to smoke stems from subconscious drives, but the behavior itself is under your conscious control and you can change it with the help of self hypnosis. It is the subconscious motivation to smoke that must be changed in order to quit smoking. Fortunately, self hypnosis is an effective and relatively easy way to change subconscious motivations. It does not work the same for everyone: Many people have found quitting smoking with self hypnosis to be easy and painless; for others, quitting smoking is difficult no matter what method is used. Regardless of how difficult it is, self hypnosis always makes it easier than it would otherwise be. Self hypnosis often means the difference between success and failure. Some have tried and failed to quit lots of times and were not successful until they enlisted the aid of self hypnosis.

Whether or not it is less easy than we would like, anyone can quit smoking with the help of self hypnosis.

"Does it work for weight control?"

Yes. Most cases of overweight are the result of over-eating combined with insufficient activity. Both, in normal cases, are under your control, technically speaking. So self hypnosis is perfectly valid and uniquely appropriate for getting your eating under control and for increasing your motivation to get more exercise.

"Can I use self hypnosis for things like interpersonal relationships?"

Your own behavior, through both supraliminal (overtly observable) and subliminal behaviors, is of paramount importance to the nature of every relationship. This includes romantic as well as career and professional relationships. And, while there is no universally accepted evidence that our minds can directly control the thoughts and behavior of others, self hypnosis can help you control your own thinking and behaving, as well as the subliminal cues you transmit to others. In other words, yes, you can use self hypnosis to influence the behavior of others just as if you had direct access to their thoughts (always be suspicious of the word, "control").

"Speaking in public terrifies me. Will self hypnosis help me get over that?"

Self hypnosis is one of the most effective ways to control stage fright. I have taught hundreds of people – ranging from beginning college students to older, experienced professionals – how to use self hypnosis to control their stage fright and vastly improve their presentation effectiveness. Being somewhat nervous before giving a speech is natural and actually desirable. But the kind of fear that makes giving a good speech difficult or impossible is not necessary because it can be controlled with self hypnosis.

"Can I improve sports performance with self hypnosis?"

It goes without saying that there is a strong link between thinking and sports performance. Even Little Leaguers are acquainted with concepts like their "mental game." Self hypnosis has been shown to be influential in all forms of sports-related thinking. Many athletes use image rehearsal, a specific form of self hypnosis, to practice in their minds. This has been shown to significantly improve performance, sometimes more than actual practice.

"How about pain control?"

Hypnotic pain control – hypnoanalgesia (controlled feeling) and hypnoanesthesia (no feeling) – is well represented in the literature. Commonly reported are uses in dental procedures, surgical operations, and giving birth without any anesthesia other than hypnosis. Many people have gained control over chronic pain that did not respond to any other method.

"Can it help me get along on less sleep?"

Some have claimed that sleep requirements were diminished through the use of hypnotic suggestion, but those claims have never been satisfactorily verified. Some early experiments I conducted in promoting more REM sleep in shorter periods did show promise in reducing the amount of sleep required by the research participants, but this needs further research.

Most regular sleep research has shown that people suffer long-term deficits in health and mental functioning when they are deprived of the amount of sleep they naturally need. This is especially troubling in light of recent polls indicating that most people do not get enough sleep.

A much better use of self hypnosis is to improve the quality and performance of waking time so additional sleep time is not needed.

"Can I cure my insomnia with self hypnosis?"

Many people have found self hypnosis to be the perfect cure for insomnia, better even than, say, being forced to watch a PBS special on Swiss railroads. But it should be noted that sleep disturbances come in many forms, and not all of them have been shown to respond to hypnotic suggestion, most notably those caused by physical anomalies in one's air passage. But most cases of insomnia do respond well, and some types of sleep problems are surprisingly easy to control with self hypnosis. This may be true even for sleep problems that have gone on for years.

"Can I use it to make better grades in school?"

Yes. Self hypnosis is great for improving concentration and memory, reducing test jitters and the fear of participating in classroom discussions, and enhancing the motivation to study and learn. In the same vein, it is also helpful in uncovering and dealing with hidden blocks to learning and academic success.

General

"Is doing it yourself [self hypnosis] as effective as being hypnotized by someone else [hetero-hypnosis]?"

Self hypnosis can be more, the same, or less effective than hetero-hypnosis. It should go without saying that, in general, hetero-hypnosis with a professional – for therapeutic purposes, not a stage show – is superior to self hypnosis. But not by a lot. At least not always. And the independence, control, and breadth of application you achieve with self hypnosis more than make up for the differences between self hypnosis and hetero hypnosis.

It might sometimes take a little longer to get there with self hypnosis, but you will have done it under your own power. And it is much better to risk taking a little longer than to risk putting yourself into the hands of an incompetent hypnotist (and spending a lot more money and time in the process).

"Is hypnosis a New Age thing?"

No, not really. Something does not have to be new to fall under the rubric of "New Age," and it is true that many New Age practitioners advocate the use of self hypnosis. However, the earliest known descriptions of hypnosis date back 6,000 years to rites performed in Egyptian sleep temples. European physicians such as Charcot and Bachofen were using it in the 17th and 18th centuries. Benjamin Franklin, who was the United States ambassador to France at the time, investigated the so-called animal magnetism of Anton Mesmer and substantiated the successes animal magnetism was producing (Franklin attributed it to suggestion). (We still use Mesmer's name today when we say someone was "mesmerized," meaning raptly attentive, or that they were somehow temporarily deprived of their normal conscious qualities.) The term "hypnosis" was coined by one of the most respected scientists of his day, James Braid, in 1843. Today there are many legitimate university-based studies of the various phenomena of hypnosis and it is not uncommon for dentists and physicians to use it in their practices.

Safety and other Concerns

"Is it safe?"

It is just as safe as anything else. If you stick to self hypnosis, you have the same protective mechanisms working for you that you have any other time. You will not do anything in self hypnosis that you would not otherwise do. Of course what some people would otherwise do can surprise you. If you have seen a stage hypnotist's show you may have seen people doing things you would not want to do. And you probably would not; the only reason people do strange things in a stage presentation is because of what we call the "demand characteristics" of the situation. That is, being on stage in front of a lot of people exerts a tremendous pressure to do as one is told. It is generally wiser not to volunteer for any stage demonstrations of hypnosis, or to use it in any way just for entertainment.

Various religions have at different times had something to say about hypnosis. The ancient Egyptians thought it was a Good Thing. On the other side of the coin, the Church of Latter Day Saints thinks otherwise. Some of the Church Elders believe, I'm told, that hypnosis is dangerous because it opens up the mind for the devil to enter. Based on my own years of experience and research, I don't think self hypnosis would be any more likely to open up one's mind to the devil than, say, listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Maybe even less so if you happen to dislike church choir music.

Another frequently heard bugaboo about hypnosis is the presumed danger of the "release of repressed material." This and other common concerns of Freudians and others have never been a problem in self hypnosis. A person practicing self hypnosis has the same safeguards available to her that she has in a normal, waking state. (Hypnosis would probably play a prominent role in modern Psychoanalysis if Freud himself had not been such an inept hypnotist.)

"I understand that people learn more about themselves when they begin to practice self hypnosis. What if I discover something I don't want to know?"

You can sometimes make yourself uncomfortable, but you will not hurt or create any serious problems for yourself. In many years of experience I have seen thousands of people – this is not hyperbole, I mean literally thousands – in hypnotic and self-hypnotic states. And I have never seen a single case in which the emergence of repressed memories caused anything worse than temporary discomfort.

Actually, I have seen more problems created by inept therapists than by anything associated with hypnosis. And we all know how troubling some people can be; they don't need hypnosis to work their evil. If you happen to get into a situation with one of these people and hypnosis is involved, you might unfairly blame the hypnosis when in fact it had nothing to do with the problem. This is another reason to steer clear of amateur and stage hypnotists, and to never volunteer as a subject when hypnosis is being conducted for entertainment.

Self hypnosis does sometimes help a person become more aware of his problems. But this enlightenment should not be confused with causation (which, in such a case, is a matter of blaming the messenger for the message).

"Will the regular practice of self hypnosis make me more suggestible?"

Yes, but only in the good sense. That is, with practice, you get better at responding to your own suggestions. This is a Good Thing because it gives you more control over yourself. At the same time, you become more resistant to the manipulative attempts of others. There is an inverse relationship between responsiveness to hetero-suggestion (suggestion applied by others) and autosuggestion (self-applied suggestion). The better you get at autosuggestion, and the more you understand it and how it works, the more you become resistant to manipulative attempts by others. The regular practice of self hypnosis is great for developing discipline in those who find it difficult to "just say no."

"Do you lose consciousness when you practice self hypnosis?"

Only if you fall asleep. However, you might have certain areas of memory lapse later which make it seem like you were unconscious, but you were not. It is a little like the experience we have all had of doing something – like driving a familiar route – only to realize later that we don't remember doing it.

"What if I can't wake up?"

Never happens. Getting out of hypnosis is never a problem. You'll put all of your efforts into getting into a hypnotic state, not getting out of it. The worst that can happen is that you drift off into normal sleep, in which case you will wake up – or oversleep – just as you would any other time.

Procedure

"Can everyone learn use self hypnosis, and how easy is it?"

Yes, seemingly everyone can use self hypnosis. At least, everyone with anything approaching normal intelligence and who is conscious at least some of the time. Some people are better or faster at it than others, as is true with any skill. Regardless of where you fall on the skill continuum, you will see progress if you use self hypnosis correctly and regularly.

As to the part about self hypnosis being easy, the answer is both yes and no. It is relatively easy. That's because, as with any skill, it requires know-how and practice to develop. There is no free lunch, and you should be highly suspicious of any claims that something worthwhile is going to be easy and effortless. Self hypnosis does require some effort because it is a skill and the more you put into it the more you get out. But it is still a heck of a lot easier and faster than trying to do anything with willpower.

"Are meditation and hypnosis different?"

Yes. Meditative states may be similar, but the practice of hypnosis is significantly different in that it is driven by suggestion. With hypnosis there is specific work to be done. In addition, the brain state also seems to be somewhat different between hypnosis and meditation according to measures with EEGs, scans, and other forms of feedback. It is not uncommon for people who do both to keep them separate, so there is obviously a subjective sense that there is a difference.

"Do I have to believe in hypnosis for it to work?"

Nope. The degree of hypnotizability seems to be completely unrelated to the degree of belief in it. Some amazing results from hypnotic suggestion have been demonstrated by people who adamantly claimed they were not hypnotized and who were convinced that nothing had happened.

Willingness, though, is another matter. If you don't want to be hypnotized (and you are aware that that is what is going on), then you won't be.

"How long does it take?"

The skill part of self hypnosis requires time to develop, and some people take longer than others to get good at it. We don't know why. It is not related to intelligence (within normal bounds) or any other variable that has been reliably and consistently identified. Some people see results immediately, while others may take several days or even weeks to notice a difference. With proper application and daily practice, though, you should begin to see definite results within 21 days at the outside.

The daily practice takes longer at first, then gradually requires less and less time. A half-hour a day is a good starting schedule. Self hypnosis adepts who have been at it for years can do it very quickly if they must, taking only a matter of seconds or, at the most, a couple of minutes.