Is Hypnosis A Science Or An Art? – It’s All In The Mind
The debate is an ongoing one, and no one seems to know the definite answer. So is Hypnosis actually an art or is it a science. Loyalists from both the camps will fervently argue about their case being stronger; however, I maintain that hypnosis is a combination of both these streams. So there! It’s a win-win situation.
Researches studying the nature of hypnosis have found that it’s a state of near trance, where the person undergoing hypnosis is extremely relaxed, both internally and externally. We experience a heightened sense of imagination while under a hypnotic state, and are open to suggestions and changes. Through the years psychiatrists and researchers have also figured out a number of instances in our daily lives when we experience these hypnotic states on our own. Times when we are daydreaming, when we are completely engrossed in a book, when we are driving or even while watching a movie; these are situations when we lose ourselves in the moment; we are concentrating on something we are doing with such force, that we shut out external disturbances and stimuli. Even though we are conscious of all that’s going on around us, it seems as if we have switched off mentally. And that is exactly how hypnotherapy works as well.
Hypnosis has long been perceived with doubt; all sorts of misgivings have clouded people’s imaginations. Some people called it pagan rituals, while others gave it the sinister name of occult. Popular mediums such as films and books also added to the image by presenting the hypnotist as an evil character who is out to control your life by uttering strange words. For the last few years hypnotherapists like me, aided with research findings have been fighting against that image. If you look at me,