The Physical and Mental Aspects of Hypnosis

Hypnosis is a state of diminished awareness of surroundings. A subject may enter a state of hypnosis through a set of instructions given by a hypnotist, or administered by the subject himself. There is not much difference between the overall physical state of a person who has undergone hypnosis, and one who has not undergone it. Of course, the rate of respiration and the rate of heart beat were found to be slower in a state of hypnosis, but then it is normal for a body that is in a state of relaxation.

What is mainly different between a person under hypnosis, and one who is not under it, is the brain activity. The brain activity of an individual in relation to his mental condition is charted by what is known as EEG or electroencephalograph. This brain wave mapping shows markedly different results in one under hypnosis from one who is not under hypnosis. High frequency brain waves are what characterize a person who is fully awake or in a state of high alertness. This wave pattern is absent in a person who has undergone hypnosis. His brain waves are dominated by low frequency waves that are found more commonly in people who are in a state of dream or sleep. What is understood from this is that subconscious mind is more active when a person is in a state of hypnosis.

Of the two cerebral hemispheres, the left one is where the logical control is situated, whereas right is what controls creativity. In a state of hypnosis, the left hemisphere is found to be less active than the right. The higher activity in the right hemisphere points to the fact that the subconscious mind remains free of its creative inhibitions when it is brought under a state of hypnosis.

Whether these conclusions are fully accurate or not, millions have benefitted by submitting themselves to hypnotherapy to get rid of addictions to tobacco or junk food. Hypnosis for weight loss has worked for many. Hypnosis is a medium through which many benefits have been reaped by controlling the human mind. Actions that relate to a trance like state of mind often go unexplained, and hypnosis is a tool that will help in at least partial explanation of these phenomena.

Substantial data can be collected using advanced equipments that record brain waves or electrical impulses. A mind under hypnosis may be unreadable. But the physical data related to that condition like heart rate, brain waves, reactions etc. can be mapped, and this would throw a lot of light into the reactions of mind under a state of hypnosis or otherwise. Body and mind remain subtly connected at certain levels that we may not be fully conscious of, and subconscious mind too has its own roles to play in alignment with the body and the conscious mind. If anatomy, physiology, hypnosis, and hypnotherapy, can all be explored and analyzed together, a lot of rich data would be revealed that would explains things that have been remaining unexplained.