Hypnosis
Sameh Hammouri

Almost every Jordanian has heard of hypnosis at one time or another, but few of us know what hypnosis is all about. Some take it as a synonym to witchcraft and magic; others think it is what a professional brainwasher does before making his victim bark like a dog or do other stuff that he would not dream of doing while fully conscious.

In reality, hypnosis is gaining ground worldwide as an important tool for achieving rapid and reliable success in the fields of medical practice and psychotherapy, to the extent that some states in America and districts in European countries have hypnosis covered by citizens' medical insurance.

What IS hypnosis?
The Encyclopedia Britannica defines hypnosis as "a special psychological state which resembles sleep only superficially, marked by a functioning of the individual at a level of awareness other than the ordinary conscious state."

Simply put this means that hypnosis is a state of mind, and contrary to common belief it is not a form of sleep, although a hypnotized person might look as if asleep, because he tends to lose conscious awareness of the distractions around him, and become more in-tune with his emotions, feelings, and imagination.

This said, it is easier to understand how Hypnosis is also not an artificial state, because if you think about it this way you are going to realize that you experience hypnosis almost everyday; every time you lose your self to a good book or movie, or heed a speech by an articulate talker, you are actually going into what is called a hypnotic trance.

While in a trance, your imagination works overtime and you become more receptive to suggestions; what might sound impossible in reality can be easily conceived while enjoying a fiction novel.

So what can hypnosis do for me?
Ever tried to quit a bad habit, like smoking for instance, only to find that your subconscious is resisting? This is where hypnosis steps in, hypnosis addresses the subconscious mind and it can -given time- convince it to accept and even adopt one's conscious decisions.

Hypnosis has a proven record of success in dealing with many social, psychological, and even medical disorders… it can empower a person for instance to build self esteem, deal with stage fright, lose weight, or even go through surgery without the need for Anesthetics.

Hypnosis also induces profound relaxation, more so at times than natural sleep itself, and for that purpose, along with the other self-improvement benefits, many people use what is called self-hypnosis, in which a person uses special techniques to drive himself into a trance and enjoy what hypnosis has to offer, without external help. Some people fear hypnosis because they think that if they were hypnotized that they would be robbed of their wits for the duration of the session rendering them vulnerable to brainwashing or abuse.

Unlike what the Hollywood movie industry would have people believe, hypnosis does not turn people into mindless zombies and it cannot force a person to do something that is against his moral values. So just like a person would suddenly stop reading a book that he finds distasteful, a hypnotized patient would break out of trance at the suggestion of something that offends his values.

I'm intrigued, now how can I experience hypnosis?
It is usually advisable for a person to seek professional aid when trying to experience hypnosis for the first time, but considering that Jordan lacks certified hypnotherapists, one can experience with self-hypnosis for self-improvement, with some extent of success that depends on practice and the significance of the targeted goal.

Roy Hunter, a noted authority on hypnosis, explains this by example of moving furniture; he says it is easy for a person to move a small chair alone from one place to another, but it would require another person's assistance to move a sofa across the room.

Below you will find a script that you can use for the purpose of guiding yourself into a light trance, it will help you get away from it all and relax. Do not despair if at first you fail, practice makes perfect.