Holy Moly It's: Hypnosis

Holy Moly It’s: Hypnosis

Copyright 2009 ISBN 978-1-4276-3378-1

Published and written by Tim Bartley at Smashwords

Cover: Face rendered by Fred Hatt. Cover design by Tim Bartley.

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1 – Perceptions of Hypnosis

Chapter 2 – History of Hypnosis

Chapter 3 – The Human Animal

Chapter 4 – Hypnosis Parts

Chapter 5 – Stage Hypnosis

Chapter 6 – Hypnotherapy

Chapter 7 – The Metaphysical

Chapter 8 – Final Thoughts

About Tim Bartley

Prologue

Holy Moly Book Series

The Holy Moly book series immerses its reader into many fascinating and unknown worlds, investigating interesting but unknown or misunderstood topics. This book series is designed to be relatively short reads yet informative and riveting, giving the reader complete knowledge and understanding of the subject while being thrilled. It is a plethora of knowledge that will really get you thinking while moving you down new paths of insight.

Each book revealing the truths behind these many curious topics. It’s a fresh look into some hidden aspects of our world and this experience we now find ourselves in. Once the final pages of the book have been turned the reader walks away with a new found understanding of the topic, their world, and themselves.

Our first book in the series is on the

Mystical and Misunderstood World of Hypnosis

Holy Moly It’s: Hypnosis is the first book in this exciting series which reveals the human mind, an understanding of yourself that to this point has been unknown. We will unravel the mystery of hypnosis once and for all! It is an exciting journey you are now about to travel. Stage hypnosis, instant healing, tapping into the spiritual realm of past lives and spirit guide channeling, and a new understanding of how this world can truly change is now in the palm of your hand. Enjoy!

Chapter 1 – Perceptions of Hypnosis

Before you read a word in this book become aware of your perceptions of hypnosis as they are right now. Would it scare you if a hypnotist came into the room and wanted to hypnotize you this very moment? Would you let him or her? Do you think you could be hypnotized? Would you believe me if I told you that hypnosis could completely wipe away emotional, behavioral, and physical problems in your life? Do you think a hypnotist would be able to control you and make you act in ways that you would rather not? For you, is hypnosis something that goes against Gods word or your belief system? Would you believe me if I told you that you’ve already been in hypnosis today? Do you think you could relive any event in your life, all the way back to your own birth and even into the womb? What about past lives? Have we lived before and can we access that information within the state of hypnosis? Could that even be real?

Think about your responses to these questions for a moment. Better yet, write them down on a piece of paper, you could use it as a bookmark. When you have finished the book, come back and reread the above paragraph and then open up that piece of paper and take a look. I think you’ll be surprised.

Imagine actually being a hypnotist for a moment. Most children don’t tell anyone, I want to be a hypnotist when I grow up. I don’t think that’s ever happened. But imagine that you are a hypnotist and you’re meeting some new people at a party or speaking with business people inquiring about some service they provide. They happen to ask you what you do for a living. Your response, I’m a hypnotist. Think of the reaction! I doubt if you’ve ever even met a hypnotist in your life. Most people find it intriguing and very interesting but have no idea what it is or what I do. I have found that some people don’t want to talk to me. I had one person who wouldn’t look at me directly in the eyes as our short conversation came to an end. The old joke of, Are you going to make me cluck like a chicken? has long been worn out for me as you might imagine. I’ve arrived at the point where I have developed something new, my own brand of hypnotherapy called Theta State Therapy. So I’ve been calling myself a Theta State Therapist instead of a hypnotist, no one knows what that is, ha! This avoids a lot of the same questions that have been thrown at me through the years and allows me to simply tell people what I do without having to dispel misconceptions.

Think of the hoops I have to jump through with new clients. When I first start working with someone new I first have to spend a considerable amount of time dispelling fears and misconceptions, and after that I can finally tell them what hypnosis is. It’s kind of like a golfer who doesn’t take any lessons and then after ten years gets fed up with their game and goes and takes some lessons. They have to unlearn what they’ve learned and then learn the correct way to swing. That’s what I have had to do. I first have to tell them what it isn’t and then I can tell them what it is... It’s kind of like being a lumberjack except that everyone in the world thinks that a lumberjack is a person who goes around and blows up buildings. I have to tell people, No, no, no… I don’t blow up buildings I cut down trees. Then I meet someone new and again I tell them, No, no, no… I don’t blow up buildings I cut down trees. And again… and again. Then I got an idea! Why not write a book so people would actually know what lumberjacks do!

Hypnosis Perceptions

Hypnosis, so what is it anyway? I can tell you this. It is not at all what you think it is. For a century we’ve seen swinging watches, pendulums, spiral disks, and maidens surrendering their virtue under hypnosis. Stage hypnotists making people cluck like chickens! Some people believe in hypnosis and others do not. Some place hypnosis in the same category as the witch doctor or fortuneteller. Some religions associate it with the devil and are steadfast against it! Aside from all of this one can look up the definition in the dictionary and be misled. Hypnosis has nothing to do with sleep and the word trance implies mind control, which is also inaccurate. Actually, we are always in some form of trance…

So where does hypnosis then reside? Is it best suited for entertainment? Does it fall within psychology? Is it mind control? Is it in league with the devil? People do think of hypnosis from many different points of view mainly because they don’t understand what it is. Hypnosis can entail so many things that people’s points of view on the subject are usually misguided. These differences include entertainment, clinical therapy, the metaphysical, and the spiritual.

Stage Hypnosis

Let’s discuss the notion of hypnosis as entertainment, the stage hypnotist. Hypnosis in entertainment is based on the premise that a hypnotist can make people act out in ridiculous ways. On the count of three, run up to that microphone, drop your pants and sing us a song… one, two, and three! After the show the participants had no idea what they were doing, right? The hypnotist had them under his spell! This is what most people think of when it comes to hypnosis. You can be made to do things that you normally wouldn’t do. But consider for a moment if it were possible to make people act as you command them to. Unethical hypnotists all over the world would be capitalizing on the ability to manipulate people’s minds in the realm of behavior, passion, and finance. Maybe they would convince people to send them monthly checks for the rest of their lives! Perhaps a hypnotist could get others to conduct a series of crimes that benefited the hypnotist alone. If this worked, hypnotists would be wealthy beyond belief by controlling others… and of course this would catch on. After a while everyone would become hypnotists and we’d all be controlling each other. That hasn’t happened. So how can the stage hypnotist get these people to do outlandish things in front of a large audience? They aren’t out of control, actually they know what they’re doing and we’ll discuss how this works in greater detail. I love a good hypnosis stage show!

Metaphysical & Spiritual

There is yet another side to hypnosis, the metaphysical - past lives. This point of view is fascinating to many people because it involves very deep questions that we all have about ourselves. Have we lived before? Where do we come from, where are we going? Philosophically and mystically oriented individuals wonder if the mind can remember past incarnations as well as spiritual memories. This particular line of thought is based on the premise that our inner mind remembers every moment and every event beyond our current incarnation. Other metaphysical thought ponders if the Subconscious mind is the conduit to the collective consciousness of the universe. Others speculate whether going into the state of hypnosis enables our consciousness to tap into psychic powers. You may have heard the term Regression but most people are unaware of the term Progression as it relates to hypnosis. Where regression is going back in time and remembering long lost lifetimes and events, progression is moving into the future and seeing what lies ahead. We wonder if this explains how the great psychics like Nostradamus or Edgar Cayce accurately predicted the future or whether gifted children labeled as prodigies have retained their skills from a past life. Speculations such as these are abundant and add to the mystery, acceptance, and lack of acceptance of hypnosis. You can see why some people may balk at the idea of seeking a hypnotherapist for a clinical issue.

Clinical Hypnotherapy

Now, let’s talk about the therapy point of view, the clinical side of hypnosis. The clinical side of hypnosis deals with the manipulation of a natural state of mind. The point is to enhance that state of mind and to eliminate negative behaviors, feelings, perceptions, beliefs, emotions, and greatly help or remove emotional, habitual, and physical problems. This point of view maintains that the buildup of negative perceptions and feelings greatly affects one’s emotional and physical health as well as our behaviors. Does negative unresolved emotion directly contribute to vast amounts of illnesses? Is hypnosis a lasting cure or only a temporary fix? Through the use of hypnosis is it possible to correct these problems permanently? How does this actually work?

So you can see the word hypnosis conjures up all kinds of different thoughts and ideas doesn’t it? As a hypnotist, I want to state that you have stumbled upon something that is better than finding buried treasure. You hold in your hands a discovery of monumental proportions! Who are we? Where do we come from? How do our minds really work? Can we heal ourselves? Do I have to continue to live with so many emotional and physical problems? These are all very interesting questions to be sure and ones that you may be able to answer after reading this text. Let’s now explore the fascinating world of Hypnosis.

Chapter 2 – History of Hypnosis

So how far back does all of this hypnosis stuff go anyway? It actually goes way back, thousands of years, to ancient Egypt where they used something known as Sleep Temples. This method of healing was associated with Imhotep, the earliest known physician in history. Imhotep temples, his name meaning He comes in peace, were busy centers for incubation used for sleep therapy. Through specific rituals people who were ill were psychologically prepared for therapeutic procedures in these healing spaces. Later in history Romans also borrowed trance healing from the Egyptians and Greeks.

Prior to the fifteenth century physical and emotional problems were considered to be punishment from the Gods. Healers of the time would use chanting, drums, and dancing while speaking suggestions of healing. The subject was placed in hypnosis by the means of these rituals and the mental expectancy of their Great Tribal Healer enabled the healing to actually succeed. The roots of hypnotism arguably can also be associated with Christian mysticism, Oriental meditation, and philosophies such as Pythagoreanism and Stoicism. Indian yogic meditation is sighted as an important predecessor to hypnotism as well.

The precursor to modern hypnotism began in the eighteenth century in Europe. A physician named Franz Anton Mesmer (1734 - 1815) used magnets in the treatment of many illnesses which became known as Animal Magnetism. Mesmer believed that when the ebb and flow of fluid within the body was disturbed or out of harmony with the universal rhythm, mental or nervous illness could result. This was a kind of supernatural magnetism as well, aliening his patients with the flow of the universe. He waved magnets that were attached to a wooden device over his subjects giving suggestions of healing. This is where the term Mesmerized comes from. Mesmer had made animal magnetism a household word. In fact there were more than 1,500 books published on animal magnetism and related subjects up until 1926. Mesmer’s methods were investigated by scientific committees which pronounced against his theory of animal magnetism. They concluded that the effects were due to belief and imagination.

Even though these committees ruled against animal magnetism his theory became the basis of treatment in the United States and Europe. It also took on other forms such as the laying on of hands which was very popular into the nineteenth century. This had a very strong cultural impact. From a healing basis, animal magnetism branched out into hypnotism, spiritualism, magnetic healing and parapsychological research.

This is a good place to pause for a moment in looking back at the history of hypnosis. Let’s talk about a very important part of hypnosis, and general healing for that matter, because it was the main healing ingredient of animal magnetism, tribal healers, the local medicine man, and the healing power of sleep temples. It also plays a part in modern hypnotherapy as well. This very important healing ingredient is known as Mental Expectancy. What the mind expects to happen tends to be realized. This is why animal magnetism actually healed people.

I’m sure you have heard the expression of a self-fulfilling prophecy. A quote from Henry Ford is based upon this assumption. He stated, Whether you believe you can, or you can't, you are right. The same holds true for healing.

I cannot tell you how many times people have come to work with me after they’ve already tried everything else. They have had multiple MRI scans, been through a whole host of doctors and drugs. Actually the progression of what people typically do goes like this… They go to a doctor, then another doctor, and then to a specialist. Then they go to a counselor, psychologist, and/or physiatrist and they still haven’t found relief. Then they go to an acupuncturist, Reiki, or a tarot card reader. Then after all of that they show up on my door to try hypnosis, and guess what? Most of the time they become well. And my initial step with them is to let them know that even though they have failed with all of these other modalities, if they follow my simple directions, they will become well.

When the person walks in my door I tell them, I move into their personal space a bit to make my point, We can quickly and easily remove this problem, I’ve done this many times before. I’ve done this so many times in the past and we can easily get rid of this for good. I also tell them not to Try or Hope because these are actually failure words. Anytime you’ve ever tried to do something or hoped that it would work, you probably failed at it. We will achieve this change right now, today…

Mental expectancy works in other parts of our lives as well. When you were a teenager did you ever go to a concert? You buy the tickets months ahead of time and then you count down the days on the calendar. You play the band’s music more and more as the date of the show approaches. Now it’s finally the day of the concert and you get in your car with your friends, how exciting! This is going to be great! Well of course it will be great. You just spent several months anticipating this night and building mental expectancy towards it.

Another interesting example of mental expectancy is the preacher you see on TV. You know the ones I’m talking about. The church followers get a flyer in the mail informing them that reverend X will be coming to their town. They post the flyer on the refrigerator and begin to wait for the big event, the anticipation builds. On September 27th I am going to get this bum leg healed! When they arrive at the stadium, the grandeur of it all, so many people, the lights! It’s a huge stadium filled with ten thousand people and he’s up there with the microphone talking excitedly through a million watt PA system. They get in a single file line and advance one by one to the podium where the preacher is. They are seeing the people ahead of them falling to the floor and then getting up healed. Talk about critical bypass factor of the conscious mind, man that’s it! They finally get right in front of him and he hits them with his bible which causes their nervous system to spike way up, then way down into hypnosis, (I do this same thing every day in my office, it’s an instant induction), and they fall to the floor and don’t know what hit them! They fall down and when they stand up, they’re healed! And you know what? A lot of them are… but why? Mental expectancy and… are you ready for this? Hypnosis!

So if you lived in Egypt thousands of years ago and you knew people that were healed in the sleep temple then you would have a belief that you stand a good chance of becoming healed as well. If the tribal medicine man has special magic and he dances around you chanting words of healing to the Gods you probably will become well. Modern hypnotherapy is leagues beyond simply relying upon mental expectancy but it is an important factor towards positive change, no doubt about it.

Marquis de Puysegur (1751 - 1825) coined the term Somnambulism in 1784. The literal definition means sleepwalking. He was working with an artificial somnambulism or artificial sleep-like state but he still conceived of this as a kind of supernatural process. Today this