What Is Hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a natural, psychological state of sustained mental focus, somewhat like meditation. It is also known as "trance." A trained hypnotherapist generally applies one of three methods of guided hypnosis. These are: mental imagery, suggestion, and exploration of the unconscious. Which one will be selected is based upon your specific needs, but all of the methods involve the therapist placing you in a state of deep relaxation (or you placing yourself in this state through self-hypnosis or by using audio hypnosis). Regardless of how it is applied, hypnosis is usually viewed as a method of overcoming obstacles that the conscious mind is too "cluttered" by outside influences to overcome on its own.