UNCONSCIOUS HYPNOTISM
Everyone naturally experiences "altered states of awareness". It happens every day at hundreds of different levels ( e.g. being completely absorbed in a book, film or activity. ) You know you can "come out of it" if you need to but it is often very pleasant to stay there. Being hypnotized can be similar. We use self-suggestion in everyday life in the form of spontaneous thoughts or observations. Thoughts such as "I cannot stop smoking, no matter how hard I try or have tried", or "I’ll never be able to do this", or "I've tried to lose weight and nothing works" are often powerful but very negative self-suggestions.

We are continually subjected to ‘unconscious hypnotism’ in our daily life by parents, teachers, peer pressure, politicians, etc. Newspaper and television advertising, for example, try to persuade us to do things e.g. buy a particular product. Repetition reinforces the suggestion. If you have ever found yourself at the checkout counter not knowing why you put something in the basket, this may be the reason.

If we are unaware of these negative suggestions we may cause ourselves all manner of disabilities or ailments. Thankfully suggestion is a two edged sword. Those who are instructed in its use can relieve the symptoms or unwanted behavior patterns which negative suggestion may have caused.

CONSCIOUS HYPNOSIS
Our subconscious mind often stubbornly prefers to cling on to known behaviors and symptoms even if they are negative and interfere with our peace of mind and quality of life. As far as it is concerned change is potentially scary. In order to make positive changes and become mentally fit you must be consciously aware of the need for change, be motivated to get better, and be prepared to devote the time and effort necessary for doing the mental relaxation exercises. We all know that getting your body into shape involves more than merely thinking about going to the gym. Mental fitness calls for the same level of dedication.

SELF-HYPNOSIS
It has been maintained that all hypnosis is essentially self-hypnosis. It is certainly impossible to be hypnotized by someone else unless you want or allow it to happen. Self-hypnosis is a way of safely bypassing the conscious mind. Once you have learned how to hypnotize yourself, practice will enable you to put yourself in a ‘trance’ whenever you wish to, quickly and easily. Psychotic people and severely mentally unstable people and also people who suffer seizers, should never attempt self-hypnosis.

A BRIEF EARLY HISTORY OF HYPNOSIS
Hypnosis has been around since the dawn of recorded time, and at least to the time of the ancient Babylonians, Greeks and Egyptians. Indeed, hypnosis is named after the Greek word for sleep, hypnos, although the actual state of hypnosis is very different from sleep. It has, however, been called different names, by different cultures, different religions, and different individuals. The use of chants, drumming, and monotonous dancing rituals to change or alter consciousness fall under the definition of hypnosis. Such methods have been used successfully by the Druids, Vikings, Indian Yogis, Dervishes, Hindu priests, and holy men of all religions and denominations for centuries. In 2600 BC, the father of Chinese medicine, Wong Tai, wrote about techniques that involved incantations and passes of the hands. Accounts of what we would now call Hypnosis can also be found in the Bible, the Talmud, and The Hindu Vedas written about 1500 BC.