By Gabriel Kira

December 2, 2000

We might not think about it much, but all of us undergo hypnosis
all the time. Indeed, we are often under hypnosis when our bodies need:

1.Undergoing deep rest
2. Speeding up our natural healing processes
3. Controlling pain
4. Increasing Performance under emergency/dangerous situations

As most of us know, hypnosis is a state of intensified concentration wherein the critical /analytical factor of the conscious mind is bypassed, and suggestions are more readily, yet selectively, are accepted. Under hypnosis, a lot of our mental, emotional, and physical abilities can be enhanced, erased, magnified or modified in many ways. Hypnosis is regularly used to: control pain, modify habits, overcome addictions, control moods, improve memory, hallucinate, run faster and lift more weight, to name a few.

1. Undergoing Deep Rest

Under this form of hypnosis, we allow certain parts of the brain- the parts that don't rest even while we are asleep - to finally rest. To understand this more clearly, let us go back to the time that man was more like the animals in the jungle. When an animal, (and we are, fundamentally, animals too), is under no danger from predators, fed, satisfied, and feels secure, it will sometimes go under a tree or in a cave, rest and drift into hypnosis.
In this state, certain parts of the subconscious mind (that don't normally get to rest even during sleep)-will get some well-needed rest of which is also a very powerful physical rest too.
Professional hypnotists estimate that one hour of this hypnosis equals approximately eight to ten hours of normal sleep.

2. Speeding Up Our Natural Healing Processes

When an animal is badly injured and has, for example, broken it's leg, the muscles around the injury constrict and harden in order to protect the injured area. This is beneficial, but also problematic. The constriction restricts the blood flow to the injured area and thus slows the healing. The constriction also add to the pain at a time when the feeling of pain is needed to caution the injured animal. But, when the animal has retreated into its den to heal, it goes into hypnosis constituting powerful physical and mental relaxation. The muscles around the injury relax, the blood vessels loosen up and the healing blood flow increases. Hypnosis also causes such increased relaxation that more of the energies of the body and brain can be channeled and directed toward healing process. Some people from India and the mountains of Tibet claim that they can completely control their blood flow and direct it anywhere in their body under hypnosis. This can speed up healing even more.

3. Controlling Pain

An animal that breaks its leg, initially will go into a very deep state of shock/hypnosis. Just at the injury time, the animal will not feel any pain so it can try to reach a safe place. After a time, the pain returns in order to signal the body the need to rest, repair it self and keep the animal still. Similarly, we know that people under hypnosis can reduce or even eliminate their pain at will. Indeed, some hospitals have even operated on hypnotized people without anesthesia.
The patient does not feel any pain and some think that this is not a function that has been preprogrammed by God/Nature into our subconscious mind, but solely our own "invention".

4. Increasing Performance Under Emergency / Dangerous Situations

Let us, for a moment, imagine an emergency or dangerous situation in which a cat chases and pounces upon a mouse. At the initial shock, the mouse goes into a very deep state of hypnosis. In order to survive, the mouse will need very deep concentration, magnified physical and mental abilities, an increased ability to focus, magnified senses and better pain control. All of this and more will come to the naturally hypnotized mouse by the emergency and that is why it has been preprogrammed into animal's subconscious mind (mouse and human alike). Think of a mouse that stiffens its body in order to survive vigorous shaking by the cat. This is very much like the stiffening that stage hypnotists get volunteers to demonstrate.

Conclusion:

Why is hypnosis available to us? - What is it for"? - Do we all have it? Yes! I believe that we have taken this natural ability and harnessed its benefits, for healing, better self control, and even for such new areas as entertainment, forensic hypnosis, sport performances and much more.