The altered state of awareness of the hypnotic trance has been known about for thousands of years however still remains to be one of the most talked about and least understood phenomena known to man.

As many people do not recognise the hypnotic trance as something completely natural, they can be put off by using hypnotherapy to help overcome problems. Whether this resolution be through self hypnosis or seeing a hypnotherapist, often the incorrect assumption that they may be 'out of control' can drive people to more conventional approaches or to not resolve an issue at all.

The thing I find most interesting about the art of hypnotherapy, is that more often than not, it's more about de-hypnotising someone, rather than hypnotising them.

For instance, take the typical client of a hypnotherapist which often can be someone who would like to stop smoking. Now consider the basic definitions of a hypnotic trance state:

A focus of attention

Time distortion

Diminished peripheral awareness

Physical relaxation

Breaking down the pattern of smoking you can clearly see that this is a trance state. That first breath in from the cigarette and long breath out is well know amongst those who practise yoga as an effective relaxation technique, often being referred to as 7-11 breathing. Breathing out for longer than you are breathing in is a technique used to help relax people when getting over panic attacks, phobias as well as helping relax women during childbirth. So, actually the cigarette gets all the credit for the wonderful breathing technique perfected by the unsuspecting victim!

The focus of attention runs alongside both time distortion and diminished peripheral awareness and for someone who smokes this is also unmistakable, in fact it's easier to notice it when someone has not had a cigarette and the increased lack of focus they have on any other activity. Therefore, the job of a hypnotherapist or for someone practising self hypnosis is to de-hypnotise the person to remove the unwanted pattern of behaviour, rather than hypnotise them into doing something new.

To do this the important thing to identify are the trigger points for the trance state. As the brain works by creating patterns, these key moments will be triggered by specific actions. This could be a certain time of day, being in a specific location, a certain smell or a multitude of other actions which may trigger the pattern to take a hold. Through using hypnosis, these trigger points can be 'rehearsed' without the pattern taking a hold, this then builds a new pattern with no trigger points and the person is free of their unwanted trance state.

So, if you are someone who has a pattern of behaviour which you have been wanting to get out of, but have been concerned about using hypnosis to do this, recognising that you are already in a hypnotic trance and the intervention you would be seeking is simply about de-hypnotising will help to reframe your position and you will be more comfortable with this extremely effective approach.

Hypnosis is an important skill for anyone to have in their toolbox to enable them to effectively deal with these patterns of behaviour or negative trance states that they no longer find helpful. Finding a free hypnosis online resource is a great first step to learn hypnosis online and to be able to add this skill to your arsenal.

Taking what is a totally natural skill and taking it to the next level will provide you with change skills for life and allow you to overcome any issues that come your way and to excel in any area of your life.