Most people when asked if they have ever been hypnotized reply No, and are mistaken. Everyone has and perhaps quite frequently been in a hypnotic state without realizing it. In childhood, daydreaming which is so real to the child that the dream or imagined situation takes the place of ordinary reality, is essentially self-hypnosis. In adult life, many people still daydream occasionally, and most people will have episodes of absent-mindedness or abstraction at times, in which they are, as we say, in a world of their own.

For instance, when driving down a familiar road, you may suddenly realize that you have traveled several miles without being able to remember details of that part of the journey. However, while driving, you were perfectly competent, adjusting to road conditions, avoiding dogs and children, stopping at red lights and so on, and reached your destination safely. Yet you realize that you have no memory at all of the last few miles and probably cannot remember what you were thinking about during that period. Or at another time, you may be engrossed in watching a film on TV or reading a book, when someone asks you a question, and you answer them. Later perhaps, that answer you gave is mentioned again, you have absolutely no recollection of it. And have you ever been surprised to hear from a friend that he saw you in the street, even said hello to you, and you walked straight past him? No doubt you can think of dozens of other examples from your own experience.

A lot of what people believe about hypnosis is untrue, including the idea that its prime function is to entertain. In recent years clinical hypnosis or hypnotherapy (therapy experienced in the hypnotic state) has gained considerable respectability in the medical profession for its therapeutic role in the management of many conditions including those that are stress and anxiety related.

It is difficult to define precisely the nature of hypnosis. For our purposes here the best way we can view it is as a state of intense physical and mental relaxation where the subject, although aware of immediate reality, experiences a sense of detachment from it. The focus of attention is usually internal and narrower than when fully alert.

Hypnosis is a state of mind of heightened suggestibility. Another popular term used to describe this state is trance. The greatest benefits of this state are that it allows us to access our infinite resources that lie hidden in the deepest depths of our minds and to create any desired change in our lives.