Don't worry. There's very little chance you're going to quack like a duck -- unless that's your thing. Hypnoisis, once refuted as mere showmanship, is now accepted from medical, dental, psychiatrc and psychological associations, more than 75,000 of whose members practice hypnosis or refer patients for the same. Now folks are going under a hypnotist's suggestion for conditions ranging from high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms and arthritis, to nail biting and every sort of phobia from fear of flying to aversion to snow.
WHAT'S THE CATCH?
Hypnoisis is not a trancelike condition but an altered state of consciousness. It's an intense alertness in which the mind can screen out extraneous matters and focus on particular details. Brain scans taken of people under hypnosis show that despite the relaxed state of our bodies, our minds are extremely attentive. Hypnosis doesn't involve giving up one's will or being controlled by someone else. It does allow the subject to suspend logical reasoaning and focus on and accept suggestion.
COULD YOU TAKE THE HINT?
Experts suggest that between 70 and 90 percent of the population is capable of being hypnotized to some extent, and that the most successful subjects are imaginative, motivated and intelligent. Whether hypnosis can actually help improve your scrabble score, run the marathon, or ace your law boards, is stil under debate.
HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT FIT
What happens in a session of hypnosis varies with the patient, the problem, and the hypnotist. Sessions usually last half an hour to an hour and can range from $125 to $350. In choosing a hypnotist , it's important to make sure he or she is licensed and well trained. Ready to give it a try? Watch the swinging pendulum .....and... feel... yourself....relax.......
For more info: American Hypnosis Association http://www.hypnosis.edu/aha/
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