Satisfying the Curious Mind

What does it mean to be In Trance?

 Hypnosis is similar to how we are just before we fall asleep; when our muscles are deeply relaxed and our mind is drifting and kind of wandering. 

Hypnosis works because it is not sleep.

Hypnosis is sleep-like; it is not sleep.  It is a state between being fully conscious and fully unconscious.  You are awake and you are alert.  Meaning that you are fully aware of your surroundings.  Being completely relaxed  "quiets the  conscious mind and allows the subconscious to become more active." (The Practical Hypnotherapy Handbook). When you are asleep, your mind is in an unconscious state and is not particularly receptive to information.

The awake mind is both conscious and subconscious. 

 Under hypnosis we bypass the critical conscious mind (which we use for logic, reasoning, decision making, analysis, and willpower -   It is the rational part of our mind.)  

Because information is not being analyzed in the critical conscious mind, it is delivered directly into the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind holds all memory (knowns) from conception to present life.  

 This release of information into the subconscious takes place instantly. 

A suggestion given in a hypnotic state is much stronger than one given in a conscious state.  By using these powerful suggestions we encourage lasting change.  Because information moves so quickly into the subconscious mind, it does not have time to become diluted or distorted.  Our mind is not distracted and we can focus on what we want to change.