Tom Fortes Mayer - What Is Hypnosis?

#WHAT IS

#WHAT IS

HYPNOSIS?

TOM FORTES MAYER

CONTENTS

Why read this book?

This book is designed to give you a clear understanding of and debunk many myths about the fascinating world of hypnosis. When hypnosis is used in the best way it really is a beautiful tool for creating wonderful changes in your life.

When you are under hypnosis, you normally feel calm, relaxed and more open to suggestion. It is a trance-like state in which your focus and concentration are both heightened. It is not a complicated procedure. Nor does it require any special preparation, though you should be well-rested and wearing comfortable clothing to help you to relax fully. It is something you can do for yourself as well as through working with a hypnotherapist.

20 reasons to start reading!

Here are just some of the benefits you can gain from using hypnosis techniques.

Learn how to relax and unwind fully

Feel more confident, positive and enthusiastic about life

Increase health, vitality and energy

Enjoy sleeping more easily and fully

Enhance your creativity, increasing innovation and output

Be your best by increasing efficiency and excellence

Understand yourself and others more easily

Communicate more powerfully with yourself and others

Be a more powerful and effective leader

Be healthier and enjoy exercising more

Be more playful and spontaneous

Be more resilient in the face of difficulty

Be more emotionally stable

Reduce fears, anxieties and self-doubt

Reduce risks of mental health issues

Increase self-awareness and self-acceptance

Connect more to your purpose and enjoy a greater sense of meaning

Increase feelings of self-worth and fulfilment

Enjoy more connection with your loved ones

Enjoy more overall success and happiness in your life

As you can see from this list, hypnosis can really help you to get the most out of your life and so enjoy it all the more. This book will give you everything you need to understand the principles and practices of hypnosis so that you can begin using them to good effect on yourself and maybe even on some close friends and family. It will also make clear what to expect if you choose to work with a qualified hypnotherapist, including the many benefits this could bring into your life.

Key features of this book

In the introduction I explain why I am passionate about hypnosis and why it is such a valuable subject to learn more about. In looks at the wider social benefits of more people learning about the far-reaching power of hypnosis and putting its principles into practice.

The book is designed to make hypnosis as accessible as possible with the help of the following features:

A Q & A approach that chapter by chapter answers the questions that are often asked about hypnosis

Try itexercises that give you a chance to experiment with hypnosis while you read

Focus On boxes that give additional information about the mind and how it works

At the end of the book, a What Next? section, including a further reading list, suggests how to continue your investigations into this fascinating subject and become more proficient in your practice.

SOME KEY TERMS

Affirmations Positive suggestions given through hypnosis

Conscious The logical, reasoning, decision-making part of the mind

Hypnotherapy Hypnosis used by a therapist as a primary tool for helping subjects to achieve their goals

Induction The technique of hypnotizing a person

Pacing Mimicking someones posture, behaviour or language in order to help build rapport (see below)

Post-hypnotic suggestion A suggestion made while a person is in hypnosis to be acted on later

Progressive relaxation A technique used to progressively relax the entire body by focusing on individual areas in turn

Rapport The relationship between therapist and client in which the client has trust and confidence in the therapist and the therapist has concern for the client

Script A prewritten script that a therapist will use during trance work

Subconscious The part of the mind that is mostly below the level of our awareness

Trance state A state of consciousness when a persons attention is focused and they tend not to be so aware of external stimuli as a result

INTRODUCTION

Why this subject?

Hypnosis is a hugely misunderstood subject. In the simplest terms I like to think of it as the art and science of having an amazing day. Sometimes you wake up feeling happy, confident and on top of the world. People respond well to you, you enjoy what you are doing and everything seems to flow seamlessly. In contrast, there are those awful days that start badly and then continue to deteriorate. Everything is a struggle, you experience frustration, resentment and annoyance, and nothing seems to work for you.

This is where hypnosis can help you. Your state of mind affects everything you do, but you are most likely not aware of the extraordinary things that can be done to alter it, to enable you to make the most of every single day. This is what hypnosis is all about. More than that, it is about connecting you to your inner potential.

There are countless stories of human beings doing amazing things in emergencies. Tales of mothers lifting cars off their children, people jumping out of windows during fires and surviving incredible falls are just a few examples. There are also stories of extraordinary bravery and courage where people put themselves at considerable risk to save the lives of others. Deep down, you know that, if you had to, there is great potential waiting deep inside you.

You, like all of us, possess a fierce capacity to protect those that you love and a likely willingness to run terrifying risks if you are faced with a life-and-death situation. In such a moment, you can feel those reserves of capability waiting to be released. But why do you have to wait for an emergency to be your most amazing and inspiring self?

So many people coast along knowing that at best they are putting in maybe 60 per cent effort. If you have half a brain and you put in this amount of effort, you will most likely be performing well enough to be considered a valuable employee, a good family member and a lovable partner. And yet, you only get one chance at life.

Surely it would be worthwhile exploring the tools and techniques that will enable you to connect to your greatest potential? Think how it would help you to bring out your very best, so that you can make the most of every single moment of life? How would it feel access the kind of power that otherwise you would connect with only in an emergency? How might your life be different if you were 30 per cent more effective at work, at home, in love and in general life? What if there was a source of intelligence, efficiency and excellence within you that could enable you to perform way better than you could have previously imagined without having to put in more effort? Wouldnt that be worth exploring?

This is what hypnosis offers. Through it, you will be able to access the vast storehouse of brilliance and intelligence that lies within you. It is a natural, easy process that can help to alter how you think and feel, change what you believe and, ultimately, ensure that you are happier and more successful.

People try hard to improve their lives, but most of this effort is usually focussed on externals. People buy more gadgets and toys, they move home, or they constantly decorate or renovate. They take up more hobbies or go to see more shows. And they invest thousands in learning business strategies or practical things to do differently. Yet all the while they dont take the time to look at how they are using their minds. The thoughts, feelings, beliefs and behaviours we are all operating with affect everything that we do. So many people have achieved incredible things and have seen and experienced everything the world has to offer and yet they still feel hollow on the inside. Happiness and success are totally determined by our inner, not our outer, world.