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Acquiring this knowledge has given devotees of hypnosis a power and often a position of great influence and authority that can be used for great benefit to humanity. It has been used as a great influence in the persuading of the masses in demonstrations of healing of mind and body, in great breakthroughs in scientific understanding, in the arts and in all fields of human expression.
It has been known under different names in different cultures. Its power was known to the ancient Hindus, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, to name some major cultures. Its power has been used by the shamans, witch doctors and occultists of every kind. In modern times, it was the basis of the modern field of psychotherapy and much of applied psychology, although often not properly understood or appreciated as such, and its principles have been invoked to create the field of modern mass marketing and the dissemination of political ideas.
In personal development, hypnosis is an essential art in self-understanding, spiritual progress, and overcoming psychological problems and limitations for the achievement of mental health and happiness. Modern clinical hypnotherapy is used for a vast range of purposes which can be broadly grouped in several main areas.
- Psychological problems
- Behavioural problems including addictions and many self-sabotaging behaviours
- Performance enhancement
- Spiritual development
- Psychosomatic disorders
- Weight loss
- Smoking cessation – giving up smoking!
- Health and fitness enhancement
- Pain control - hypnoanaesthesia
Specialised applications within these key areas continue to be developed as knowledge of the human mind and the human nervous system continue to grow. The understanding of hypnosis, what it is and how it works, and the purposes, to which it can be applied, continue to multiply. Hypnosis is inexorably moving into the mainstream of human consciousness. The public at large and professionals in many specialisms are discovering that hypnosis has much to offer for personal health, personal development and success in one's professional and vocational undertakings and personal goals.
The demands for a hypnotherapist's services are virtually unlimited. The potential situations that a hypnotherapist can work in are increasingly extensive and the hypnotist's services are becoming more desirable and valued. It simply depends on the creativity of the hypnotist. The art of hypnotherapy cannot be understood simply by acquisition of academic theoretical learning alone but requires in-depth personal experience of hypnotic methods for oneself, as well as sufficient experience of successful application of hypnosis to resolve problems of other people. It is the combination of subjective experience of hypnosis and confidence in the methods gained from successful applications on others which are essential elements for developing effective hypnotherapists.
Effective training in hypnotherapy requires learning from a high-achieving and experienced practitioner, successful application of self-hypnosis and study of key texts in the literature of hypnotherapy.