Are you hypnotizable? Is it possible for you to enter a deep state of trance? If you are an average person you will most likely think that you can't be hypnotized. This is normal. If you are an average person then you will feel, like the vast majority of people, that if it were easy to hypnotize you then this would indicate that you are stupid, naive or just lack any real will-power. This could not be further from the truth.

The best hypnotic subjects are actually very intelligent, have a great deal of concentration and have a highly developed ability to focus. You should also be aware that the hypnotic state is different for each person who enters it. It is a mental and physical state that varies from person to person. Some people can enter extremely deep states of trance where their awareness completely changes and their memory of the event is hidden when they awaken, while others find themselves in a state that is equal to complete relaxation. Most of us fall somewhere in the middle. Wherever you find yourself on the hypnotic trance scale one thing is for certain ? everyone can be hypnotized to some degree.

In fact you go into trance states constantly throughout the day. Have you ever been "going through the motions", just performing a task without any conscious effort and been thinking of something completely different? If you travel on the bus or train have you found yourself day-dreaming or remembering past events and been so engrossed in your mental image that you lost track of time or your surroundings? Have you watched a great movie and totally identified with the characters or got so lost in the plot that it was all you were focused on? If you can answer yes any of the aforemention questions, and everyone can, then you have already experienced the state of trance.

Although just entering a hypnotic trance can be very therapeutic, as your body and mind relax and ease tension throughout your whole system, the real power comes from the suggestions and images that are used in this state. These suggestions have the ability to alter your behaviour, emotional responses and your dominant thoughts. Through suggestion a hypnotist will, mostly, guide you into a mental rehearsal of the new behaviours. New feelings are also anchored to old memories or a visualized future event in order to retrain your mind and body to respond to certain situations differently.

So are YOU hypnotizable?

Well, research shows that the best hypnotic subjects are those people who can easily immerse themselves in any imagined event. This is, in and of itself, a skill that many people in the self improvement field strive very hard to acquire. Hypnotic subjects who can easily enter the deepest, conscious altering, states of trance are those than can easily become absorbed in a fantasy while blocking out their external surroundings.

This basically means the better your imaginative abilities the more profoundly you will experience the hypnotic state.

However, as I have already stated, everyone can be hypnotized and you are no exception! Under the correct conditions you most definitely can and will enter a state of trance. With the right stimuli you can then use this state as catalyst for change in your life. You can, literally, give yourself any behaviour you want and also remove those you no longer wish to have or wish no longer serve you.

You can use hypnosis for making changes in just about every area of your life utilizing it to heal your body, mind, and spirit. Hypnotists are now finding that its uses are almost endless! I remember watching a television program featuring the UK hypnotist Paul McKenna, called "I Can Change Your Life", where he hypnotized a man diagnosed with a form of hysterical blindness. This man had been diagnosed with hysterical blindness. This condition is caused by some form of psychological trauma that causes blindness even though there is no physical damage, or reason, for the blindness. Hysterical blindness is a pyschological condition and it is believed by medical practioners that the eyes should be able to see perefctly well. After a few sessions with Mr McKenna the man's sight began to return and he was able to function more productively than before. However, and this is the fascinating bit, before the program had finished shooting the man was sent to an eyesight specialist who discovered that he had been wrongly diagnosed and in fact there had been substantial damage done to his visual equipment! As far as medical science was concerned this man should not be able to see anything, yet through hypnosis his sight was dramatically improved. Why? Because both the hypnotist and the subject believed that it was possible!

Here's a small example of what hypnosis can be used for. This list could fill a book but I have included these to give you some indication of how you could use it to benefit your life. What do you think hypnosis can do for YOU?

Aid In relaxation

Weight Loss

Smoking Cessation

Improve Sleep

Pain Management

Eliminate Fears & Phobias

Alleviate Depression

Reduce Anxiety & Stress

Awaken Your Creativity

Create More Success

Improve Your Self Confidence

Past Life Regression

Improve Your Memory

Improve Your Sports Performance

Better Study Habits

Release Issues From The Past

Healing Of Skin Conditions

Elimination Of Warts

Lucid Dreaming

Remove Addictions

Change Habits

It would appear that the only limitations of hypnosis are those you place on it! Try it you might just like it.