It is the state of maximum relaxation of the human mind in its natural state. Therefore, the hypnotist brings the person to that state of well-being through specific indications. Hypnosis can be used in therapy with the aim of allowing the patient to connect more deeply with their inner world and to respond more clearly and sincerely to questions.
A person performing hypnosis has the power to guide people through specific guidelines toward a state of relaxation.
Generally, people seek this type of therapy against stress and anxiety, it can also be used as a support method to stop smoking, it can also be a tool to help in the treatment of a phobia. From another point of view, it is also possible to use hypnotherapy to overcome some barriers, such as personal insecurity and shyness.
In almost all cultures, and at different times, trance has been used as a visionary means of healing. In some rituals, it is the healer or priest who goes into a trance and, in others, it is the patient who does it.
Today, the hypnotic trance continues to be induced as a way of accessing that "other mind" that hides behind consciousness, the subconscious, both to obtain information from it, and to reorganize old beliefs, habits or attachments.
In 2001, the Professional Affairs Committee of the British Psychological Society commissioned research on hypnosis and its applications. For this, a working commission was formed, whose final report entitled The Nature of Hypnosis is on the website of the British Psychological Society, is freely accessible and has an explicit permission of reproduction. This report states that: Hypnosis is a valid subject for scientific study and research, and it is also a proven therapeutic tool.
It can be confirmed that in the West, the first to use hypnosis as we know it today was Franz Anton Mesmer, an Austrian doctor interested in studying the effects of magnetism on planets and living beings. In 1773 he managed to cure a patient suffering from seizures in Vienna and applied magnets to her belly, which gave her notoriety. He then traveled to Paris, the center of the modern world, and there he continued to research the effects of magnets.
