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An idea that takes root in the subconscious mind has no capacity for reasoning and MUST be discharged in motor action – whether it’s a good or a bad idea. Essentially every single word uttered to a subject in a hypnotic state, such as those experienced in any meditative or relaxation yoga practices, may result in the uptake of a post-hypnotic suggestion and thus influence that individual’s actions. Therefore it’s of the utmost importance that everything said or thought during any yogic practice should not only be thought out thoroughly beforehand, but tailored to be only positive and beneficial. To highlight the importance of the correct use of wording in suggestion, I’ll use an example not only from clinical hypnosis but also from self imposed diet restrictions that we’ve mostly all tried at some point. If you relax/hypnotise (it’s the same thing) somebody and tell them (or yourself ) “Don’t eat cake”, the subconscious mind will without doubt invert the “suggestion” and that person will want to eat more cake than they’ve ever thought possible – and seemingly can’t get the thought of cake from their mind! Instead, however, if you use the suggestion “you are amazed at how unbelievably easy it is for you to choose the foods that will help you become and remain slim and healthy,” the subconscious, being the simple thing it is, will consume the suggestion, internally digest (so to speak) and turn it into the desired response: i.e. no desire to eat cake or other junk food – just good healthy stuff in the right amount. In other words, it’s important to think about what you want and not what you don’t want. So what exactly is hypnosis? First of all, it’s important to highlight that there is no such thing as a “special” state of hypnosis. It’s a very ordinary phenomenon that we pass in and out of several times every day. That blurry place between sleep and awake, and any time in fact you are engrossed in an activity such as work, a hobby, long-distance driving and of course hatha yoga, meditation and relaxation practices – where external stimuli are mostly blocked out. A hypnotic “state” is just a feeling of being relaxed coupled with a heightened state of awareness, all of which is brought about by suggestion or autosuggestion. In fact it’s often said there is no such thing as hypnosis – only suggestion.
So what’s the difference between hypnosis and meditation?
One definition of meditation is the absence of all thought – to just be. If a person is mulling over a problem during meditation, they are actually thinking and therefore no longer meditating in its truest sense.
Hypnosis, on the other hand, is to have a specific thought to effect a desired outcome, i.e. stop smoking, lose weight, stress management, pain |