Guided Thought | William Batten

You’ve probably heard the term ‘trance state’ before. Especially if you’re familiar with hypnosis. A question you might ask is: what is the trance state?

Hypnosis activates the trance state, which is a way the brain likes to operate sometimes. In this state, you think more creatively and you’re open to new ideas.

You’re more willing to accept things as true in a trance state.

Now, if that last line concerns you, then I can assure you that you can relax. You might be more open to suggestions but you’re still fully aware and in control. If someone says something wrong or harmful, you’ll consider the idea… then reject it. No one can make you do anything you don’t want to – whether or not you’re in a trance.

But if there’s something that you know is true – something like smoking is harmful and you should quit…

… then you’ll accept the idea more readily in a trance state.

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It’s an excellent question.

And the answer is…

… we don’t know.

Hypnosis is complex. It’s kind of like asking ‘what happens in the brain during thinking?’ There probably is an answer to that question, but we certainly don’t know it yet.

Having said that, there is a lot we do know. Aside from all our unanswered questions, we have the results of research, measurement and experimentation. These all provide clues as to what happens, physically, during hypnosis. Read More

You go to any stage hypnotism show and there’ll be a cynic in the audience. “They’re just faking,” they’ll say.

Or if you go to a hypnotist so you can quit smoking, lose a phobia, sleep through the night or unleash your motivation, the cynic will laugh. “Why waste your money?” they’ll ask.

I don’t blame the cynic for being… well, cynical. The world is full of people peddling mystical nonsense. But hypnosis is different from. It is neither mystical nor nonsense.

Other alternative therapies claim to heal the mind. Unlike these, hypnosis has proof. Rock-solid, unambiguous, scientific proof.

And, no, it’s not the placebo effect. Hypnosis works whether you accept it or not, doubt it or not, or are open minded about it. It gets results even if you think it won’t.

What’s with the doubt?

If hypnosis is real, how come so many people deny it? Read More

I’ve had people ask me if hypnosis is evil. Or flat-out accuse me of it. Never by someone who understands hypnosis though. Everyone I’ve met who understands hypnosis also understands that it’s a powerful tool for good.

If you’re confused about hypnosis, I understand. There’s a lot of misinformation out there. But rest easy and know that it’s a positive thing.

How can I be so sure?

When I studied science, ethics was a short, optional course. I dropped it when I realised I had to go the university library for research. (The other subjects used files on the, you know, internet…) A successful scientist can use their research for good or evil, so teaching ethics makes sense.

When I studied Buddhist meditation, morality was not a short, optional course. It was studied in-depth. It was the first and last subject taught. Everything linked back to morality.

To recap: the subject that created nuclear weaponry skimmed over ethics. It was a core part of the subject that involves sitting still for a while.

…

Huh?

How does that work?

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