Hypnosis has been around ever since the dawn of man. This powerful tool is accessible to all human beings. Unfortunately, in the past, hypnosis has gained a bad reputation from all the misconceptions carried by the film and book industry. nnHence hypnosis is often perceived as scary or dangerous by people who do not fully understand its functioning. The truth of the matter is that hypnosis is a natural and normal state of the human mind, where a higher level of focus can be reached. nnBy simply pushing aside the conscious mind (the arguing part of ourselves), hypnosis opens access to the subconscious mind, where positive and powerful changes can take place easily. You will be amazed to discover the following top 10 secrets you should know about modern hypnosis.nn1. Learning self-hypnosis is within everyone’s reach. You do not need a skilled hypnotherapist by your side every time you want to go into hypnosis. Hypnosis is a learned skill and is attainable by everyone. I am a strong believer in the saying “give a man a fish, you will feed him for a day; teach a man how to fish, you will feed him for life.” Most of my patients who have learned self-hypnosis in preparation for a natural childbirth told me they kept on using the techniques they learned even after their babies were born.n2. What we think will happen, happens. We program ourselves for our future. Therefore people who think like winners become winners. People who think like losers become losers. The good news is that you can control how you think and program yourself positively with the help of hypnosis.n3. You can remember or hear everything while in hypnosis. The depth of your hypnosis will vary from a light trance (like daydreaming) to “spacing out” and having the impression that you have been sleeping. Hypnosis is nothing more than a nice feeling of letting go. Many of my patients, after listening to one of my self-hypnosis recordings, are concerned that they might have fallen asleep because they do not remember anything that was said. I reassure them by telling them that if they were asleep, they would not have emerged on the count of three. It makes sense.n4. Everyone can use hypnosis to gain better mental and physical health. The average human uses only about 10 percent of his mental power. Hypnosis might be one way to find the keys that open the gateway to the hidden treasure our powerful minds contain. My personal experience as a hypnotherapist shows me that the old belief that a certain percent of the population cannot be hypnotized is a misconception. We drift in and out of hypnosis many times during any given day. Examples of this are when you miss your exit while driving on the highway or lose track of time while watching television.n5. The hypnotherapist has no power and cannot control you in any way. The hypnotherapist is merely your guide, like a sherpa who guides you up a mountain. You are the one doing the climbing. Many stage hypnotists want the public to believe that they hold great power. You do have to remember that stage shows are done with volunteers. Bottom line: No hypnotist, no matter how great, can have another person do anything that is immoral, illegal, or “fattening” in hypnosis.n6. Hypnosis is not a truth serum. A liar is a better liar in hypnosis. This is the reason why hypnosis is never accepted in court as verifiable proof. On the other hand, though, the human mind registers every piece of data presented to it and can recall it in hypnosis. For example, a person can be brought into hypnosis (voluntarily) and recall a license plate number—and then use this evidence as a starting point for a police investigation.n7. The power of hypnosis is limitless. It is as vast as the human imagination. Most very successful people have succeeded because they imagined and saw themselves being successful. Successful athletes call “being in the zone” that very focused and powerful state they go into when achieving top performances. This state is nothing else than hypnosis, of course!n8. You can change your internal programming in hypnosis. This is because it addresses your subconscious mind (your hard disk). Therefore if your childhood has been tinted with negative programming, such as that you were a burden or unloved and unwanted, you might have acted according to that belief from the beginning. You now have the power to turn this around and become the successful, accomplished, loved, and loving person you deserve and want to be. n9. A willing person can achieve a perfect, natural anesthesia of his body with the help of hypnosis. There are numerous films of people going through major surgeries and natural childbirth with minimal or no discomfort at all—with only hypnosis as the sole anesthesia. The comfortable level of anesthesia learned and achieved by my patients in self-hypnosis programs happens too often to be considered pure luck.n10. You cannot “lose” hypnosis. It is a natural and easy way of life. With the help of hypnosis, you can achieve almost anything you want. I often compare hypnosis with love: a pleasant, natural state of mind that helps us become the people we aspire to be. Not unlike love, one cannot lose hypnosis. It is always present for us to grab and use.nnIn conclusion, I have opened a gateway for you today. It is normal that some fear and skepticism remain. For example, Franz Anton Mesmer was brought before a committee commissioned to determine if hypnosis was an existing phenomenon. Their conclusion would decide if Mesmer was really having an impact on all those people who claimed they were transformed by his hypnotic interventions. nnThe committee, which included Benjamin Franklin, concluded that hypnosis was not a recognizable phenomenon because it could neither be measured nor seen at the time. From that day on, Mesmer suffered a decline and gradually ceased helping people with hypnosis. nnThe irony of this story is that Benjamin Franklin later discovered electricity, which changed our lives greatly. Just like hypnosis, electricity was a phenomenon that could neither be seen nor measured, yet it undeniably existed and was very powerful…nnNow imagine what can happen if hypnosis has the power to open your subconscious mind as fast as a light switch! Napoleon Hill said it best when he said, “Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”nnn** This article is one of 101 great articles that were published in 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life. 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