A hypnotist is a person who uses hypnosis to induce hypnosis in his or her subjects, which are usually audiences or hypnotherapy patients. A hypnotic state like this is characterized by intense focus, increased suggestibility, and a loss of awareness of the surroundings. A hypnotist usually induces this state in an individual or group through a series of suggestions and instructions. Self-induced hypnosis, also known as autosuggestion, is a common therapeutic practice that does not always require the presence of multiple people.
The term hypnotism comes from the term neurohypnotism, which literally means “nervous sleep.” Many people believe that hypnosis is similar to sleep and that a hypnotized person is completely unconscious and under the hypnotist’s control. This is untrue; scientists have demonstrated that a person who is hypnotized is fully awake, but in a highly suggestible state.
Hypnotism has applications in medicine, therapy, and the performing arts, so a skilled hypnotist could do a variety of things with his abilities. Hypnotherapy, or therapeutic hypnosis, has been used to treat a wide range of physical and psychological ailments, with varying degrees of success. Stage hypnosis is probably the most well-known type of hypnosis, in which hypnotists hypnotize willing audience members and have them perform a variety of unusual tasks.
Hypnotists have used hypnotherapy in a variety of clinical situations, with varying degrees of success. In some cases, a hypnotist can assist a person in reducing pain from almost any source as well as weight loss. Hypnotists are frequently used to assist people in overcoming addictions. Hypnotherapy is sometimes used simply as a method of relaxation for people who are under a lot of stress or have trouble sleeping. Irritable bowel syndrome has even been treated with hypnotherapy, with promising results.
In stage hypnosis, the hypnotist’s sole goal is to entertain the audience, which usually takes place in a club or theater. Though some degree of actual hypnosis may be involved, the hypnotist will frequently use a variety of deceptive, showy stage tricks to fool the audience into believing that they are truly hypnotized. Stage hypnotists typically take advantage of a combination of natural human suggestibility and the social pressure exerted by the rest of the audience. Stage hypnotists will sometimes whisper commands to volunteers away from the rest of the audience. Those who do not resist or challenge the stage hypnotist’s suggestion, on the other hand, may find themselves hypnotized.