Dr. Carrie L. Forrest, Ph.D.

Understanding Hypnosis

I believe the subconscious mind is the path for contact with all other consciousness.
"Nothing should be omitted in an art which interests the whole world, one which may be beneficial to suffering humanity and which does not risk human life or comfort" HYPROCRATES
 
Hypnosis has been utilized in some form or another since the beginning of mankind by medical religious healers.  The one common denominator of these treatments is the use of the imaginative process to except a cure.  Conviction of cure leads to cure.  The client is not being treated by hypnosis but in hypnosis.  Hypnosis in itself does not cure, but it allows the client a clearer view of their problems, enabling them to meet their needs with new understanding.  New and modern hypnotic techniques are primarily oriented around the needs of the client.  These factors, together with widespread training in self-hypnosis have resulted in a type of hypnotherapy completely different from that used by Freud. 
Some criticism of hypnosis has failed to realize how the hypnotic state is a meaningful, interpersonal relationship involving real therapist rapport and client participation.  Because of the clients increased receptivity and genuine therapeutic needs, the productive involvement of the client and the hypnotherapist can result in the ready acceptance of suggestions.
Each person is the architect of his/her own destiny and each person has the creative power to make mental images.  These images are an expansion of the thoughts, needs and desires of goals to be achieved.  Impressing these concepts, needs and desires upon the sub-conscious mind, visualized images are created, as well as auditory and kinestietic imagery.  Creative energy is the self induced action of the mind upon itself and within itself.  Thought is the power, energy and force upon the brain, crating all  progress and achievement. Nothing in the whole world has ever or will ever be done, that is not the result of mind action known as thought process. The thought comes first and the action or response follows.  Mind power is energy and as energy it cannot be destroyed.
Through the use of hypnosis the function of each and every organ and gland can be modified.  Whatever is responsible for the change is also responsible for its function.
 
Our minds are divided into two components, the conscious and sub-conscious.  Each has the same but yet different facilities.  The conscious mind is that facility used to gather and analyze information for storage in the brain's memory bank, and the subconscious mind is that facility which uses the stored information to operate the body process.  When the conscious mind becomes impaired or inefficient due to stress, emotion, or drugs, the subconscious mind then receives this information for deposit in the brain's memory bank.
The conscious and subconscious minds function similar to balancing scales. During ordinary and normal everyday events, the conscious mind is in the dominant position, gathering information, events, impressions and perspectives.  While the absorption of this data is taking place, the analytical power examines the data to determine its believability, importance and truth.  After having made this analysis, the information is then stored in the brain's memory bank for future use.  Every moment of our conscious awareness, thousands of bits of information are gathered within fractions of a seconds