The Magic Trick

I have been through some terrible things in my life, and some actually happened said Mark Twain. I was about to discover the same thing.

I had made up my mind; I would let the hypnotist perform his tricks on me. Useless to say, I was terrorized. There was something very unsettling in the idea of letting a complete stranger access my mind. I mean, I am not talking about someone to help me stop chewing gum; I am talking about finding out deep poisonous secrets completely unbeknownst to me. Still, considering where things were at, there was not much left for me to fear but fear itself.

And so the session began. I sat myself comfortably on a bulky coach and grabbed a large cushion which I held protectively throughout the entire time. He handed me a headset playing a series of meditation scenarios designed to help me relax and facilitate the induction. After a few minutes he removed the headset and took over.

The idea was to deepen my relax state into a hypnotic trance where my mind could be more receptive to suggestion. First, he suggested that I felt very heavy and relaxed and comfortable. He made me imagine that I was slowly descending a flight of stairs, into the darkness. Then, he asked me to watch his hand as he raised and lowered it in front of my eyes and snapped his fingers. He did this a few times while conjuring the right words to let my mind go deeper and deeper into my memory. He spoke fast as if he did not really want me to understand what he was saying.

Because the memory is supposed to be extremely accurate in hypnosis, he used regression to help me with that part of my childhood which I could not remember. He kept repeating that I was safe, that I was myself as an adult returning to the past, that I was just an observer and nothing could affect me. I must admit, at that point it felt quite TV performance like. Then, he carried on with more visual scenarios bringing me to a time when I was four years old. At that point, I am supposed to be in a hypnotic trance. It is hard to tell because it is not exactly a mystical experience. If I was in a trance, I didn’t notice it.

According to him however, there is always evidence of trance in the form of a slight flushing, eyelids fluttering or an easing in the breathing pattern. He also used a little monitor linked to his computer that he had attached to my finger to monitor the depth of the trance. Apparently the evidence suggested that I was in a deep hypnotic trance. The mind is then fully open to suggestion and can be worked with.

And at the end of the session; the hypnotist simply suggested that I return to my normal state of consciousness and he snapped his fingers once again. I was wide awake, back to normal.

Throughout I felt like I was in control of the situation. I could open my eyes, move around a little, or simply refuse to answer some of his questions. I did not expect that I would remember so well everything that was said and experienced while in trance. It felt rather more like daydreaming.

Of course, compared to a more traditional form of therapy which requires time, effort and commitment - hypnotherapy – is a swift way to deal with issues. However, there are some issues that may require a better support system to deal with the aftermath of a devastating discovery, than a quick session with a hypnotist may allow.