Self-Hypnosis .vs. Self-Control -- Commentary

> you are hypnotizing yourself, so all she has to do it trigger you.
Ahh, this is close to the “all hypnosis is self-hypnosis” thing.

From a practical viewpoint, it does not matter to me in the least how much of it is self hypnosis and how much is not as long as I get a sip from that bottle. However, as one of the groups you read has been discussing the “all hypnosis is self-hypnosis” thing, I thought I throw in my prospective for you to incorporate or discard as you see fit.

I clearly am at times hypnotizing myself, probably at most times. I do think that there are probably times when it is not so much my hypnotizing myself – the double induction last week comes to mind as the best example because I was so preoccupied with the two streams that there was not much “self” left to assist with the hypnosis. Even with a regular induction I start with thinking about what I’ve been told, agreeing with it, and incorporating it but as the depth of trance gets established the “thinking about what I’ve been told” part weakens or fades and the “agreeing with it, and incorporating it” part remains and is running in a more automatic fashion. A distrustful client might not let go of as much of the “thinking about what I’ve been told” part and by not doing so they miss an opportunity and limit their trance.

There is also a distinction between who is doing the hypnosis and who is directing the trance. Even if we conclude that a conventional interpretation of the statement that “all hypnosis is self-hypnosis” were completely true all the time, it does not mean that the hypnotized person is necessarily self-directing. I know that when you have me deeply under that I am most definitely not deciding what I want to do or even thinking about what I want to do. I may be feeling different levels of satisfaction about what I happen to be doing, but I’m not deciding or thinking about what I want to do. This does not necessarily mean that that I would do anything you might possibly say as some things might cross an ethical or self protective boundary, but it does mean that I’m not choosing my own immediate destiny. I do get impulses and can occasionally articulate them but getting one of these from-the-subconscious or from-prior-experiences flashes is not at all the same as planning or deciding to do something.

The net is that even if self-hypnotized, the hypnotized person might be “under the control” of someone else at least to the degree that the suggestions from that someone else does not trigger an ethical or self-protective rejection. The “hypnotist” is in control of many things and the client is in control of other things and what falls into each side depends on the two people involved and their desires and expectations.

Again, the above prospective is for the purpose of developing our understandings. With regard to the benefits I get from our sessions, the distinctions of if it is self hypnosis or not or exactly where that control boundary lies are academic and of no practical value.

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