Hypnosis is "a special psychological state with certain
physiological attributes, resembling sleep only superficially
and marked by a functioning of the individual at a level of
awareness other than the ordinary conscious state."1 One theory
suggests that hypnosis is a mental state, while another theory
links hypnosis to imaginative role-enactment.234 Persons under
hypnosis are said to have heightened focus and concentration
with the ability to concentrate intensely on a specific thought
or memory, while blocking out sources of distraction.5 Hypnosis
is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction
involving a series of preliminary instructions and suggestions.6
The hypnotic suggestions may be delivered by a hypnotist in the
presence of the subject, or may be self-administered ("self-
suggestion" or "autosuggestion"). The use of hypnotism for
therapeutic purposes is referred to as "hypnotherapy", while its
use as a form of entertainment for an audience is known as
"stage hypnosis". The term “hyp