Hypnotherapy is a poorly understood technique that has multiple
definitions, descriptions, and forms. It is generally agreed
that the hypnotic state is different from both sleep and
ordinary wakefulness, but just exactly what it consists of
remains unclear. Hypnosis is sometimes described as a form of
heightened attention combined with deep relaxation, uncritical
openness, and voluntarily lowered resistance to suggestion.
Thus, one might say that when you watch an engrossing movie and
allow yourself to surrender to it as if it were reality, you are
undergoing something indistinguishable from hypnosis. In
therapeutic hypnosis, the hypnotherapist uses one of several
techniques to induce a hypnotic state. The most famous (and
dated) technique is the swinging watch accompanied by the
suggestion to fall asleep. Such “fixed gaze” hypnosis is no
longer the mainstay. More often, hypnotists use progressive
relaxation methods, such as those described in the article on
relaxation therapies . Other methods include mental