Hypnosis is a perfectly natural state of mind. If you've ever daydreamed, if you've ever become so wrapped up in the action of a book or a film that it has taken your undivided attention, or if you've found yourself lost in a favourite piece of music, then you have experienced a state of hypnosis.You can probably relate to the typical experience of driving to work, locking your car - and suddenly realising that you cannot remember anything about your journey.

Hypnosis is really a state of extreme relaxation in which you can concentrate on one particular set of ideas or concepts. Recent research has indicated that if you include the average of three hours we all spend dreaming each night, a person can spend a total of as much as seven hours a day in natural hypnotic states. In this relaxed state the subconscious part of a person’s mind rises to the surface and is very open to suggestion.

This fact has long been known to the advertising industry. The admen (and women) know that tonight you’ll probably sit in a semi-darkened room staring at a box of flashing lights. They hope that after a while you’ll drift into a mild state of hypnosis, and in this suggestible state your subconscious will take on the message that their brand of washing powder is the best. Since so much of what we do in life is subconsciously driven, this should turn into increased sales of the product, and indeed it does. The ad industry uses this phenomenon for their purposes and hypnotherapists use it to help people help themselves.

This is because hypnosis can be such a powerful tool for change. By allowing fast-track access to your subconscious, it allow the therapist to show it that what is being proposed is not a threat but a huge benefit. Once the subconscious accepts that the change will result in you living a longer, happier, healthier, wealthier life, then it will be wholeheartedly in favour of it. Your negative feelings will be replaced by feelings of confidence, pride and self-control, improving your chances of making the change successfully.