How can the use of hypnosis and meditation be beneficial to one’s health? Hypnosis using hypnotic induction, which consists of a long series of preliminary instructions and suggestions is actually a wakeful state of focused attention and heightened suggestibility, with diminished peripheral awareness. Meditation refers to training of the mind or self-inducing a mode of consciousness in order to attain a goal. So in both hypnosis and meditation involves a level of consciousness. There are 5 states of consciousness. The first state is the focused awareness where the person is fully awake and the level of attention is high.
The second state is the drifting consciousness where there is variable or shifting in alertness or attention. And then there is the state of divided consciousness where there is a medium level of alertness and the attention is split between two activities. The two other states are sleeping and dreaming, and waking state of consciousness. Hypnosis and meditation fall into the state of divided consciousness. There are some activities that we consciously want to do, such as lose weight, quit smoking, and to just simply relax, but our unconscious state of mind clutters our mind with negative thoughts, words and feelings.
So the best way to succeed in losing weight, or quit smoking, or relaxing is to resort to hypnosis and or meditation. This is where a bridge is built between the conscious and the unconscious mind. Divided consciousness is considered to reach that level of well being that cannot be met when you simply depend upon your conscious state of mind. The goal is to retrain and revitalize the mind when it is in a state of total calm and openness. The dissociation theory states that there is a separation of behavior from conscious control. Therefore hypnosis and meditation can foster good health and well being through divided consciousness.
