Hard to say and even experts can’t quite agree on that one, but it could be described as the quieting of the conscious mind. Hypnosis can help you achieve a state where you can more readily access your subconscious mind, and then receive suggestions to help you visualize what it is you want to accomplish. Hypnosis is characterized by a trance state. Trance is a state of mind in which our normal awareness of the outside world is reduced, and our attention is focused on some activity, physical stimulus, image, fantasy, thought or feeling. People enter this state spontaneously everyday, for example when being lost in thought or day dreaming, working out in the gym, reading, listening to music, surfing the web or driving “on autopilot”. Hypnosis formalizes this process of entrancement and intensifies it. The person being hypnotized is given a series of instructions which are intended to assist them in achieving a trance state.
Hypnosis is not magic, you don’t “lose control” any more than you would in the everyday examples above, and as long as it’s used by a responsible professional there should be no concerns regarding safety. It is impossible to hypnotize someone against their will – even if some stage hypnotism routines seem to suggest otherwise, these people actually have the wish to cooperate with the instructions! For example, they may wish to please the hypnotist, or enjoy performing for the crowd and being the center of attention.
Another feature of hypnosis is rapport – a “meeting of the minds”, an emotional affinity or feeling of mutual trust. Did you ever find yourself “mesmerized” by someone who exudes confidence and who appears to be really interested in you as a person? Being entranced in such a way is an example of informal hypnosis, that is, hypnosis without a set of formal instructions. Some applications of hypnosis in dentistry include controlling a strong gag reflex, treating chronic facial pain and modification of unwanted habits such as teeth grinding.
Interestingly, it is not used that frequently for treating dental phobia. This is because hypnosis works extremely well with some people, but isn’t for everyone. At Tavormina Dentistry we are unique in having the training to provide this adjunct to our gentle dental services to our Millburn, Short Hills, Maplewood and surrounding area patients.