In his new book “Self-Hypnosis and Subliminal Technology – A How-To Guide for Personal Empowerment” New York Times best-selling author Eldon Taylor gives an excellent overview of the transformational power of hypnosis and subliminal techniques.

His summary of hypnosis as a natural state of consciousness measurable by specific brain-wave activity is especially compelling. We know the brain is an electrochemical organ capable of generating electrical power. During normal state of consciousness, referred to as beta, brain-wave activity when measured by EEG typically vary from 15 to 30 cycles per second. In the alpha state of consciousness, brain-wave activity ranges from 8 to 14 cycles per second. The cycles drop between 4 and 7 in theta state. A subject in a state a hypnosis demonstrates brain-wave cycles of alpha or theta, similar to those experienced when we sleep. This partly explains the rejuvenating and restorative boost experienced during and after hypnosis. The experience of hypnosis, whether it involves creative visualization, guided imagery or regression to source (in other words to the root cause of the targeted problem), also produces rapid-eye movements (REM) similar to those experienced while sleeping.

However, contrary to the sleep state, subjects in a state of hypnosis retain full clarity of mind. In fact, we are more aware and have sharper focus in a state of hypnosis than we are in the day-to-day activities of our lives where we are constantly distracted by streams of thoughts, activities and circumstances unfolding around us. As Eldon Taylor points out, those of us practicing in the field of forensic hypnosis know first hand the mental focus and clarity experienced in that state enables us to consistently recover considerable amounts of information often burried out of reach when the conscious mind is distracted or distressed. Senior Special Agent John Kilnapp of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms confirms hypnosis may be the only way to recover the details of traumatic events crime victims or witnesses blocked out of their minds.

We naturally experience alpha and theta states of consciousness when we are deeply relaxed and focused. These are times when we may feel as if we were operating on auto-pilot, smoothly and effortlessly. Repetitive activities that have become second nature, such as being immersed in daily athletic routine, driving long distance or operating automatically as we can be in the shower for instance, are known to induce the alpha or theta states, in which our minds function in a superior manner, fluidly and effortlessly. These states of mind translate into accelerated and amplified abilities. We typically learn faster, comprehend better, retain more effortlessly and heal more rapidly at these levels of the mind.

There are countless examples of the power of the mind to alter physical and emotional experiences. The use of hypnosis for pain control for instance dates back to 1845 when Dr. James Esdaile successfully began performing surgical procedures using hypnosis as anaesthesia, rendering his patients analgesic and rapidly gaining worldwide reputation for his painless surgeries. Anyone who has experienced the phenomenon known as dissociation knows you can navigate in the midst of devastating events with a completely detached, peaceful, serene mind frame, removed from physical, mental or emotional distress. These levels of the mind enable us to act and react more powerfully, allowing us the efficiency to make the best decisions for our well being and the safety of those around us.

One of the keys to unlocking the power of our mind is belief. Beliefs govern our experiences as effectively as magnetism directs a compass needle. When we believe ourselves to be unworthy, unfit, or otherwise flawed, our subconscious mind works to bring confirmation to our beliefs every step of the way. Beliefs captured by the power of the mind can influence our DNA and deliver the strangest diseases, complete with physical symptoms. Documented multiple-personality cases show subjects having normal blood sugar in one personality and testing hypoglycemic the moment the other personality takes over. Mind consciousness has long been shown to influence what we experience around us, even affecting plants. Cleve Backster, a former lie-detection examiner, Harold Puthoff and Randall Fontes of the Stanford Resarch Institute, demonstrated not only that plants respond to human consciousness and actions, but also that they have memory.

Learning how to tap into the power of our minds enables us to reprogram beliefs at the subconscious level, release self-sabotaging habits no longer serving us and unleash our true potential. In “Self-Hypnosis and Subliminal Technology” Eldon Taylor provides flexible, powerful and affordable tools to de-hypnotize ourselves from the negative subliminal brainwashing we encounter along our path, handing us the keys to unlocking the unlimited potential we hold within. And I, for one, am thrilled at the prospect of diving deeper into the realm of research and development being conducted on therapeutic subliminal technology!