Re:Definitions and explanations of Meditation and Hypnosis

Meditation is a PROACTIVE PROCESS for changing the structure and content of the mind

There are as many methods of meditation as there are people. These include chanting, singing, dancing, shouting, induction of the relaxation response and even self hypnosis.

The classical method taught by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras emphasizes:

An exploration of the unconscious mind with a view to expanding awareness and self realization.

Hypnosis is a PSYCHOLOGICAL STATE where subjects internally absorbed in an inner world give it as much importance as external reality while simultaneously being extraordinarily susceptible to external suggestion by the hypnotist.

While classical hypnosis patients are motionless and appear asleep, most of them are fully aware of what is happening and a very small percentage (5%) may be amnesic.

Charismatic speakers (like Adolf Hitler) actually hypnotize their audiences. Their subjects may be awake (in every sense of the word) and even show increased blood pressure and pulse rate if hypnotized to arousal (anger) that the (hypnotist) speaker directs towards his chosen targets.

Hypnotic states are physiologically variable and hypnosis is purely a psychological state.

Don't we allow ourselves to be hypnotized much of the time? :-)

Further correspondence may be directed to nagarkatti@email.com

Replies:

There are no replies to this message.

| Behavior OnLine Home Page | Disclaimer |

Copyright © 1996-2004 Behavior OnLine, Inc. All rights reserved.