Hypnosis techniques

Rave goers have known for years that the powerful combination of loud music and drugs could put someone into a state of trance, where the setting drifts into the background and a feeling of overwhelming connection and love comes to the foreground. In the sixties and seventies, it was new age music that created this hypnosis meditation. Before that, shamans mesmerized themselves around the fire to the sound of drumbeats. Techno trance therapy has been taught in various workshops from London to California but is primarily a form of self-hypnosis that people teach themselves.

The best way to learn hypnosis is to attend a nightclub or rave event where techno trance is being played. There are local sites focusing on these parties but www.grooveallnight.com lists some of the big name DJs coming to the major US cities. Large trance music festivals in America include: Burning Man (Black Rock Desert, Nevada), The Winter Music Conference (Miami), Love Fest (San Francisco), USC (Seattle), The Global Dance Festival (Colorado) and the Coachella Music Festival (Indio, California). While anyone can turn off the lights, turn on the stereo and dance at home, the feeling of being in a large room with laser lights, hundreds of other individuals, with professional sound quality is an entirely different experience.

When one enters a techno trance, they feel a lightness of body, perhaps even a numbness or disassociation, where the mind and body feel detached, as though a person is watching him or herself move. Blinking slows down, there is a distortion of movement, space and time, and the senses become more vivid. Another common occurrence is catalepsy, a condition where the muscles contract and remain soft, rather than rigid. The body’s natural endorphins and pain relievers flow freely, allowing dancers to continue moving for hours on end. While listening to trance music, people often report feeling that they are less inhibited and more able to talk about their emotions. Often a deep sense of interconnectedness takes hold and the dancer begins to feel a bond with those around him or her. It is almost as if these dancers are in another time and place, where rules do not apply and the outside world has ceased to exist.

Techno trance music is a large component of the transcendental experience, but drugs have gone almost hand-in-hand with these hypnosis techniques. On one hand, it is entirely possible to produce the feelings of euphoria simply through dance expression, similar to the classic “runner’s high.” However, few experiences can compare to the combination of certain drugs and progressive trance music. The most common drugs used to induce a hypnotic state include hallucinogens like acid and mushrooms, designer drugs like ecstasy and methamphetamine, dissociative drugs like ketamine and PCP. In his book “The Doors of Perception,” author Aldous Huxley explored the mind-drug-spiritual connection, writing, “The direct, total awareness, from the inside, so to say, of Love as the primary and fundamental cosmic fact… I was this fact; or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that this fact occupied the place where I had been.” For him, the state of trance was a spiritual experience, as is the case for many techno trance fans around the world, drugs or not.

Hypnosis CDs

Have you ever wondered if you can learn how to hypnotize yourself? Self Hypnosis is one of the most effective ways to calm down and remove stress. It does take some practice and a willingness to learn, but by following tested-tried-and-true methods that are as easy as counting or repeating scripts to yourself, you can develop your confidence, assist your body in healing itself and change longstanding negative behavioral patterns.

A lot of self hypnosis is all in the wording. NLP hypnosis posits the theory that flowery, artful language is better than authoritative commanding. For instance, you might say to yourself, “I really look forward to learning how to sky dive,” rather than the more authoritative “I’m going to learn to sky dive.” Secondly, you’ll want to use visual imagery. Often successful self-hypnotists will use phrases like “I see,” “I hear,” or “It feels like.” Images from nature work particularly good, such as waterfalls, fields full of flowers, streams, clouds, trees, beaches and auras. You should also try to choose attainable goals. So instead of telling yourself, “I am never going to eat chocolate chip cookies again,” you should instead phrase it, “As I begin to make healthier choices and choose more nutritious foods, I will begin to feel lighter and more at peace with myself.”

There are several common mistakes people make when trying to hypnotize themselves. You might find that you are trying to force yourself to imagine something that doesn’t come naturally or are over-analyzing the process. Instead, you will want to be sure you are completely relaxed first, before you allow your mind to wander. Start by counting backwards while breathing deeply, as this is a classic trick to deepen relaxation. With each count, you are going deeper and deeper, and before you know it, you’ll be in a state of trance! Now that you are in a suggestible, emotional state, you can begin using “I” phrases to affirm what you wish to learn. Some people prefer to spend this time imagining themselves achieving their goals instead. Others still might want to play a tape with someone else’s voice guiding their positive thinking here. To awaken from your trance, tell yourself you will feel refreshed and fully awake at the count of three.

Another commonly practiced form of self hypnosis is done with the help of trance music. This fast-tempo genre inspires people to dance as a means of letting their inhibitions go, which gets the heart rate pumping so the dancer experiences a dissociative sort of exercise “high.” At the same time, the progressive trance music inspires the mind to be more imaginative, much like classical music, and the dancer will feel a marked spiritual shift toward an overwhelming feeling of connectedness in the presence of others. Practiced at clubs, raves or workshops, trance dance hypnosis has its roots back in ancient shaman rituals and African dance. There is no “right” way to dance, so it is easy for anyone to do. The important thing is that you close your eyes, focus on the beat of the music and let your mind wander freely.