elings of happiness and total bliss (Churchill). There are many misinterpretations that people pick up that are related to hypnosis. Many people believe that the patient is “under a spell” and will do anything that the hypnotist says to do. Instead of the patient losing control, the person gains more control of his or her life and himself than he had ever experienced before. During hypnosis, a patient is well aware of what is taking place. Hypnosis is simply allowing the patient to have the ability of great concentration on one subject. Hypnosis is an everyday occurrence in everyone’s lives. People experience hypnosis in reading a book, in the state of mind right before sleep, and while watching a movie or television show. Each time one experiences hypnosis, the more in depth the concentration is for the patient. Though deeper concentration sounds more therapeutic for the patient, it is not. The deeper the hypnotic state, the more likely it is that one will experience loss of consciousness and hallucinations. Hypnosis skills allow the patient to completely relax. Hypnosis slows down all parts of the body, including the nervous system, respiratory system and the patient’s brain waves (Churchill). Rosalind Cartwright, Ph.D. has studied dreams for 35 years. She states that “Dreams give us a chance to face situations from real life while our bodies are totally at ease” (Williams 99). Dreams deal mostly with things that one has experienced in the past, or at the present time of the dream. They help one to solve problems that he or she is dealing with. Dr. Cartwright calls dreaming one’s “internal therapist” (Williams 99). People who have certain phobias have been known to treat their phobia by themselves without any psychiatric help just through the wondrous act of dreaming. Dreams help people to overcome obstacles and help the people learn more about themselves and the lives that they li...
