Mind hypnosis began with Milton Erickson, M.D. He was a psychiatrist and a psychotherapist. Erickson allows the subject to participate in the process by using suggestions, not commands. He believed that the subconscious mind was always attentive and could be influenced by several factors. The subject could be aware of the suggestion or be totally unaware and it does not matter as long as there is reverberation within the subconscious. A normal conversation could induce a trance through indirect suggestion. Often Erickson would try many indirect suggestions and see which ones allowed the subconscious to participate, thereby turning an ordinary conversation into a hypnotic trance. or a change in the subject. An indirect suggestion allows the subconscious to participate in the process, it is a suggestion not a command. A direct suggestion is one that is like a command. It risks the subject resisting and not getting the desired intent.

An example of a direct suggestion would be "lose weight" they may, but they may resist. An indirect suggestion would be "you could be a thin person. He believed people would drift in and out of trances often during the day. A trance would be described as a state if mind that blocks out unwanted stimuli. If you are studying for a test, or trying to figure out a problem, you get so focused on the task that you block out all other stimuli. Everyone has experienced the "daydream" where you lose contact with reality for a period. All other stimuli areblocked out and you are focused only on the dream. This is the heart of mind hypnosis.

The first step in mind hypnosis, also called conversational hypnosis, is to establish a rapport with the subject. One need not demand to know everything about the subject, but should allow them to decide what and how much to tell you. Dr. Milton Erickson felt that a relaxed person is more open to going into a trance and to suggestion. Another way to gain a subject's trust is to agree with them. If someone feels their situation is hopeless, agree with them and say yes it is quite hopeless, there is no way out. The more you agree, the more the subject will start to argue with you saying there must be a way. This agreement leads top the second technique, confusion. A person is more open to suggestion and trance when they are confused. When you agree that a situation is hopeless, it throws them off guard bucause they expect you to tell them that there has to be a way out. They begin to focus on this, eliminating external stimuli, which is a trance. Another well known confusion technique is the handshake. Instead of just gripping, shaking, then letting go, as you let go, slide a pinky or thumb along their hand, and lightly tap their wrist downward. This startles them because one does not think about a handshake and when it is different, they concentrate on it. This now allows you to make a suggestion. Another example would be tying their shoes. Have them stop in the middle and restart. Most people do not think about tying their shoes and do it as one whole act. Stopping them in the middle again adds confusion and concentration when they start to tie again. This is the same principle as little children saying the alphabet, when they stop, they begin from A again. The third technique of mind hypnosis is suggestion. Once the patient is in the trance, a suggestion can be accepted by their subconscious mind. "You seem more optimistic about losing weight" or "it seems you will enjoy doing business."

If one is having sexual problems, they may be successfully treated via hypnotism. Frigidity, low sex drive, premature ejaculation and impotence are examples of the problems treated.

Since mind hypnosis deals with the subconscious mind, the hypnotist goes to the very root of the problem and opens it for you to explore. Of course, if it is a physical problem, that must be addressed elsewhere, but in a good many cases, the problems are psychological. Your journey begins and step by step you are taken deeper towards the root of the problem. Once the root is discovered, the healing can begin. It can be something that occurred years ago when you were a child, or something that has happened more recently.

Once the healing begins, the hypnotist can offer hep removing negative emotions by giving trance suggestions that will improve your self image and make you feel better emotionally.