Hypnosis throughout Time & Space...

Hypnosis exists in many cultures around the world in many different forms, so I thought it would be interesting to share with you 3 different cultures and how they used hypnosis as a tool to connect, heal and transform within their time and space.

First, what is hypnosis? In its most basic explanation it is a state of highly focused attention, achieved through going into the Theta brainwave, which occur naturally when you are deeply relaxed or in meditation. Of course you can also be guided, by yourself or a practitioner, into this state to achieve a deeper connection, healing, clarity and clearing.

So without further ado, lets explore the various ways humanity has worked with this altered state of consciousness through ritual and community.

The "Trance Dances" of Southern Africa

One of the oldest indigenous cultures in the world are the San people of Botswana, who have rich spiritual practices rooted in ceremony and artistic expressions. One of these ceremonies are known as a "Trance Dance" and no, not that type of trance dance, this one is used as a tool for healing and communication to the afterlife, strengthening their bond to their community and ancestors.

So where does the hypnosis come in? Well, this ritual is set up with strong intentions and guided by their Shamans, they involve rhythmic dancing, chanting and drumming all around a fire which induces them into a hypnotic state. The repetition of the dance and the sensory stimulation from the combined actions help them to enter a state of highly focused attention i.e. hypnosis. The participant is able to completely surrender and open up, allowing for profound healing, clearing of blockages and cultivating a deep connection.

Here is a glimpse into this ritual: Bushmen Trance Dance - Kalahari dessert

Asian Shamanism

Shamanism is an old religion of the Ural-altaic people of Siberia, Korea and Japan. This religion comes from an Animistic way of life, meaning that all objects and living things have a spirit/soul and all the good and evil of life are brought about by Spirits, the Shaman will act as a mediator between these two worlds to restore balance i.e. facilitate healing.

In Korea, the Shaman will use drumming and dancing to enter the theta brainwave of hypnosis, referred to a trance like state or expanded state of awareness, to facilitate healing for the patient, it is common that the patient, if he can, and his family to dance with her or to simply observe, this is all done within an elaborate ceremony. The Shaman will communicate with the other world/spirits to find out the root cause and possibly restore balance to the patient, this ritual at times can take many hours to complete.

Here is an example of a shamanic Korean ritual: Dancing on knives

Native North American Medicine

The Shamans indigenous to the Americas are well known for using plant medicines to induce a trance-like state in their ceremonies, but I would prefer to share a more subtle ritual here known as The Cedar Bath. While this ritual does not place you into a deep hypnotic state, it can however be understood as an altered state of consciousness. The intention and symbolism can be powerful in creating a sacred space of healing and comfort, as the Cedar Bath Ceremony is held to assist in cleansing oneself or healing grief and trauma or even before the arrival of a new baby.

Within this Ceremony the Sacred Cedar does not get smoked, instead her medicine is infused in water and placed on the patient who needs to receive her medicine, this is a symbolic way of cleansing the energy/aura of the patient. Cedar is one of their four sacred Medicines, representing truth, balance and connectedness, the main purpose of a Cedar Bath is to assist in the patients healing journey with the assistance of relaxation and intention.

Beautifully explained: Traditional Cedar Bath Ceremony

The Red Thread

As you read through these 3 different Cultures you may have picked up on the red thread, something all of these rituals have in common, they all draw on different sensory stimuli to induce the participants into an altered state of consciousness or different brainwaves, plainly said.

So how can we understand this in our modern world? The easiest example I can use is fire-gazing, this practice is as old as time and still very present in our modern world and yes, it is also a science. Fire-gazing has an hypnotic effect on the brain because the dancing flames are ever-changing captivating us and inducing a calm, relaxed state which is also known as a meditative state. This visual stimuli induces us into the Alpha brainwave which is associated with a calm, relaxed state of wakeful awareness, therefor you can turn something as simple as fire-gazing into a meditation practice, setting intentions or even creating small rituals around the fire.

Closing

Many ancient cultures around the world make use of self-hypnosis to create a space of healing, community and to gain wisdom or expand their consciousness and this is a practice we can still do in our modern world. If you are interested in learning more about this, keep your eyes open for our next post all about self-hypnosis or schedule your session for a 1 on 1 hypnosis healing session.

I sincerely hope you enjoyed this blog post as much as I enjoyed writing, please leave a comment if you heart feels drawn too or reach out.

Stay blessed

• Pascale