What Is Relaxation Hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a technique in which a person is placed into a deeply relaxed and focused state in which they are more prone to suggestibility and the suspension of their critical faculties. Some practitioners use this state to promote psychological change in their subjects. Relaxation hypnosis seeks to help people achieve this relaxation even after they have recovered from the hypnotic state.

One of the more well-known method used to promote relaxation while under hypnosis is known as progressive muscle relaxation. Using this approach a patients are encouraged to tense and then relax various muscles in their body and to note the differences in muscle states. Another approach is to use visualization techniques to help induce relaxation in the patient. In this approach the images are used to create a relaxing environment in which patients imagine themselves dealing more effectively with the stress in their lives.