Hypnosis

Hypnosis is a state of focused attention in which the usual distractions of ordinary consciousness recede, allowing access to deeper layers of the mind. In this state, the individual becomes highly responsive to suggestion, as critical faculties relax and subconscious patterns become more accessible.

From an alchemical or Buddhist perspective, hypnosis offers an interesting parallel to certain meditative states. Both involve the narrowing of attention, the reduction of discursive thought, and a shift toward more subtle layers of experience. However, whereas meditation aims at insight and liberation through awareness, hypnosis is typically employed for behavioural change, therapeutic intervention, or symptom relief.

It is important to recognise that hypnosis does not grant access to a ‘true self’ or deeper ‘truth’ hidden beneath the surface. Rather, it allows for the temporary reconfiguration of mental processes. Suggestions can alter perception, sensation, memory, and emotion, but these changes are themselves conditioned and impermanent. The underlying tendencies — craving, aversion, ignorance — remain unless addressed directly through wisdom and insight.

In skilled hands, hypnosis can facilitate therapeutic breakthroughs, reduce suffering, and assist in unravelling certain psychological knots. Yet it is not in itself a path to liberation. The practitioner must remain aware that hypnotic experiences, however profound they may feel, are still within the realm of conditioned phenomena. Attachment to such experiences can become yet another subtle form of clinging.

Ultimately, hypnosis demonstrates the extraordinary malleability of mind — a fact that both inspires wonder and underscores the central Buddhist teaching: that suffering arises not from the contents of experience, but from our relationship to them.

“Mind precedes all phenomena; mind matters most; everything is mind-made.”
— Dhammapada 1:1