1. Meditation & Hypnosis

2.  What is the difference between Concentrative Meditation and Receptive Meditation?  What are three benefits of Meditation?  Why is Hypnosis controversial?  Describe the competing theories regarding Hypnosis.

3. How Does Meditation Affect Consciousness?  Meditation is a series of mental exercises meant to refocus attention and achieve a trancelike state of consciousness.  Concentrative Meditation is the focusing of the mind on a repetitive or unchanging object like a heartbeat or a spot.  Receptive Meditation is a more difficult meditation that focuses outward into space or nature.

4. What Are The Benefits of Meditation?  By meditating you can: -lower your blood pressure -reduce levels of chronic pain -lessens anxiety -helps with depression -and makes you less hostile

5. How does hypnosis work?  Hypnosis is a state of consciousness in which a person is susceptible to suggestion.  There are four steps to hypnotize a person. 1) The hypnotist tells the volunteer to focus on what is said. 2) The hypnotist tells them to relax and feel tired. 3) The hypnotist tells them to “let go” and accept his suggestions. 4) The hypnotist instructs them to use their imagination.

6. Why is hypnosis controversial?  Hypnosis does not work for everyone.  The person who is hypnotized has complete control of the process and has to believe in the powers of hypnosis.

7. Competing Theories of Hypnosis  Hypnosis as Dissociation: Ernest Hilgard believed hypnosis works on the immediate conscious mind while another part of the mind (hidden observer) is aware of what is going on.

8. Competing Theories of Hypnosis  Hypnosis as Social Role Playing: The person being hypnotized inadvertently plays a “role” in which he or she carries out his or her own expectations for how a hypnotized person would behave.