How closely linked are the dream state and the hypnotic state?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Cheryl Westley on March 30, 2010 at 5:54am

My belief is: The images are all metaphorical, the emotions are concrete. If one were to address 'issues' within dreams, the emotions are the key. (Skip over the image and address the emotion attached to the image.)

Hypnosis? Close enough for me! LOL

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Richard Nongard - NLPBoard.com on March 30, 2010 at 7:00am

The question assumes there is only one hypnotic state. Wierd Jack, I rarely have intense dreams or remember them. But the past week I have been dreaming alot.
I think they are very similar, but I also think there are more than one hypnotic states. "Trance utilization" can make any trance state useful.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mimi Pettibone on March 30, 2010 at 5:34pm

Hi Jack,
The hypnotic state and the dreaming state are not very far apart. In fact, when we drift off to sleep and are in that twilight phase between waking and sleeping, this is known as the hypnogogic state (even the word is close!). And when we are waking up, that in-between phase is called the hypnopompic state.
When we are awake and thinking sharply, we use a lot of beta brain waves. As we start to relax, veg-out (i.e. watch tv on the couch), the alpha brain waves take over. That vegged out state is actually trance; and when we are dreaming we are also using predominantly alpha (and also theta) brain waves. A common misconception is that we are either in one brain wave state or another, but the truth is they are all going all the time, it's just a matter of which is predominant at any given time.
So the brain waves in dreaming and hypnosis are very similar - that's why it's so easy for a person in hypnosis to not only understand metaphors, but also produce them (dreams are metaphors). The main diffference of course is that in hypnosis the conscious mind is usually more engaged - we are aware of and remember our sessions (except where hypnotic amnesia is induced). In dreaming the conscious mind is much less engaged, if at all - though lucid dreaming would be engaging the conscious mind.
I hope this helps,
~Mimi
www.TheDreamDetective.com

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Michael Ellner on March 30, 2010 at 8:05pm

Hi Jack--

I believe that trance states are our minds medium for engaging our imaginations and when we watch our our imaginings we are dreaming--

FYI -- Your experience reminds of a favorite quote:

“I dreamed I was a butterfly, flitting around in the sky; then I awoke. Now I wonder: Am I a man who dreamt of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming that I am a man?”
- Chuang Tzu

Michael E.

• ▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion