Hypnosis and Meditation

Imagine watching a hypnosis session on television. Think about what the hypnotist might say as he or she begins:

“You are getting very, very sleepy. Your eyelids are getting heavy, so heavy you cannot hold your eyelids up."

Did you envision that the hypnotist would sound like that? Most people are somewhat familiar with hypnosis based on ideas from media, but several misconceptions about its abilities exist. Not everyone in the field of psychology agrees on whether hypnosis causes a truly altered state. In addition to separating fact from fiction, this topic will introduce the debate to explain hypnotic phenomena.

Conversely, researchers have studied meditation a great deal, and there is little to no controversy concerning its abilities or claims. Meditation has a much longer history than hypnosis. Eastern cultures and religions have practiced it for thousands of years.

Essential Questions

• What are hypnosis and meditation, and what are their uses?
• What are the two opposing theories that attempt to explain how hypnosis works?