A state so deeply relaxing that people don’t want to return from it… This is the ‘Esdaile State’ a term coined in the 20th century by hypnotist Dave Elman, named after James Esdaile a 19th century surgeon who placed people in such a deep, unresponsive state before surgically operating on them.
The Esdaile State refers to a profound state of hypnosis characterized by deep relaxation and unresponsiveness… sometimes called also called a ‘Hypnotic-coma’!
Dreaded by the Stage Hypnotist, but Desired by the Surgeon…
Having someone ‘stuck’ in hypnosis during a stage show is very bad for publicity and could even wind up having the hypnotist detained. The Truth is NO ONE GETS STUCK IN HYPNOSIS. But sometimes the subject becomes so relaxed and comfortable they do not want to wake up! Of course they do wake up, they simply fall into a deep sleep and waking up normally.
However the surgeon desires this state, a state of consciousness so deep that no pain is felt by the surgeons knife… and physical healing is accelerated.
Esdaile State is Characterized by…
Physical Relaxation: the body becomes so deeply relaxed, often to the point of feeling heavy or numb.
Mental Tranquility: the mind is calm and peaceful, free from worries or distractions.
Unresponsive to External Stimuli: such as sounds, touch, or even pain.
Apparent Loss of Awareness: in some cases, subjects may experience a loss of awareness of their surroundings or even their own bodies.
A Deeper Spiritual Experience
“Esdaile was found to be accompanied by deeper spiritual experiences” This is a quote from a study conducted in October 2023 from the University of Zurich called: ‘An interhemispheric frontoparietal network supports hypnotic states’… it continues “participants self-reported to have felt more connected to an abstract higher power after hypnotic deepening”
The participants also reported feeling “Joy without boundaries” and “a feeling of oneness with their environment” as well as experiencing “deep changes in emotion and cognition” while hypnotized in the Esdaile State vs a Somnambulistic State (a Somnambulistic state is a very deep hypnotic state, Esdaile is deeper still…)
Depth of Trance… or Width?
The ‘Depth’ of a hypnotic trance cannot be measured by any equipment.
EEG or Electroencephalogram measures the brainwaves Alpha, Theta, Delta etc… but this dose not correlate to the depth of the Hypnotic State.
While it’s a general statement to say Beta brainwaves are normal waking consciousness, Alpha brainwaves are the creative flow state, Theta the deep meditation like state, Delta dreamless sleep… they do not match with depth of Hypnotic Trances.
Measuring ‘Hypnotic Phenomena’ can hint at the depth of trance, but then again this isn’t reliable either…
Because we’ve all experienced the deep trance phenomena of ‘Time Distortion’ when minutes seem to drag… or when the persons name is “on the tip of your tongue” but you can’t remember it (deep trance phenomena ‘amnesia’, again something we all can relate to), or when you lose your mobile phone and can’t see it anywhere and it’s right in front of you (a ‘Negative Hallucination’), again a deep trance phenomena…
All of these so called deep trance phenomena happen in the so called ‘waking state’.
Then there is Physiology, the ‘frontal cortex’ of the brain shows measurable activity in hypnosis, as does the default mode network… but this is also activated when you simply relax into a bath, or chill at the beach.
The truth is the the neural underpinnings of hypnosis are almost impossible to pin down… but the power and benefits of hypnosis are very clear.
From increased confidence and creativity… to removing limiting beliefs and phobias… to increased healing and pain control… to spiritual and personal development… there are many.
The Esdaile State is a fascinating Hypnotic Altered State of Consciousness that has real world applications even if science can’t measure the mechanisms of ‘how’ it happens.
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