Somnabulism – definition and why this condition is useful.
Somnabulism is usually commonly equated with sleepwalking, or so understood. Wikipedia equates somnabulism with sleepwalking.
However, the two states have only a limited amount in common.
Here a small TV report, what sleepwalking is exactly and when it occurs.
Somnabulism – History
The history of hypnosis goes back a long way – the history of somnabulism is more recent. One of the interesting persons in the history of hypnosis and somnabulism was the physician Franz Anton Mesmer. He believed in a magnetic force, which first originated from a large object and later came from him, thus “healing” his patients. Today we know that this was due to suggestion. Franz Anton Mesmer also experimented diligently with somnabulism in Frauenfeld, Switzerland.
Mesmer fell out of favour and so Mesmerism was further explored in secret. One of these doctors who further investigated this condition was Dr. James Braid. One day, by chance, when Braid held a light in front of a patient’s eyes, he fell into a “mesmeric state” while waiting to be examined by a doctor. Based on the opinion that prevailed at that time (1840), Braid called this condition hypnosis – named after the Greek word for sleep. He then published documents describing how hypnosis could be induced by eye fixation.
A pupil of Franz Anton Mesmer, Marquis de Puseygur, finally discovered somnabulism by chance. He also worked with the magnetic tree, as did his teacher Franz Anton Mesmer. One day he found a boy who had tied himself to this tree. Marquis observed that the boy slowly closed his eyes and obviously fell asleep.
This frightened Marquis very much and he asked the boy to untie himself. He was very surprised at the boy’s reactions, without opening his eyes, and he carried out all the requests that Marquis gave him. After some time he asked the boy to open his eyes and he “woke up”. From then on, Puseygur claimed to have discovered somnambulism, seeing the boy walking around and making demands.
So the connection was made between somnabulism and hypnosis. In the professional field of hypnosis – hypnosis therapy, however, this state is represented differently. This is how somnabulism is imagined – as in the picture below – which, however, does not correspond to reality. What somnabulism is not in hypnosis:
- This condition is not sleep.
- Eyes can also be open
- You know what you’re doing, but you question it less or not at all.
- The critical factor is only vaguely active or not at all
- One is suggestible, susceptible to suggestions – in contrast to sleep
- You don’t put yourself in a dangerous situation – different from sleepwalking
In this state, as already described above, the critical factor is less active and therefore there is a greater chance that a suggestion will be less questioned and thus executed earlier. Always provided that it does not go against the ethics, morals, will or religion of the person in question.
Here I show in an older video what a typical and gladly shown phenomenon of somnabulism looks like:
Losing the names of a variant of it is the loss of numbers. The person is so mentally relaxed that he can simply let go of the names or numbers and they no longer exist for him at that moment.
There are areas in hypnosis where somnabulism is more important and there are areas where it is not so essential. In hypnotherapy this condition is desirable but not necessary to release blockages. Unlike in hypnosis, pain control or stage hypnosis, this condition is very important.
Definition Hypnosis – What is Hypnosis?
With hypnosis – also called hypnosis in medicine – therapists put you into a hypnotic trance. The definition hypnosis proves that you fall into a sleep-like state. This opens the receptivity for suggestions due to the inactive consciousness. Medical hypnosis supports the realization of subconscious desires, such as losing weight or not smoking cigarettes.
What happens during hypnosis?
The definition hypnosis describes two things. On the one hand, it is the procedure that induces the hypnotic trance. On the other hand, it describes the state of this change of consciousness. Hypnosis represents a trance-like basic feeling, characterized by deep relaxation. Here you feel a release of mental limitations of reason. Thus the subconscious – Sigmund Freud called it “it” – moves into the foreground. It reflects hidden longings, needs and physical sensations.
In hypnosis, concentration on breathing or a voice provide the twilight state. The therapists often ask you to take a comfortable lying position. With closed eyes you listen to hypnosis. It helps to think of positive memories in order to accelerate the detachment of consciousness. If you concentrate on your heartbeat or your breath sounds, with practice you will enter a state of self-hypnosis. This is used, for example, in autogenic training.