Hypnosis involves entering an altered state of consciousness in which all concentration is focused on a single objective or image, with all other stimuli blocked out. Many people think that hypnosis is something that a hypnotist imposes on his or her subject, or they confuse it with a sleeplike state. Others think they cannot be hypnotized. Anyone who can lose him or herself totally in an engrossing book or movie or become so absorbed in a task that they are oblivious to their surroundings is actually practicing a form of self-hypnosis. Once a person learns self-hypnosis, he or she can use it to relieve tension and feelings of stress or anxiety.

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