Hypnosis is a state of mind, in which an individual is susceptible to suggestions and in which cognitive processes can be altered. Hypnosis is a real phenomenon with therapeutic uses.

1. Popular myths
   • The hypnotist takes control of you
   • You cannot remember what happened
   • You can be programmed to do things against your will

2. The hypnotic state
   • Susceptibilty
     • Responsiveness to hypnosis varies from person to person, but does not depend on the hypnotist's gender, age, or experience.
   • Relation to personality characteristics
     • The ease of being hypnotized is not related to gullibility, hysteria, psychopathology, trust, aggressiveness, submissiveness, imagination, or social compliance.
     • Ease has been linked to a person's ability to become absorbed in activities such as reading, listening to music, or daydreaming.
   • Active cooperation
     • Hypnotized subjects are active problem solvers, not passive automatons.
     • While hypnotized, they incorporate their moral and cultural ideas into their behavior.
     • They are exquisitely responsive to the expectations expressed by the hypnotist.

3. Measuring hypnosis
   • The Stanford Scales
   • Brain activity under hypnosis
   • Response to hypnosis is stable through life
   • Hereditary component

4. Medical uses
   • Pain management

5. Student Assignment
   • Questions are short and specific.
   • They make the student think about the material, synthesize information about the material, and write about the material.