Hypnosis is a subject that leaves the experts divided. Some say the trance state produces genuine changes in the brain; others say people are only ever feigning. The truth probably lies in between. Hypnotism has fascinated people ever since Franz Mesmer wowed 18th-century high society with his displays of control over the minds of others. […]

Many people have experienced false perceptions. They may have heard phantom footsteps on a night, felt a touch on their shoulder when they were alone, or glimpsed a figure in an empty corner of a shadowy room. When these experiences are mistaken for reality}, they are known as hallucinations. There is nothing mysterious about hallucinations.

We all experience occasional bursts of inspiration that give us new insights into old problems. Such creative thinking seems to come naturally to some people, but it is also something that everyone can mix. Creative Living Immerse yourself in your chosen area of creativity, researching or practicing as much as possible. Your creativity needs material

Everything we think and say is informed by unconscious processing. Our emotional reactions, beliefs, and opinions – even our most carefully deliberated decisions – are determined to a large extent by mental processes outside our conscious awareness. Conscious perceptions are a bit like takeaway meals. By the time we get them, they have been processed,

When Igor Stravinsky premiered ‘The Rite of Spring’ in 1913, he provoked a riot in the Parisi audience. His audacious music was unlike anything they had heard before. What was behind Stravinsky’s creative leap – and can such musical Genius ever be fully understood? In its time, Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre

Regular meditation, even for a few minutes a day, is physically and psychologically rewarding. There are many meditative techniques to choose from, but they all have one crucial element in common: concentration. Not the sort of hard, determined concentration that we used to learn in lessons at school, but a light, relaxed form in which

At any moment, most of us have many concerns occupying our consciousness – present responsibilities, reflections on past events, and so on. A sense of mental chaos can easily be the result. Mind training techniques can provide an effective way of clarifying our thinking and can guide us through relaxation to inner peace. Few of

Many Jay tasks require us to pay close attention and concentrate, and most people would like to be able to do this better. There are methods we can all use to help maintain attention on ourselves and others, although psychologists have found that there are limits to how much our minds can take in at

The notion of a soul is as old as human civilization. Its ubiquity across different cultures suggests a powerful desire in the human mind to express the mysteries of life and death and a yearning to find a basis for immortality. Beliefs about the soul and immortality reflect the cultures and preoccupations of the societies

Just as the stars cannot be seen during the day because they are obscured by the stronger light of the sun, so too can the unconscious mind: it is ever-present, but the light of consciousness obscures its activity. Penetrating the unconscious involves learning to be attentive in a defocused way. You must allow that arises