What is Hypnosis? According to one of the most prominent individuals in the field of clinical hypnosis Dr. Milton Erickson describes hypnosis as “…a period during which the limitations of one''s usual frames of reference and beliefs are temporarily altered so one can be receptive to other patterns of association and modes of mental functioning that are conducive to problem-solving�. Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and hypnosis trainers John Overdurf and Julie Silverthorn refer to hypnosis or hypnotic trance as an altered state of awareness in their book Training Trances. According to Overdurf and Silverthorn an altered state is any state that is different from what is considered to be a normal waking state. They further state that: Hypnosis is biologically similar to the hypnogogic state (the transition from waking to sleeping) the hypnopompic state (the transition from sleeping to waking) and the dream state. There is a considerable body of research indicating strong similarities between hypnosis and dreaming in EEG activity cortical and subcortical stimulation and neurotransmitter activity. In fact the underlying mechanism for dreaming (rapid eye movement sleep) continues to operate through the entire waking state represented as ultradian cycles. We''re always cycling through biological rhythms that make trance a naturally occurring state. Ernest Rossi believes that the everyday trance state to which Erickson often referred is a direct result of these ultradian rhythms. This is probably the most scientifically compelling basis for believing that everyone can enter trance. Trance at least in part is a state driven by a set of predictable biological mechanisms. Rossi noted that particularly in his later years Erickson would wait until he noticed the patient “quieting down.� Rather than having to do lengthy ritualistic inductions many times it was just a matter of catching the client when they were in one of these states.