Hypnotism The Encarta Encyclopedia defines hypnosis as,"altered state of consciousness and heightened responsiveness to suggestion; it may be induced by normal persons by a variety of methods and has been used occasionally in medical and psychiatric treatment. Most frequently brought about through actions of an operator, or "hypnotist", who engages the attention of a subject and assigns certain tasks to him or her while uttering monotonous, repetitive verbal commands; such tasks may include muscle relaxation, eye fixation, and arm leviation. Hypnosis also may be self-induced, by trained relaxation, concentration on one's own breathing,