Hypnosis: An altered state of consciousness

I was just reading about hypnosis when I realized that outside of movies, people really do get hypnotized!  And to top that off it actually has a pretty hefty list of conditions or disorderes that hypnosis has proven to help with.  This list includes bed wetting, habits (like smoking), stress and anxiety, and low blood pressure just to name a few!  That really encompasses a wide variety of symptoms and disorders.  Did anyone know this about hypnosis until now?  And does anyone have a personal experience with hypnosis?  I'd really like to learn more about this.