The Benefits of Hypnotherapy
Clinical
hypnotherapy is used in the following conditions:
Weight Loss
Stop Smoking
Athletic Performance
Academic Improvement
Alcohol/Drug
Addiction
Stop Unwanted Habits
Procrastination
Anxiety and
Depression
Phobias
Eating Disorders
Self-Esteem /
Confidence
Abuse/Trauma
Recovery
Past/Present Life
Regression
What is
hypnotherapy?
There are as many answers to this question as
there are therapists, but the easiest answer is quite simply guided meditation. A hypnotic
or trance state is a natural state
of mind that occurs on a daily basis with most people. Have you ever been so engrossed in a movie or
a book that you literally tuned out everything around you? That heightened state of focus IS a state
of hypnosis. A hypnotherapist is just
the person that helps you get there.
Hypnosis is used to retrain the mind to obtain your desired
outcome.
How does
hypnotherapy work?
Hypnotherapy uses a range of techniques to enable
clients to overcome difficult problems, habits, and the negative influence of
past events through the power of their own creative mind. Although
hypnotherapy uses hypnosis to induce a relaxed state, it is NOT the show
business ‘stage hypnotism’ that most of us think of first when asked about
hypnosis. Hypnotherapy works to a strict code of ethics, always respects the
dignity of clients and never puts them in a position where they feel
uncomfortable or out of control.
Hypnotherapy uses the amazing creativity and
healing power of the subconscious mind to allow an individual to re-evaluate
past events and behavior, and install new, more positive thoughts, feelings and
habits. I’ll use a computer for analogy since most of us have a pretty good
idea of how a computer works. A
computer has a hard drive and software; the hard drive contains the software
and simply runs the programs loaded on it.
These programs or software is the detailed script written for a
particular application… i.e. games, word processing, accounting etc. Ok, so how does this relate to
hypnosis? Your sub-conscious mind is
your “software”… your belief system that controls everything you do, from
being “addicted” to cigarettes to being afraid of water to red being your
favorite color. Your conscious mind or
“hard drive”, simply acts out the program (belief) that has been instilled or
“installed” if it were a computer.
Every decision you make can be traced back to an input from someone,
something or some experience. Those
inputs thru years of acting them out have turned into your belief
system. If someone jokingly told you
there were boogiemen under your bed when you were a child, how long did it
take to stop believing there were monsters in your room? How old were you when you realized Santa
didn’t deliver your Christmas presents every year? What hypnosis does is
“re-program” the software (belief system) that is not working correctly for
you. This is done through the use of
creative visualization, talking therapy, and trance work guided by a trained
practitioner.
Why do these changes have to occur in the
subconscious mind? Because the
conscious mind is where resistance resides, we have to get past the
resistance to the subconscious where all permanent and EFFORTLESS
change occurs.
One thing you should be very clear about, these
changes that take place are NOT the therapists’ values or beliefs; they are
yours and yours alone. As explained
below, you cannot go against your own judgment.
Through working with a qualified hypnotherapist
you can learn how to free your mind from past restrictions, and gain fresh
insight and understanding into who you are, what your goals are, and how to
achieve them.
Hypnotherapy and Physical Issues
“The relationship between the mind and body is
circular and the boundary between them is permeable. Actually, they probably are best thought of
as inseparable, unitary, or identical.
The mind influences what the body does and what the body does
influences the mind. In other words,
the mind can modify or influence virtually any physiological function from
blood flow to the production of antibodies and, conversely, even small changes
in our physiology can affect how we think and feel. Although few people know how to influence
these relationships consciously, the unconscious mind often can figure out
how to do so when given the opportunity.”
(Taken from: Hypnotherapy Scripts, A Neo-Ericksonian Approach to
Persuasive healing)
Common
questions about hypnotherapy
What if I can't be hypnotized?
Everyone
can be hypnotized. Or at least we've found that the only people who can't be
hypnotized are the very young, the very old, and the psychotic. Have you ever
found yourself so focused in on a book or in a movie that you completely
tuned out everyone and everything around you, or found that you've become so
deeply lost in thought during a car journey that you don't really remember
making the trip? If so, you've been in a trance state. Hypnosis is just
another way of inducing that trance state, deepening it, and then using it
for constructive purposes. The only reason someone couldn't go into trance
would be because they had chosen not to - you can't be forced into trance,
but if you choose to work with the hypnotist you should find yourself easily
drifting into a comfortable trance state.
What if I'm made to do something I don't want to do?
Hypnotists
absolutely cannot force a client to do something they don't want to do, you
cannot go against your own judgment. While under hypnosis you are fully aware
of everything you do, and say. If you are given a suggestion that you object
to you will either just ignore it, or bring yourself straight back out of
trance. Your judgment will kick in immediately if you are asked to do
something you don't wish to.
What if I reveal secrets whilst under hypnosis?
As
above, you'll be fully aware of everything you say, and you won't say
anything you don't wish to say. Hypnotherapists are sometimes asked to deal
with quite intimate, and difficult, details of people's lives, which is why
everything that happens during a session is dealt with in strict confidence,
but this is entirely under a clients control. If you don't wish to talk about
something, whether in trance or out, you simply won't.
What if I get 'stuck' in trance?
This
can't happen. Everyone always returns from trance - the only reason that
people are occasionally a little slow to return is because they are enjoying
it so much they'd prefer not to come back right away. But as soon as they
want to wake up, they wake up. Even in an extreme situation - the hypnotist
falling unconscious, say - one of two things would happen: either the client
will bring themselves out of trance, or they'll fall asleep for a while and
then wake up naturally.
What if I don't enjoy being hypnotized?
I've never known anyone not enjoy being hypnotized. It is
a very, very pleasant state to be in. In fact, one of the best things about
training to be a hypnotherapist is that I've now been hypnotized many times.
It is an incredibly relaxed, calm, and pleasant state to be in. Studies have
found that the brain waves of a person who is in a hypnotic trance are very
similar to a person who is just about to fall asleep. If you remember how it
feels to be very calm, very warm, with your body feeling heavy and relaxed,
just before you fall asleep: that’s how it feels to be in a hypnotic trance.
It’s very pleasant indeed. Most people
come out of trance feeling better and with more energy than before they went
in.
Myths
about hypnosis
If
you've ever seen hypnotism used as entertainment in a stage act, you've
probably witnessed several of the myths about hypnosis in action. Legitimate
clinical hypnotherapy practiced by a qualified professional is not the same
process as that performed on stage.
Myth: When you're under hypnosis, you surrender your free
will.
Reality: Hypnosis is a heightened state of concentration and
focused attention. When you're under hypnosis, you don't lose your personality,
your free will or your personal strength.
Myth: When you're under hypnosis, the
hypnotherapist controls you.
Reality: You do hypnosis voluntarily for yourself. A
hypnotherapist only serves as a knowledgeable guide or facilitator.
Myth: Under hypnosis, you lose consciousness and have amnesia.
Reality: A small number of people who go into a very deep
hypnotic state experience amnesia. However, most people remember everything
that occurred under hypnosis.
Myth: You can be put under hypnosis without your consent.
Reality: Successful hypnosis depends on your willingness to
experience it. Even with voluntary participation, not everyone can be led
into a hypnotic state.
Est. 2004
The Bodyzone, LLC 2009
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