Hypnosis

Hypnosis is not magic

Hypnosis is scientific. But it might seem like magic when you experience how it can change your life.

Unfortunately, some still think of hypnosis as what they’ve seen in movies or even in person, where the hypnotist suggests that people do silly things. Medicine has used hypnosis for centuries, and science has proven its effectiveness in creating significant change in one’s life.

Hypnosis Is

“A natural, yet altered, state of mind where communication and responsiveness with the subconscious mind is present,” according to The Institute of Interpersonal Hypnotherapy.

The American Psychological Association (APA) calls it “…a state of consciousness involving focused attention and reduced peripheral awareness characterized by an enhanced capacity for response to suggestion.”

Hypnosis is a mental state in which you have a heightened awareness, focus, and total control.

Hypnosis is also a way to open your memory and reveal significant events you might have forgotten, or maybe you have seen them in a way that has not supported you in life.

You’ll discover how you formed some of the beliefs that might be holding you back right now. You might decide to change those beliefs directly, and I can help you do that.

But “I can’t be hypnotized”

Guess what? You become repeatedly hypnotized every day. For instance, have you ever driven someplace and wondered how you got there when you arrived? You were under hypnosis. Your subconscious mind took over and efficiently got you to your destination. In contrast, your busy conscious mind probably jumped all over the place thinking about all the essential things you needed to remember.

Hypnosis happens when we become so engrossed in a movie or a book that we have no awareness of what’s happening around us. Athletes or entertainers become hypnotized when they get “in the zone” and perform at peak levels.

I want to take the mystery out of the whole idea of hypnosis. It’s a safe, natural, comfortable state of mind and body. It’s a lot like being asleep with the conscious awareness of being awake. Your critical, conscious mind gets a break, and your subconscious mind does all the work effortlessly. Doesn’t that sound great?

Some people say after a session: “Was I hypnotized?” “I felt like I could open my eyes if I wanted to.” “I could hear every word you were saying.”

“I don’t want to give up control”

You are always in total and complete control. You can get up and walk away anytime. While in hypnosis, I will guide you to remember and consider things having to do with where you are today.

Based on our conversation and agreement, I will help you change the thoughts and beliefs that are causing you trouble.

Self-hypnosis is like the example of driving someplace or watching a movie; we’re hypnotizing ourselves all the time. We just don’t call it that. When you learn how to use self-hypnosis effectively (it’s easy), you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish and change in your life.

Science supports the usefulness of hypnosis

The Mayo Clinic reports, “Hypnotherapy can be an effective method for coping with stress and anxiety. In particular, hypnosis can reduce stress and anxiety before medical procedures and help with other conditions, including pain control, behavior change, cancer treatment side effects, and mental health conditions.”

“Hypnosis works, and the empirical support is unequivocal in that regard. It really does help people,” says Michael Yapko, Ph.D., a psychologist, and fellow of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. “Patients also can become more empowered by learning to hypnotize themselves at home to reduce chronic pain, improve sleep, or alleviate some symptoms of depression or anxiety. Hypnosis has been used for centuries for pain control, including during the Civil War when Army surgeons hypnotized injured soldiers before amputations. Recent studies have confirmed its effectiveness as a tool to reduce pain.” – excerpt from Brendan L. Smith (2011, American Psychological Association)

Guy H. Montgomery, Ph.D., a psychologist who has conducted extensive research on hypnosis and pain management, is the Integrative Behavioral Medicine Program director at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. In a 2007 article in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (Vol. 99, No. 17), his team reported that patients who received hypnosis had less post-surgical pain, nausea, fatigue, and discomfort. Hypnotized patients required less medication during surgery. “Hypnosis helps patients to reduce their distress and have positive expectations about the outcomes of surgery,” Montgomery says. “I don’t think there is any magic or mind control.”

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