We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.
- Albert Einstein-
- Albert Einstein-
WHAT IS HYPNOTHERAPY AND HOW CAN IT HELP ME?
Every time someone is introduced to what I do, they want to know what it feels like, how does it work and how it would work for them. The biggest misconception about Hypnosis is that it is mind control. I've met a lot of people afraid of what hypnosis could make them do. I say, you've been watching too many cartoons!
SUBCONSCIOUS VS. CONSCIOUS MIND
Have you ever driven to your destination then wondered how you got there?
Have you ever read a page in a book, reached the bottom of the page, and then realized you don't have any idea what you read because your mind was somewhere else?
Your mind can be simplified into two parts: the conscious and the subconscious.
The conscious part is what you're aware of. It is what you pay attention to.
The subconscious is the part that handles everything else: your senses, your habits, your movements, your heartbeat.
As I'm writing this, I can draw my attention to the ceiling fan. I can hear it whooshing around, but I was not "conscious" of it until I asked myself what I was hearing around me. I also hear the cars driving outside, the clicking of my keyboard and the light whirring of the computer fan. We are not always aware of these things until we place our attention on them. Yet, we are still hearing them in our subconscious.
Our subconscious is always active.
When we are able to do things like drive without thinking or read without thinking, what we are really doing is allowing our subconscious to take over, as we draw our attention to other things. Our subconscious can do this, because this is where our habits are.
Now, if you are trying to change a habit, you traditionally try to do it consciously. But habits are already a part of who we are, and we are able to do them without thinking. So, the most effective way to overcome them, is to work with our subconscious mind, instead of our conscious mind.
HOW DOES HYPNOSIS HELP WITH MY CONSCIOUS MIND?
The best way to work with your subconscious mind is to make your conscious mind "get out of the way". A lot of people are able to do this themselves through meditation and self-hypnosis. When you go to a hypnotherapist, she helps you get to that state using different methods of relaxation. This does not mean you will stop thinking, but your mind is relaxed and open to suggestions. Your thoughts will remain quite active!
Once you are relaxed, the hypnotherapist is able to give you suggestions that were previously agreed on. For example, a smoker will be given the suggestion, "You are now and forever a non-smoker." Even if your conscious mind begins to wander, your subconscious hears this and because you have agreed to take the suggestions, your subconscious listens.
It seems pretty simple, because it is! That is how hypnosis-by-tape works. That is how 100 people can gather in a room and hear the same message and quit smoking.
However, having a personalized session by a professionally trained hypnotherapist is the most effective way to heal. By exploring your subconscious, a trained hypnotist can figure out why you're still holding on to behaviors. She can help you make connections to your behaviors by finding the event, feeling and relationship that caused it.
For example: A twenty year old* had a father who died and she was devastated. Her father left her an inheritance, and to console herself, she spent all the money on shoes. This left her feeling extremely guilty. She couldn't even enjoy the shoes she bought, yet she bought them as a coping mechanism. At the same time, she starts to gain weight, blames it on puberty, and starts an unhealthy relationship with dieting. Let's fast forward to age 35, when she is 100 pounds overweight and using hypnosis as a last resort to lose weight. She listens to tapes and goes to lectures and finds she is losing weight, but not reaching her goals. In a private session, in a hypnotic state, she would be able to make a connection of her weight gain to back when she was 20. She would have to face the guilt she suppressed over the years and learn to forgive herself. Through this process (done in hypnosis by a hypnotherapist), she would find that her weight dramatically decreases. With hypnosis, we can go directly to the root cause of her weight gain and create much better success toward her goals.
*not a real client
Because hypnotherapy is able to help you treat the Cause, and not just the Symptom, it is extremely effective.
Alfred Barrios, PhD found this recovery statistic:
Psychoanalysis: 35% recovery after 600 sessions
Behavior Therapy: 72% recovery after 22 sessions
Hypnotherapy: 93% recovery after 6 sessions
* read his full article here: http://www.stresscards.com/esspsychotherapy.php
HOW MUCH CONTROL DO I HAVE WHILE I AM HYPNOTIZED?
If you do not want to be hypnotized, a hypnotist can not make you go into that state.
If you do not want to take a suggestion, you do not have to.
If there is something you do not want to say in hypnosis, you can decide not to.
In hypnosis, you have the control. If there is something you do not want to do, a hypnotist can not make you do it. To allow hypnotherapy to be most effective it is best that you do allow yourself to relax, that you remain in the session until the work is completed and that you allow the hypnotherapist to do her job to help you. If you find that you are not comfortable with this, please ask as many questions as you want!
Do not be afraid that you will be completely unaware during a session. Being in such a deep state of relaxation actually heightens your senses and you are deeply in thought. Instead of going away, your mind plays a very important part of your healing process. For me, it was like being absorbed in a good movie or excellent book. You are focused and involved in what is happening, yet completely capable of looking over your shoulder if the door opens. (In fact, in hypnosis, clients can still scratch an itchy nose or move an uncomfortable arm.)
In hypnosis, you'll reach an extreme sense of peace. Your body will feel heavy with supreme relaxation. I hear often that the worst part of hypnosis is waking up from it! Often, people ask to just stay in the state a little bit longer. And when you awaken, it feels like you've been in a dream, but you've been conscious the whole time.
WHAT IF I CAN'T BE HYPNOTIZED?
A lot of people believe they can not be hypnotized. Perhaps they had a bad experience in the past or they believe they are too "strong willed". But the truth is that hypnosis is a natural state that we all go in and out of in our daily life. It is just a matter of refocusing your attention and allowing yourself to relax. A hypnotherapist can give you a ball, but can't force you to kick it. But once you allow yourself to have the experience, you will see how good it feels!
I would like for you to take a moment and actively imagine, think about, sense or feel as if I just brought you a big, yellow, juicy lemon. Imagine you cut a wedge out of that lemon and you take that lemon wedge and you take a big bite out of the sour, yellow, tart, juicy lemon. Imagine that lemon juice washing over your lips, your tongue, your cheeks and your gums...
I can not read that without my mouth watering. What was your reaction? Can you smell the lemon? Taste it? Or even just imagine it? If so, it means you are using your imagination and going along with the experience. That means you can be hypnotized!
I also find that often people are hypnotized when they don't realize it. This is because they have a preconceived notion of what it would feel like. If your eyelids are fluttering, your eyes are watering, your pulse rate is lowered or you're supremely relaxed, chances are you are in hypnosis!
If you are having difficulty letting yourself relax or do not feel like hypnosis is working for you, we can talk about it and figure out together the best methods to move you forward.
To Further Test Your Hypnotize-ability, Enjoy This Favorite YouTube Video!
If video is not working, please click HERE to see it in YouTube window
FOR FURTHER READING, MAY I RECOMMEND:
HYPNOSIS DEFINED BY MAYO CLINIC
INTERNATIONAL HYPNOSIS RESEARCH INSTITUTE
THE FREE HYPNOSIS SOCIAL NETWORK
HOW HYPNOSIS WORKS BY HOWSTUFFWORKS
HYPNOSIS DEFINED BY MAYO CLINIC
INTERNATIONAL HYPNOSIS RESEARCH INSTITUTE
THE FREE HYPNOSIS SOCIAL NETWORK
HOW HYPNOSIS WORKS BY HOWSTUFFWORKS