What is hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a deeply relaxed state of the conscious mind and body.
Basically, it is just relaxation. The subconscious mind, does not have the power to reason. It therefore accepts and acts upon any fact or suggestion given to it by the conscious mind.
Hypnosis is a heightened state of awareness where the innermind, also referred to as the subconscious mind, remains awake and receptive to suggestion.
What does it feel like?
There is no special feeling. You won’t hear bells or sirens. Nothing dramatic. Just a relaxed feeling. There is no right or wrong way. Some people may feel heaviness… some lightness… some tingling…some don’t feel anything special at all. Some people hear all the words all the way through, some drift in and out and some are so relaxed that they don’t hear anything. However it happens is all right. Everyone is different.
How does it work?
How hypnosis works is, it helps your thinking, analytical, conscious mind to relax, so that I can talk to your sub-conscious, inner mind & give it direction or suggestions. In this relaxed, state your subconscious mind is more open to suggestion.
What kind of suggestions?
I base all my suggestions on 3 things. First of all, it is based on the truth. In other words, I won’t tell you that pizza tastes like garbage, because eventually, your sub-conscious mind will figure out that that isn’t true.
Secondly, I keep the suggestions positive. Positive thoughts are one of the most important things a person can do to improve their life. They are in essence using self hypnosis, just by thinking positively.
And last but not least, I base suggestions on the emotions. The emotions because, that is one of the things that lives in the sub-conscious mind. So it understands emotional things.
Why does it work?
The reason it works is, your sub-conscious mind makes up 90 % of your mind. It is composed of your habits, feelings, emotions, and beliefs, among other things. This is where your smoking or over eating habit lives. Your conscious mind is the other 10 %. It is the part of your mind that has decided to quit smoking or perhaps to lose weight. It is the analytical, thinking, reasoning part of your mind. So that 10 % doesn’t have a chance against the 90 %. How hypnosis works is, it helps your thinking, conscious mind relax, so that I can talk to your sub-conscious & give it suggestions.
The inner mind… or the subconscious mind… is like an amazingly complex and efficient computer system and like a computer, the inner mind can only do what it has been trained or programmed to do. Because the inner mind is not capable of original thought… everything in the inner mind, happens automatically and unthinkingly. Habits live in the inner mind. And the inner mind makes up about 90% of the entire mind… so when there is a struggle between the conscious mind and the inner mind… the inner mind, because it is so much stronger, so much bigger, almost always wins. And so, when willpower, which is a characteristic of the conscious part of the mind, tries to overpower habit… it doesn’t stand a chance.
Why is it that I can use hypnosis to stop smoking when nothing else has helped?
I use direct suggestions, visualization, and what is called an anchor. For example, I take the person to a time when they are a non-smoker. Then, I have them squeeze their thumb and finger together. I give them suggestions while they are doing this. I tell them, in the future that from now on when they want a cigarette they will ‘anchor’ in on the feeling of being a non-smoker. I tell them to associate the feeling of being a non-smoker with their anchor. So that the next time they want a cigarette, all they have to do is squeeze their thumb and finger together and they will again have the feeling of being a non-smoker.
I also teach my clients to use EFT. This helps to dispel the cravings.
If hypnosis works, why do you have to use something else?
Because everyone is different, and some people have an easier time of quitting a habit than others. You can use EFT while you are stopped at a traffic light if needed. I first used EFT when I had 2 clients that needed extra help… 1 with quitting smoking and 1 with compulsive shopping. I try really hard to help everyone that comes to me.
Hypnosis always relaxes me so much that I sometimes go to sleep. If I go to sleep, will it still work?
Yes, because your sub-conscious is alert and tuned in to every word.
If you fell asleep AFTER the first 5 minutes or so, then you are not in a natural sleep. You are hypnotized already and your sub-conscious will hear everything. If you went to bed & someone else turned on the tape, it won’t do you a bit of good because you are in a natural sleep.
Will you make me Quack like a duck?
No. I could but I won’t! It is nothing like what Hollywood depicts it as being. What I do is serous business. Although, the stage hypnotists are on the up & up. The reason someone gets up and makes a fool of themselves is that they are having fun. The sub-conscious mind is there to look out for you. It knows that it’s OK to have fun, that there is really no harm in quacking like a duck. But, on the other hand, if the hypnotist were to tell them to go rob a bank and to bring the money back to him… well… the sub-conscious wouldn’t allow that to happen. Remember, the sub-conscious is composed of your habits, emotions, feelings and beliefs. It is everything that you have learned in the past. And you were taught that it is wrong to rob a bank.
Is hypnosis approved medically?
Yes. The American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association have approved hypnotherapy for use by professional, responsibly qualified individuals since 1958.
It was approved by the British Medical Association in the same year.
Can everyone be hypnotized?
Yes. As a matter of fact, everyone is hypnotized in some form or another every day. The habit of driving is done with the subconscious mind. Have you ever driven past your exit, or arrived at your destination without actually remembering the drive? It was your sub-conscious driving. The conscious was thinking of something else.
Commercials are a form of hypnotism.
Can you make me do something I don’t want to do?
No. You are in control at all times. You can accept or reject any or all of the suggestions. Your sub-conscious is there to protect you. You have to consciously want to do whatever it is that brought you to the office.
Will being hypnotized once do the job?
It depends on what the problem is and how long it has been there.
Hypnosis is a learning experience. So, the more you listen, the better the results will be. For example, insomnia is pretty much immediate. Most people also see an immediate result in eating habits and things like nail biting. It usually takes 1 session to quit smoking… 4 for weight loss… and 1 for things like energy, stress, procrastination, memory, concentration, study habits or learning skills. Call me now if you have a specific problem in mind.
How does hypnosis help people?
The ability to reprogram emotional attitudes and reactions is a hidden talent within every human being. Hypnosis is the most functional and reasonable way to change life-long attitudes, rather than suffer a lifetime of misery that the conscious mind is unable to change.
Is hypnosis dangerous?
No. The induction of hypnosis is never dangerous to the subject, although personal disappointments may arise because of unrealistic expectations or preconceived information.
Are the results permanent?
Suggestions stay with some individuals indefinitely, others need reinforcement. The effects of hypnosis are cumulative: the more the techniques are practiced and post-hypnotic suggestions are brought into play, the more permanent the results become. Self-hypnosis and reinforcement tapes, for home use, also provide additional help.