Hypnotherapy

We all have goals we struggle to achieve. And when our attempts to make a change fall short or take too long, we may dismiss those strategies as ineffective.

Hypnotherapy is a scientifically-validated approach shown to be effective in treating a wide range of personal and relational challenges. Whether you’re trying to reduce stress, recover from trauma, lose weight, quit smoking, increase fertility, improve athletic performance, or resolve another issue, hypnotherapy offers meaningful and lasting results.

What exactly is hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a state of heightened awareness, a tool that allows you to tap into the power of your own mind and foster positive change. In many ways, hypnosis is similar to the trance state we find ourselves in when daydreaming or reading a good book. The conscious mind is distracted, which allows for easier and more direct access to the subconscious mind (the home of habits and emotions). Therapeutic hypnosis also taps into the parasympathetic nervous system, the body’s inherent relaxation response, making it an extremely effective way to reduce the stress we often associate with significant changes in our lives.

As an increasing number of studies show the effectiveness of hypnotherapy, it has become quite a mainstream approach to managing mental health disorders. Often used in conjunction with psychotherapy or medication, clinical hypnosis is a solution-focused strategy that can help drive improved results without negatively impacting any other treatments you are participating in. 

Why Can Hypnotherapy Work If Other Approaches Didn’t?

The conscious mind desires change, talks about it, reads self-help books; but the subconscious mind is where the changes happen. The problem is that conscious change—like trying to lose weight or quit smoking—requires a lot of repetition. And, often, a lot of “white-knuckling.” It’s not something we can do quickly on our own, no matter how motivated we are. And if we don’t see immediate results, we may lose hope. In our minds, it seems as if the lengthy, manual process doesn’t work, so we give up on it.

Clinical hypnosis, on the other hand, taps into the subconscious mind to allow for rapid change and powerful results. Whether you are trying to foster a sense of balance in your life, reduce stress, eat healthier, or increase fertility, an experienced hypnotherapist can help you reach your goals faster.

Common Misconceptions About Hypnotherapy

Many of the common fears and misconceptions people have about clinical hypnosis are associated with inaccurate depictions in television or movies. So what’s the truth about clinical hypnosis?

You can be hypnotized. Different methods of inducing hypnosis benefit different learning styles or information processing abilities, and a sharp mind is an asset in accessing and benefiting from the state of hypnosis. You just need to be willing to participate. With that mindset in place, a skilled hypnotherapist can then help you utilize your individual style and intelligence level to benefit from hypnosis.

You can’t get stuck in a state of hypnosis. Even if the hypnotherapist were to leave the building, you would either drift into a natural sleep for a few minutes or simply open your eyes and emerge from your hypnotic state.

You won’t be “under” during sessions. You will remain fully conscious and in control at all times. Even if you do “fall asleep” (or feel as though you have done so) mid-session, that is simply your conscious mind benefiting from the relaxed state you are in. Your subconscious mind always hears, it always pays attention.

You can’t be made to do something you don’t want to do or reveal secrets you don’t want to share. Hypnosis is not a truth serum, and you won’t do or say anything during the hypnotic state that you don’t consciously want to. The protective critical faculty of the mind keeps your morals, values, and beliefs intact, allowing only beneficial suggestions into the subconscious. 

Every person who wants to be hypnotized can be hypnotized with the right approach. In fact, there are only three requirements necessary for hypnosis to occur: a minimal degree of intelligence, the ability to follow simple instructions, and a willingness to participate. 

How important is the mind in promoting good health and well-being? People readily accept that the mind can cause psychosomatic illnesses. People also accept that mental stress can cause physical ailments. High blood pressure, headaches, back spasms, skin rashes are just a few examples of physical afflictions that can be the result of mental stress.

So, the question is: if the mind can create ailments or illnesses, can the mind also be used to heal or reverse these ailments that we have created? Or better yet, can we prevent these unhealthy situations from occurring altogether? In other words, if the mind can cause or create health problems, can we also use the mind to heal ourselves and fix whatever is broken? That is the focus of hypnotherapy: to create a healthy relationship between the mental and the physical.

If we can free our minds from unresolved emotional issues, from excessive mental stress, from irrational fears, from other burdens that take away from our mental well-being, then we can heal our physical bodies. In other words, heal the mind and you can heal the body.