Description of Hypnosis

How does hypnosis work?

As the client listens to the hypnotist and by use of specific suggestions to relax the body, the conscious mind (the busy, analytical part of our mind) also becomes progressively relaxed simultaneously.  The body and conscious mind continue to become even more relaxed and enter into a state of "hypnotic trance" or a very deep state of relaxation.  Once in this state of deep relaxation, the hypnotist will redirect the mind to help make beneficial life changes, by use of visualization and suggestions.  Since the subconscious mind does not know the difference between real or imagined, the subconscious mind will accept these new imprints or ideas as reality.  This often happens very quickly and for some issues it takes a bit of time, but I have seen over and over clients responding very quickly even within the first hours, days or a week to many deep imprints which were simply redirected by use of hypnosis. 

Is it important that I remember things from my past in order to heal from my problem?

Not necessarily.  The subconscious mind is a repository for all memories, so if the cause of your problem is a repressed memory (one that you are not able to remember consciously), then gently bringing it back into awareness can help you to view the problem from a different perspective and so feel differently about it.  Regression therapy is done only for specific instances, and most sessions I do are not regression.  If I feel the need for regression therapy I will discuss it in detail before beginning.  Generally, I find this is rarely needed.      

Is hypnosis just going to sleep?

No it is almost like sleep, in fact we use the term "sleep" at times during the session, but this is a cue to the conscious mind to rest "as if" it were resting at night when it sleeps.  You will be aware of everything that is happening and being said , however you will be so deeply relaxed that you may find yourself not caring to notice any outside sounds or dwell on anything in particular.  You will find yourself drifting into different levels of awareness which is really a wonderfully relaxed sensation.  Remember, your subconscious mind is active throughout and that is what I am  working with during the session.  Some clients do fall asleep, in fact I've had a few sleep through every session, yet because I am dealing directly with the subconscious during the session, these "sleepers" and "snorers" made significant and life changing differences, even though they were not aware of my presence or the positive suggestions given them at the time of the session!  Some people just like to rest that deeply, but once induced, the subconscious mind will continue to listen to me :) ... and that is a wonderful phenomena I have witnessed many times.

 Will I remember the session afterwards?

Usually because you are so relaxed you will remember bits and pieces of it but that depends how deep in hypnosis you are.  You will find that suggestions which have been given to you in hypnosis will resurface in your conscious, thinking mind after your hypnosis.

Do I have to speak under hypnosis?

No, you won't say or do anything at all unless the session is specifically geared toward asking information of the subconscious mind.

How do I wake up from hypnosis?

No one has ever remained in hypnosis indefinitely.  Most hypnotists will assure the conscious mind that if an emergency took place during the session, you would still come out of the trance state once rapport had been broken with the hypnotherapist. Also, if you fell asleep during hypnosis, you would be brought up out of it, or if at home and you fell asleep listening to my hypnosis CDs, you would come out of it naturally as you woke up on your own.

Are there any bad side effects from hypnosis?

No. Just the beneficial ones of feeling more relaxed afterwards and feeling more positive about whatever it was you sought hypnotherapy for.  Usually people realize more clarity in their lives and strength, as well as a deep sense that something has just made a positive difference in their mind.  People actually do feel it!

How about hypnosis with children?

Children download information from the environment on a daily basis, forming good beliefs and bad beliefs.  Bad belief systems in small children will create many problems.  Again, using redirection of the subconscious mind, hypnosis with children is a highly effective form of treatment and simply helps the child to change their inner beliefs where negative or harmful beliefs need to be redirected.  Negative beliefs in children can often be the cause of unusual or undesired behavior both at home and at school.   Hypnosis does take a certain degree of concentration though, so if the child were not able to relax very well, EFT (see below) may be a better therapy in this type of child.  Most children I have worked with do respond very well to hypnosis however.

Another advantage of this approach is that the child does not even need to discuss their problem if they don't want to. which is extremely useful in cases where the child finds it difficult to talk about what he or she is going through.   Sometimes children do not even know themselves the actual problem (as with many adults) but hypnosis redirects the subconscious mind in a healthy way so that they can release on a subconscious level, the negative imprints or beliefs that are causing them problems.

Hypnotherapy is a technique that has proven extremely effective in treating a wide range of children's problems, including irrational fears, bed-wetting, school fears, teasing, self-esteem, and behavioral problems.  In my work, I find that fear release in children is one of the major needs for a healthy, functioning child.

As an oddity, many children are hypnotized with "eyes wide open" yet its effects are the same!  Some children prefer to close their eyes and relax, but will often squirm a bit,  look up occasionally and yet the effect is still the same.  Children ages 5 and over may be hypnotized as their ability to relax and listen are usually developed by this time.   Parents or guardian should accompany the child in the session.  With children under 5, I prefer to do EFT with as it is very interactive and they do not need to concentrate.

After your Hypnotherapy
You should be feeling wonderful- either bursting with energy, or quite mellow and relaxed.  Most of my clients find a sense that "something big has lifted from them".  Is this coincidental that most people tell me this?  I don't think so... it just happens because the subconscious mind is busy making changes already! 

How you feel afterwards will also depend on a multitude of factors of course, such as the style of hypnotherapy used, length and depth of trance, etcetera.  After sessions you may be given a CD to listen to in between sessions to reaffirm to the subconscious mind in order to make  the changes you wish to make.

Who can be hypnotized?

Hypnosis literally is concentration to the exclusion of all else, so anyone who is not able to concentrate for long, ie people with severe mental disabilities, in a coma, severe dementia are not good candidates.  People with epilepsy or schizophrenia are also not good candidates.  However, for those types of individuals EFT (see below) can be very effective so I would elect that treatment for those types of individuals.   It is thought that about 5% of people are classically non-hypnotizable and about 10% are hypnotizable to extreme depths and show the classical deep trance phenomena.

What is EFT?
EFT means Emotional Freedom Technique.

In the simplest terms, EFT is an emotional form of acupuncture, except that we don't use needles. Instead, we tap with the fingertips to stimulate all meridians while the client is "tuned in" to the problem. We are still learning why EFT works so well. The scientific theory is based on something called the Discovery Statement:
 

For some time there has been general widespread agreement that negative emotions develop as a result of a distressing event earlier in one's life. Recalling such an experience has lead to negative emotions or feelings. Therefore, the process has been understood as follows:

The meridians which form the body's energy system are electrical by nature. Sometimes we have static electricity build up in our bodies which is discharged from our fingertips. This would not happen unless our bodies have an electrical nature to them. Evidence of the existence of electrical energy in the body are electroencephalograph (EEG) and electrocardiograph (EKG). The EEG records electrical activity in the brain and EKG records the electrical activity in the heart. When the energy stops flowing we die.
 

For about 5000 years the Chinese have known about a complex system of energy circuits that run throughout the body. These energy circuits, or meridians as they are called, are the center-piece of Eastern health practices. By simply tapping near the end points of the energy meridians, you can experience some profound changes in your emotional and physical health.

The memories we all have may contribute to an unwanted emotion, but they are not the direct cause. Accordingly, we don't need to spend time painfully dwelling on them. It is not necessary to do so. There is no need to re-live the pain. In fact, with EFT, generating prolonged emotional discomfort is frowned upon. This is but one example of where EFT is a radical departure from conventional methods.
 

This combination of tapping the energy meridians and voicing positive affirmation works to clear the "short-circuit" - the emotional block -- from your body's bioenergy system, thus restoring your mind and body's balance, which is essential for optimal health and the healing of physical disease.

EFT is very easy to learn, and will help you: