People often confuse being hypnotized with being brain-washed.  Brain washing is a very systematic and controlled process of deprivation in order to break the person down and “reprogram” them.   It is NOT hypnosis.

What is Hypnosis?

I want to start out by saying that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis.  Don’t believe me?  Let me give you an example.  Have you ever daydreamed? Most of us have. Guess what, you were in a state of self-hypnosis.

No one can hypnotize you without your consent. 

Let me explain what hypnosis is and what it is not.

• Hypnosis is a state of altered awareness with heightened suggestibility. Your body is deeply relaxed, your mind is awake and aware, but you are more open to accepting new thoughts and feelings. (Having by-passed the critical mind).  You do not go to sleep, although some people may feel like they are asleep.  You are not in a trance, unconscious, or out of control.  You will simply be very relaxed. 

• Most people move in and out of an altered state several times a day. When you watch television, read a book, drive a car or listen to music to name a few of the times that we zone in and out of a hypnotic state.  For instance, did you ever drive from point A to point B and not really remember how you got there because you were deep in thought and you automatically made the correct turns and stops?  It’s almost like the car drove itself.  I’m sure most of us have had that same experience.  

• Hypnosis can be a positive tool for creating healing and change in our lives. You can learn to use self-hypnosis to change negative thoughts into positive thinking.  You can use hypnosis to condition you mind and body to ensure wellness, enhance creativity, relieve pain and alter habits.  During hypnosis your subconscious or inner mind will be influenced in a positive way so that you are more open to make the changes in your life that you desire.   It is not magic; it is only a tool to help you achieve your goals.

• Hypnosis is not something someone does to you. I can’t hypnotize anyone.  What I can do is help you to reach a relaxed state in order to allow your “inner wisdom” to by-pass your conscious mind.  The conscious mind is where we hold all of our “learned responses”, the “should” and “shouldn’t” and “supposed top’s” in our everyday life.  Hypnosis helps us to by-pass the critical, conscious mind and learned responses and get into your true feelings.

• Hypnosis can be used as a tool to stop smoking, lose weight and change negative thought patterns. It is also used to help heal trauma, anxiety, fight fears and phobias, and control pain plus so much more.  It is, however, not a “cure all”. 

• Hypnosis can also be used as a tool as part of a therapeutic process to help heal trauma, reduce anxiety, fight fears and phobias, and control pain plus much more. It is, however, not a “cure all”.  Once again, it is only a tool among many other therapeutic tools.  It’s important to go to an experienced hypnotherapist who has the tools to address any trauma or fears that may get triggered.

• I have found hypnosis to be an effective tool in getting to the basis or core of a problem more quickly that through conventional psychotherapy. The reason for this is that hypnosis connects you directly with your subconscious mind.  It takes you past all the blocks of self-doubt and fear that keep you from growing; that keep you “stuck”. 

The reality is if a person doesn’t really want to change, hypnosis, like many other therapies, won’t change anything.  It is only an aid to help in the process.  I have had many people ask me what my “success rate” is for stop smoking; my answer is always “those who are committed to quitting, quit.  Those who aren’t, don’t.    I know of several people who went to a group hypnosis session and then went to the bar and had a drink and a cigarette after the session.   We are all in control of our own thought processes, beliefs and actions.  I can’t make anyone change anything they don’t want to change – no one can.

Many people have heard about the “false memory syndrome” that has been linked with survivors of sexual abuse.  The news talks about therapists “planting” thoughts in a person’s head and then creating a “false memory”.  In reality, those cases are sensationalized and in the minority.   It is my belief that those cases are very few and far between.  The “false memory” is a result of the person, especially a child, having been manipulated in to believing they have been abused by less than reputable practitioners, police interrogators, and others in positions of authority.

I have been working as a therapist for over thirty years.  My experience includes working with clients who have been through traumatic events from war, physical/emotional and sexual abuse to medical practices and I have not met one person who has been manipulated into believing a false memory.  The emotions and memories are all too real and were remembered in great detail.

The majority of therapists are reputable and would never lead a client to come to certain conclusions or “plant” thoughts or scenarios. That would be detrimental to the client, countertherapeutic and just plain unethical.  Not what true therapy is about.  True therapy is about helping the client learn to live a healthy life, gain self-confidence and find the “power” within him/herself.  There is nothing I like better than to put myself out of a job because I’m no longer needed.

If you decide to try hypnosis for anything from stop-smoking to healing abuse, make sure the practitioner is reputable.  Ask the person about his/her training and philosophy. Feeling confident and comfortable with the practitioner you choose is also part of the healing process.   Know that you have the right to ask questions and have them answered to your satisfaction.

I’d like to close with a thought from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “What lies before us is nothing compared to what lies within us”.  Look inside, you might be amazed at what you find!