Hypnosis Questions & Answers
What Is Hypnosis?
To better explain what hypnosis is, it may be helpful to first explain what
hypnosis
is not.
When you are hypnotized, you are not asleep or in an eerie unconscious
state.
You are in a natural trance state, aware of everything that is taking place.
Even
after being brought out of hypnosis, you can recall what took place during
the
session.
Trance is a very normal, natural state that most of us experience everyday.
Trance happens when you are daydreaming or driving a car and realize that
you
must have been in some kind of “zone” since you either arrived or missed
your
destination without realizing how it happened exactly. Another example of
trance
is when you are mesmerized by a conversation or something you may be seeing
or hearing. Someone could have tried more than once to get your attention
until
you have “snapped out of it”. Hypnosis, meanwhile, occurs when the trance
state is guided and utilized for a purpose.
The previous examples of trance are considered a light or “waking” hypnotic
state. In both cases, the conscious part of your mind is distracted or
extremely
focused, allowing the subconscious part of the mind to take over.
During a hypnotic session, your natural state of trance is utilized to
elicit
congruency or changes that you have asked for and desire. The state of
hypnosis for therapy creates “selective thinking”. You are guided to bypass
the
critical faculty in a safe manner to avoid negative, unhelpful, over
critical thinking.
This allows you to believe whatever you want to believe wholeheartedly when
you feel it is safe and advantageous. Your unconscious mind-the parts of
your
brain in control of automatic processes-responds to make the changes happen.
While you are in trance, your critical faculty (the part of you that
considers safety,
logic and consequences) is still present. It is never knocked unconscious,
blocked or put to sleep. Negative thinking and over analytical or critical
thinking
becomes subdued as your mind relaxes and thinks more positively. Imagine a
guard dog who is relaxing when he feels safe enough to rest. The moment he
saw, heard, smelled or felt anything he felt was worth his attention, he
would
become alert and engage immediately back on guard. Your mind always retains
its duty to keep you safe even if you feel relaxed.
iWhen your mind knows it is safe to do so, you respond to ideas that are
determined to be important, beneficial and desirable. Selective thinking
disappears if doubt or fear enters in the process so you can stay safe.
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How Do You Know If I Can Be Hypnotized?
If you possess normal brain function, you can be hypnotized; even if you
possess
atypical brain function, there is an excellent chance you may still be
hypnotized.
Your degree of success with hypnosis depends primarily on your willingness,
motivation, expectation, and ability to follow my directions. The more you
are
able to trust in me and follow my directions, the easier it will be. It is
my job to
have all the skills to be a good guide for you as we partner together.
There are many ways to enter a hypnotic trance, and some work better than
others depending on who you are as an individual. The ease at which you go
in to trance can also be affected by your context at the moment.
For instance, group hypnosis sessions do not cater to each subject’s
individual
needs to receive suggestions. Even if you have seen another hypnotist
before,
and did not get the results you were hoping for, remember that we each have
our
own methods of dealing with issues and individuals. Also, somebody may have
been asked to step down as a stage hypnosis volunteer even though they are a
perfectly able to enter a trance. Various reasons may play into it.
Depending on
the amount of time and type of induction the stage hypnotist used or what
kind
of personalities they may have been wanting to include in their show, that
hypnotist excused the person simply if it was not a good fit. It could also
be that
the person was too distracted or concerned in some way to allow themselves
to
go into trance at that time.
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Do You Hypnotize Children?
Yes, I love to work with children ages 6 and up. I find they respond very
well to
the process, even better/faster than adults in many cases. A child’s mind
usually
tends to be more imaginative, creative and not as analytical or negative.
Parental/Guardian permission is as necessary for this process as the
permission
of your child.
iSince children respond so quickly and easily to hypnosis and tend to have a
shorter attention span, sessions usually range from 30 minutes to 50
minutes.
Desired results are usually seen after 1 - 3 sessions depending on the
presenting
issue being resolved. This can depend greatly on the age, willingness and
personality of your child.
I find hypnosis to be particularly effective with children for overcoming
fears of
animals, the dark, doctors and dentists, heights, taking tests, speaking in
public
or to adults/authority figures, motivation or performance improvement,
homework, school, goal achievement, sports, sibling rivalry, grief (of
divorce,
death, or a change of life such as health or moving), etc.
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Am I Hypnotizable?
The answer is “Yes!” You go in and out of trance every day because it is a
naturally occurring state. It occurs just before you fall asleep, as you are
waking up, when you daydream, or become mesmerized by something like
a campfire, work of beauty, a movie, book, or music. Your mind already knows
how to reach hypnotic states because you have been doing it your entire life
whether you knew it or not. The only difference with hypnosis is that I am
leading you into that state and guiding it purposefully so we can utilize it
to
help you achieve your goals.
You may go into a trance more easily or quickly than others who need a
little
more practice being guided to learn the skill. Some people are natural
swimmers, taking to it like a duck in the water, others get conditioned with
the help
of a coach. You have the opportunity to reach deeper and deeper levels of
awareness and responsiveness (for greater results) with every session.
Most of the time, when someone believes they cannot be hypnotized, that
belief
comes from a lack of knowledge or misinformation of what hypnosis is, a fear
of loss of control, or because of an unsuccessful past event where a
hypnotic
experience was being sought as a client or stage subject.
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What If You Can Not Bring Me Out Of It?
There is no danger of a person failing to come out of the hypnotic state.
In
fact, it would be impossible to remain hypnotized indefinitely. Even if the
hypnotist left the office while an individual was in a hypnotic state, there
would
be no danger. The person would drift off into a natural state of sleep and
would
awaken after they rested or sensed there was a situation that demanded their
immediate full attention.
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What If I Wake Up And Do Not Remember Anything?
You will not “wake up” because you will not be “asleep”. You will be aware
of
what is going on around you at all times. You may be aware of drifting off
into
other thoughts and feel you did not hear some of what a hypnotist said. And
that is ok, because your subconscious was paying attention and noting
everything that was said the entire time.
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Is There Any Danger With Hypnosis?
The only way hypnosis could be dangerous would be if it was used to take
away
pain when it was irresponsible to do so. For example, if an individual were
to be
hypnotically released from the pain of a condition that instead needed
medical
attention or treatment.
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Will I Do Something Against My Will?
When you are hypnotized, you are aware of all suggestions given to you, and
you will not do anything that you are opposed to doing. You would instead
ignore
the suggestion or your critical faculty would engage to bring you out of the
hypnotic trance.
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Are There Any Side Effects to Using Hypnosis?
Typically, clients report that they sleep better at night and are more
relaxed
during their daily life after a hypnosis session. It is important that a
client is
only free to leave the office after feeling fully alert again, that process
can range
in taking a few minutes to a few seconds. Some clients may have vivid dreams
ithe night after a session. These are usually good dreams however, if a
hypnotist
did not take care to integrate your conscious and unconscious mind very well
before closing the session or if issues still needing resolution are seeking
to be
addressed, the pleasantness of a persons dreams might depend on that.
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Is It Easier To Be Hypnotized The More Weak Minded, Weak Willed or Gullible You Are?
Gullible and suggestible are not the same thing. Everyone is suggestible
meaning they can be influenced, be imaginative and can follow directions, to
some extent. Intelligent, stronger-minded and strong-willed persons who want
to be hypnotized achieve excellent results from hypnosis. A “strong will”
actually
enhances the process because a person’s self-control is literally
strengthened
and redirected towards the desired results.
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Can I Speak During Hypnosis?
Yes, absolutely. Most people enjoy the feeling of relaxation so much that
they
prefer just to listen. But sometimes the hypnotist will ask the client to
respond
verbally to questions or use a finger to indicate “yes” or “no”.
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Can I Be Tricked Into Divulging Secrets While Hypnotized?
A person could not be tricked into doing or saying something they did not
feel
good about under hypnosis any easier than they could in a conscious state.
You are perfectly able to refuse to answer a request or question or even lie
while hypnotized.
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Is Hypnosis Habit Forming?
No. Hypnosis is a perfectly natural and very enjoyable state of relaxation,
but
there is no addictive factor to it.
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Is Hypnosis Considered Credible By The Medical Community?
Hypnosis has been used to help improve peoples health and wellness the
world over for centuries since the medical authority of the day in ancient
Egypt,
Greece and Rome. In the United States, the American Medical Association
officially recognized hypnosis as a treatment adjunct in 1958. Today the
Mayo
Clinic endorses hypnosis for treatment of Cancer, IBS, Fibromaylgia, Acid
Reflux,
and many other medical needs.
Any members of the medical society who do not recommend hypnosis for
treatment usually do so in specific situations where it may not be
appropriate
(i.e. the use of pain control when a symptom of an illness could be masked)
or
unaware/misinformed of what hypnosis is and does for people. Sometimes
members of the medical community do not encourage what they do not
understand, even if there is evidence for how well it works. Since much
study remains
as to why hypnosis works so well (like many other studies of the brain
complicated by the obvious dilemma of how one studies the working human
brain in the first place).
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Does Hypnosis Really Work?
Yes hypnosis certainly does work and it can work for you! There are also
many
scientific studies that evidence the effectiveness of hypnosis especially
for issues
such as smoking cessation, pain control, speedy healing, recovery from
surgery,
hypertension, immune system responses, weight management and much more.
Hypnosis helps you gain control of your subconscious mind where our
automatic
responses come from. This applies to bodily processes, emotions, and habits.
You gain the power when you have aligned your conscious and subconscious
wills to reach your desired goals to your fullest capacity.
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Will Hypnosis Work For Me And My Specific Problem?
If you have a very unique problem, you may be wondering if hypnosis can work
for you. The good news is that the process of hypnosis can be adapted to
meet
your specific needs. It would be nearly impossible to comprise a complete
and
comprehensive list for all the ways hypnosis can help you, due to the sheer
volume of it’s applications.
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How Many Sessions Will It Take?
You are unique as an individual and so there is no magic number I can
promise
you in regards to a number of session for any issue(s). I can give you a
reference of what it took for other clients I have worked with in similar
situations.
The general answer however, would be that hypnosis typically helps you
achieve
your desired results in 1 to 6 sessions. Many clients choose to schedule
regular
periodic hypnosis sessions to promote ongoing health and well being after
finding how well it works. It get easier and more effective to apply it to a
variety
of aspects in your life.
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How Often Does Someone Need To Be Hypnotized For It To Remain Effective?
Suggestions are always given for continued reinforcement at every session.
Purchasing a copy of your session for a small fee or a custom made recording
of tailored reinforcement suggestions for you specifically, may also be an
option.
I encourage my clients to consider learning self-hypnosis and or scheduling
“tune ups” for their mind so to speak. Just as one does with a dentist to
prevent
plaque and tooth decay. It is healthy to keep you functioning at your best.
Using hypnosis to help you think, feel and act at your best can also be
achieved when learning Self Hypnosis.