The six things everyone should know about hypnotherapy

Believe it or not, there are still skeptics who think they might end up being made to do a chicken dance if they come to see a hypnotherapist. But joking aside, some people really do challenge the credibility and efficacy of therapeutic hypnosis because they associate it with what they have seen occur on stage.

The thing is, stage hypnotists usually choose their participants from an expansive audience based on their susceptibility. Moreover, they choose people who most likely won’t mind doing the dance!What the rest of the audience may not be aware of is that no one can hypnotise us unless we consent to it. This brings us to the first and most important fact about hypnosis:

All hypnosis is a self-hypnosis

The hypnotherapist merely guides and facilitates the process and it is the client who allows themselves to be in hypnosis. If, at any point a hypnotherapist gave a suggestion that didn’t resonate with client’s values or desires, the suggestion would be discarded. This also means that the

Client has the control to emerge from hypnosis when they wish

Hypnosis is a natural state of mind which we enter into several times of day.  It’s a time when the two minds – conscious and subconscious, focus on the same thing. There are different definitions of hypnosis, but one of my favourites is

Hypnosis is a state of focused attention

As human beings, it is very easy to get distracted because we are constantly bombarded with information or by the thoughts that run through our mind. Very often we get hypnotized by news in the media, commercials, a movie or even our own emotions! The best example of this is when we are angry with someone. If the other party says something to us, most of the time all we are able to hear is ourselves! Working with a hypnotherapist will actually de-hypnotise you from all the unwanted “noise” so you can consciously decide which thoughts and information are of real benefit to you. Hypnosis helps to focus all our attention on a desired goal and silence all the noise in the background. Imagine how powerful it would be if we were focusing our thought energy on how we want things to be, rather than how we don’t want them to be?

Hypnosis is gentle, yet effective

It really does not require an extensive time frame to see results! Very often people notice a change after a single session! Moreover, the results are achieved in a very natural way. The moment we close our eyes and take a deep breath we enter a relaxed state of mind, called alpha. The human brain enters alpha state just before sleep and can be created during daydreaming, mindfulness, meditation or light hypnosis. When we deepen this state even more, we are able to reprogram our mind. As we drift into sleep we naturally shift to theta and then delta. These states are not always reflective of our physical activities, though, for example: you may be sitting on a bus with your eyes open and daydreaming, but producing some beta, alpha and even theta brainwaves. Knowing how our brain works has brought unprecedented insights into our body-mind connection which leads us to conclude that

Hypnosis is an all-encompassing therapeutic tool

As it helps us to work not just on the mind, but also the body. Moreover, it works on so many levels that clients often notice improvements in multiple aspects of their life, even if these were not directly addressed during therapy. Knowing all this may lead us to believe that use of hypnosis is a new, forward-thinking therapy.

Hypnosis is an integral part of human nature

It has been there since the beginnings of human existence, but as there was no real understanding of what hypnosis is, it has been susceptible to misinterpretation. Now, backed up with science and cutting-edge research, it has established itself as a recognized tool in complementary therapy.

I hope this blog helps to shed light on what hypnosis is and inspires you to use it in achieving your goals and unleashing your full potential. 

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Want to know more? Try this – The five principles of subconscious learning