COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT HYPNOTHERAPY
What is hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy is the use of therapeutic suggestion/techniques whilst the client is in the hypnotic state, encouraging the individual to use his/her own resources and experiences more positively.
Hypnosis is a deeply relaxed state of mind in which an individual can experience a heightened state of awareness and deep relaxation. Techniques such as regression are sometimes employed to identify and clear an event of the past which has impacted upon the person's life causing symptoms such as depression or anxiety for example. Such symptoms can seriously affect the quality and enjoyment of life.
Liz Stilwell
Hypnosis is a well researched method of enabling people to make physical & emotional changes.
Hypnosis is largely a question of your willingness to be receptive and responsive to ideas, and to allow these ideas to act upon you without interference. These ideas we call suggestions.
(Weitzenhoffer & Hilgard.)
A state of intensified attention and receptiveness and an increased responsiveness to an idea or a set of ideas.
(Milton H. Erickson)
Why hypnotise a client?
People often come for clinical hypnosis when despite other interventions, the problem remains.
Sometimes a client will express an interest in resolving an issue in preference to taking an anti-depressant to alleviate the symptoms.
To alter or change perception of a situation, a common one here is a fear or phobia, where a certain situation or happening arouses a state of fear in an individual to the extent it affects their life e.g. wanting to go on holiday but a fear of flying is too inhibiting, or a fear of heights affecting a person in their trade or job.
People often seek treatment when they realise they are living around the fear - changing their life often to a considerable degree to avoid the feeling in that situation.
To resolve an old memory affecting current life, there may be an old memory of an unpleasant event that keeps coming to mind and affecting the individual - sometimes the symptoms caused by the unresolved issue or event are the reason the client arrives for treatment and the cause is not understood or known by the client.
Often people want to source the problem directly, to understand why they react/behave in a certain situation for example.
Using direct suggestion to "programme" the mind positively towards achievement of some kind. This may be weight loss, a sports goal or passing an exam. I have worked with numerous clients over the years who want to feel calm & confident in a job interview situation for example.
For improvement with a specific health issue/problem or for a general improvement in health & wellbeing. As we are increasingly aware of the damaging effects of chronic stress on physical wellbeing, the benefits of regular use of relaxation techniques is becoming more acknowledged.
What is it like?
Many clients at their first hypnotherapy consultation are quite nervous, wondering what it will feel like "Will I be in control?", "Will it work?" etc.
I understand that this thinking relates to any new experience. However I always ensure that the client is comfortable and understands the process before we begin.
Once hypnosis is explained and QUESTIONS answered I find that most people relax extremely easily and enjoy the experience.
Remember that hypnosis is not the treatment. It is simply the state of mind the person is in while the therapy is being conducted.
Clients are sometimes surprised to realise that they can hear what is going on while they are in this deeply relaxed state - many people expect to be 'missing' during hypnosis, as if they will emerge afterwards unaware of what has occurred during the consultation - a misbelief that stage hypnosis has created.
When someone is hypnotised, what is happening to them?
In the Alpha state brain wave patterns are slowed to approx. 8 - 13 cycles per second, similar to the process that occurs as we drift off to sleep. However sleep is not hypnosis & hypnosis is not sleep. The aim is not to fall asleep but simply to relax the mind and body. All of us have at some time daydreamed away and then returned. Trance is a natural state of mind that occurs often as we relax.
Hypnosis just the state of mind the therapy is occurring in the hypnosis itself is NOT ACTUALLY the treatment - although it is often used as a process to relax the mind and reduce stress.
