What is Hypnosis?
Hypnosis is simply a relaxed, naturally occurring state of mind. Have you ever been driving your car on the freeway, engrossed in deep thought, and realized that you had missed your exit? Have you ever gotten to the bottom of a page in a book and realized that you have no idea what you just read? These are examples of common hypnotic experiences that we all have every day. The analytical mind eases up for a bit, allowing the unconscious mind to access new and positive ideas. Hypnosis offers you the opportunity to easily make adjustments to patterns or habits that may have limited your progress in the past.
How does it work?
Hypnosis allows you to contact the subconscious mind directly where we are able to accept change much more readily. The subconscious mind is the control center for autonomic bodily functions, behaviors and emotions as well as the location where we store all of our memories. The conscious mind monitors access to the subconscious and accesses these memories and patterns in order to take action.
Let’s say that your conscious mind is like a teenager running free in a house and the subconscious mind is the parent working in the office. The teen and the parent may not always agree on the best ways to manage the house. The teenager might think that he is the most important member of the family and that he can do things in the house without permission from the parent.
When people decide to make changes in their life that might not be fully congruent with their resources, it is like the teenager attempting to rearrange the furniture or sell the cat without permission. For example, this is why we start a diet, and then fall quickly into the old eating patterns. We need to get in touch with the parent to get agreement! Hypnosis allows you to directly access the parent and make lasting changes that are congruent with your mind, body and spirit.
Can Anyone Be Hypnotized?
No! People with brain damage cannot. If you are willing to be hypnotized, then you are a good candidate. The depth of hypnosis varies with a person’s ability to respond. If you are not a naturally responsive subject you can improve your receptivity to hypnosis with practice.
Is Hypnosis Medically Approved?
Yes! The American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association have approved hypnotherapy for use by professionally responsible individuals. The British Medical Association also adopted hypnosis as a viable therapeutic tool in 1958. (Same year as the AMA).
Is Hypnosis Dangerous?
No! The induction of hypnosis is never dangerous to the subject, although personal disappointments may arise because of unrealistic expectations or preconceived misinformation.
Can a person in hypnosis be controlled?
No way! It only appears that way in stage hypnosis, where the hypnotist asks for volunteers or picks people out of the crowd that most likely would have been the class clowns in high school. Professional hypnosis is quite different. A Hypnotherapist is there to help you with your issues and needs your cooperation with the process. If the Hypnotherapist were to give you suggestions that you didn’t agree with or were morally against your beliefs, you would either refuse them or you would stand right up and walk out of that session. you must also understand that when hypnotized, you do not black out. You actually hear and see everything very clearly.
Can a person be stuck in hypnosis?
Never! If you are thinking, what if I was to be hypnotized and something were to happen to the hypnotist and I were left alone, still hypnotized? What would happen? Simple! You would just snap right out of hypnosis whenever you were ready. When you are in a state of hypnosis, anything alarming or of importance would pop you right out of this state. There is absolutely no danger to you in a state of hypnosis.
