Hypnotherapy FAQ

What is Hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis to induce a state of relaxation, during which the therapist attempts to address the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is able to take on board suggestions, concepts and ideas, which are designed to bring about beneficial change.

As a trained professional, I will utilise the resultant state of mind to encourage beneficial change to occur, this is the process referred to as “Hypnotherapy”.

Unlike many other psychological therapies, hypnotherapy is generally considered to be a fairly short-term approach in which beneficial change should become apparent within a relatively few sessions.

Hypnotherapy can be extraordinarily effective but it is not magic. However, if the right ingredients are present, such as timing, a suitable practitioner that the client wants to work with, then all of your (realistic) goals are achievable.

What is hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a natural state of mind that we all, unknowingly, experience every day. We will unknowingly enter a state of hypnosis whilst reading a really engrossing book, watching TV, or when we are engrossed in performing a task or skill such as driving, playing an instrument, painting, playing a sport. This hypnotised state is sometimes referred to as ‘being zoned in or zoned out’

It is the oldest phenomena known to man and is found, in one form or another, in virtually every culture throughout the world and could be legitimately described as the original psychological therapy.

Hypnosis is widely accepted as a most excellent method by which we may access our inner potential. The state of mind referred to may be brought about either by oneself, unaided (self-hypnosis) or with the help of another person.

How does hypnosis feel?

Hypnosis feels different for everybody, and there is no specific feeling associated with it. Most people describe feelings of relaxation, a sense of heightened awareness, and sometimes a heaviness or lightness in the arms and legs, but without exception hypnosis is always enjoyed. During hypnosis, the client remains aware at all times and is able to hear and respond to the therapist throughout the session.

Some people give up on hypnosis after a few sessions because they were disappointed in their reactions, believing they are not suitable subjects. This is mainly because they believe they will go through something different and spectacular in the hypnotic state. They equate hypnosis with being anaesthetised or asleep or unconscious or magical.

You will be able to hear, remember, and experience everything that is going on around you. Hypnosis is a very pleasant feeling of complete physical and mental relaxation. It is similar to that moment between knowing you are awake and going into the sleep-state. Often, when people are in hypnosis, you find your mind active, you hear every sound in the room, that you can resist the suggestions if you choose to, you realise that you are not asleep, and you are able to remember everything perfectly, all of these factors lead people to believe that they were not hypnotised, when indeed they were.

Can anyone be hypnotised?

Virtually everyone can be hypnotised, as long as there is willingness on the part of the individual. This must be qualified by the observation that some people are more readily hypnotisable than others.

In practice, this means that even where a person feels that they have not been hypnotised, given time (and this is a very important factor), the desired outcome of therapy might yet materialise. This matter of time is especially important in our current society, which has, in many respects, been coerced into believing that gratification of every desire should be instantaneous.

Can you get stuck in hypnosis?

No. Hypnosis cannot make you do anything you don’t want to do, and contrary to popular hype, it is not a form of control, so consequently you retain the ability to break the trance state any time you wish.

Are there any side effects?

PLENTY, and all great!!! On it’s own, hypnosis is known to improve memory, enhance creativity and imagination, and of course induce relaxation. You will find that you begin to take more and more control of your life and positive things just start happening to you. It must be coincidence you may well say!

What if I can’t be hypnotised?

Most people feel or think this very same way. The fear is giving up control. The opposite is actually true. You are exercising a more powerful form of thought-control than at other times by accepting the suggestions given. The only thought to prevent you from going into hypnosis is the thought, "I can’t be hypnotised."

Do only weak-minded people go into hypnosis?

No. Hypnosis works with the will, not against it. In fact, the more intelligent and strong-willed you are, the more effective hypnosis will be for you.

How does hypnosis work?

The human mind is extremely suggestible and is being bombarded daily with suggestive stimuli from external sources, and suggestive thoughts and ideas from inside yourself. Much of our suffering as human beings is the consequence of negative thoughts and impulses invading one’s mind from subconscious recesses. Unfortunately, past experience, guilt feelings, impulses and desires are constantly pushing themselves into our awareness, either directly or in disguised forms.

These thoughts become feelings, which sabotage one’s happiness, health, and efficiency. By the time we reach adulthood, there has been a build up of "negative" modes of thinking, feeling and acting which persist as bad habits. Like any habit they are hard to break or change. However, using hypnosis, we are able to transform negative attitudes into more positive ones. For some, change does happen quickly if they believe change can happen quickly. Other times, it often takes time to extinguish old behaviour patterns, so do not be discouraged if there is no immediate effect. Even when no apparent changes happen on the surface, much is happening on the inside.

Here is an analogy you may find useful!

Imagine if you were to hold a wad of absorbent kitchen towel in your hands and then lift the wad above eye level so that you only see from underneath. Then, if someone slowly dribbled blue food dye onto the top of the wad, you would observe nothing happening to the bottom sheet. However, once sufficient dye has been poured onto the wad, eventually the entire thickness will absorb the dye, turning even the bottom layer blue and you now realise the actual effects. During this period while nothing seemingly was happening, changes were always occurring.

Hypnotic suggestions are like the dye poured onto layers of resistance in the client, namely, one’s limiting beliefs about oneself. The suggestions must be continually repeated before they soak in and begin to influence old destructive patterns.

What is the difference between the conscious mind and the sub-conscious mind?

The conscious mind is the goal setter and the sub-conscious mind is the goal getter.

The conscious mind is the part of your mind that is responsible for logic and reasoning. So if I asked you to add together the numbers 3 and 7, it's your conscious mind that you use to get the addition done.
When you decide to take any voluntary action like moving your hand or leg, it is done by the conscious mind. So, whenever you are aware of the thing you're doing or want to do, it's done with your conscious mind, and whenever there's logic or reasoning involved, you use your conscious mind.

The sub-conscious mind on the other hand, is the part of your mind responsible for all of your involuntary actions like emotions, your heartbeat or your breathing rate.

Your sub-conscious mind is also the storage room of all your beliefs and memories right from the earliest part of your life. That’s why changing beliefs and unwanted emotions can be done through hypnosis, sending suggestions to the sub-conscious mind. All change that has long lasting effects comes from the unconscious level.

How does the conscious and sub-conscious effect the changes I want to make?

The job of the conscious mind is to act on information it receives from the sub-conscious mind and to make sure that information becomes real and true.

The sub-conscious mind only understands and acts on what it is told.

The sub-conscious does not care if the information it receives is true or not. It does not make judgments on the validity of the information it receives, nor does it try to distort or change the information in any way. The sub-conscious simply accepts the information it receives as factual and is the underlying mind engine that feeds and creates the reality of the conscious mind.

When you truly grasp this concept, it's easy to see why many people have so much trouble attaining goals they set for themselves.

Here is an example that you may find useful!

A person may set a goal of losing 20 pounds of excess weight in time for their summer holiday. This is a conscious goal.

But what is likely happening with the sub-conscious mind? More often than not, the person is feeding their sub-conscious mind with negative thoughts, such as "How many times have I tired to do this with no success?" or “I'll never be able to lose that much weight by summer!" Or other similar negative thoughts.

So guess what... it just won't happen. No matter how much you tell yourself consciously that you want to lose the weight, your sub-conscious is telling your conscious that you can't do it. The conscious mind is driven to make the information it receives from the sub-conscious true and real. So the conscious mind does whatever it takes to make the negative information it receives from the sub-conscious come true.

So in order to be successful, you have to feed your sub-conscious with positive information instead of negative information. Remember, the sub-conscious doesn't care if the information it receives is true or not. It accepts as true whatever it is told.

This is how hypnosis can be used to turn negative results into positive results. With hypnotic techniques we can bring about the results we want by speaking to the subconscious mind in terms it understands.

When a client is placed in a hypnotic state, the conscious mind becomes relaxed. At the same time, the sub-conscious becomes more receptive to the ideas and suggestions presented to it. By feeding the subconscious with positive statements while in this hypnotic state, the subconscious is primed to direct the conscious mind to act on these thoughts after the subject is brought out of the hypnotic state.

I am worried about being out of control. Will I lose control?

People are sometimes concerned that they will “lose control” in hypnosis. Regardless of how deeply people may go in hypnosis and however passive they may appear to be, they actually remain in full control of the situation at all times. They are fully able to talk if they wish to (or not, as the case may be) and can stand up and leave the room at any time. A hypnotised person cannot be made to do anything against their usual ethical or moral judgement or belief.

It is likely that the notion of a loss of control comes from most people’s misconception of stage hypnosis. Wherein participants are apparently made to perform all manner of, sometimes foolish looking embarrassing acts.

Who can benefit from hypnotherapy?

Again, the answer to this question is “virtually everyone”. Given that hypnotherapy can be utilised to access a person’s inner potential and that probably no one is performing to their actual potential, then this answer is literally true. Hypnotherapy is well placed to effect beneficial change and the innate healing capacity of our own body may be stimulated by Hypnotherapy.

Consequently, the list of problems, which may be amenable to Hypnotherapy, is far too long and varied to catalogue here, but certainly includes: -

Stress
Anxiety
Panic
Fears
Phobias
Habit Busting
Smoking
Overeating
Lack of Confidence
Low Self-Esteem
Fear of Exams
Public Speaking
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Additionally, hypnosis is now recognised as a way of controlling chronic pain and is being used in operating theatres and dental practices to induce anaesthesia where it has not been practical to use normal anaesthetics.

Hypnosis will provide you with a greater sense of self.

It will boost self-confidence and self-esteem;
It will help you build on your self-belief and you will have a strong visual image of yourself being calm and self-assured in your upcoming event.

An added bonus is that hypnosis is wonderfully relaxing and reduces stress levels.

CHANGE YOUR LIFE NOW!

Contact Ian at Change Matters

Call now to book your free initial consultation where we can discuss the types program available and you can ask any questions you may have in a relaxed, friendly and confidential environment.

Call can me on 07780 118542

E-mail me on ian@changematters.co.uk