Hypnotherapy is not mind control, an Hypnotherapist merely acts as a guide to your subconscious mind. However you are always in control. Hypnosis is nothing more than relaxation and a narrowing of focus, so that the mind becomes more open & receptive to positive, constructive suggestions. It is a kind of meditation similar to daydreaming. A time when we are fully awake & aware but extremely relaxed. A person can leave an hypnotic state any time they choose, simply by opening their eyes. And if anyone were to suggest (whilst you were hypnotised) that you do something that was against your own values, you would immediately come out of the trance-like state.
In therapy, hypnosis usually involvesthe person experiencing a sense of deep relaxation with their attention narrowed down, and focused on appropriate suggestions made by the therapist. These suggestions help people make positive changes within themselves. In a hypnotherapy session you are always in control and you are not made to do anything. It is generally accepted that all hypnosis is ultimately self-hypnosis. A hypnotist merely helps to facilitate your experience. Hypnotherapy is not about being made to do things, in fact it is the opposite, it is about self empowerment. And contrary to popular belief, hypnosis is not a state of deep sleep. It does involve the induction of a trance-like condition, but when in it, the subject is actually in an enhanced state of awareness, concentrating entirely on the hypnotist's voice. In this state, the conscious mind is suppressed and the subconscious mind is revealed. The Hypnotherapist is then able to suggest ideas, concepts and lifestyle adaptations to the patient, the seeds of which become firmly implanted. This method of promoting healing, or positive development is known as hypnotherapy. As such, hypnotherapy is a kind of psychotherapy. Hypnotherapy aims to re-programme patterns of behaviour within the mind, enabling irrational fears, phobias, negative thoughts and suppressed emotions to be overcome.
Hypnosis is thought to work by altering our state of consciousness in such a way that the analytical left-hand side of the brain is turned off, while the non-analytical right-hand side is made more alert. The conscious control of the mind is inhibited, and the subconscious mind awoken. Since the subconscious mind is a deeper-seated, more instinctive force than the conscious mind, this is the part which has to change in order for the client's behaviour and physical state to alter.
I do not take the single sessionapproach to hypnotherapy (excluding smoking cessation), instead I take an holistic view of therapy. Because I consider that most people who seek help from an Hypnotherapist have more than one area of their lives they are looking to fix. They could have anxiety issues, but also ones of low self confidence, insomnia, or alcohol abuse, all of which are interrelated. Someone looking to quit smoking through hypnosis, might be smoking because they suffer from stress, or have weight issues. As an Hypnotherapist I sometimes see clients for various issues over an extended period of time. During which time a whole range of problems might have been successfully addressed through a combination of Hypnosis & Talking Therapy.
