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Hypnotherapy and Hypnosis
What then is or isn't hypnosis?
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Hypnosis is NOT sleep, trance,
unconsciousness or any other strange state of mind. It is a perfectly
normal state of mind that we experience many times a day.
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You will NOT lose your awareness.
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You will NOT be in someone else's power.
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You will NOT be out of control.
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You will NOT be in a trance.
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You CANNOT be made to do or say anything
you don't want to.
All hypnosis is self-hypnosis
and no one can be hypnotised against their will. You allow yourself to
be guided into hypnosis and you remain in control at all times. You
always know what is happening and you are in full awareness at all
times. You can stop the session at any time just by opening your eyes.
Everyone has
experienced hypnosis many, many times. We go into light hypnosis
every day of our lives - except we just wouldn't call it that.
- Have you ever caught
yourself daydreaming and not been aware of things happening around
you?
- Sitting in that
boring meeting and your mind begins to drift away somewhere else
imagining something else much more interesting.
- Have you ever been
so absorbed in a book or watching a film or TV that you haven't
realised an hour or two has gone by?
- Drivers do it all
the time - you leave home and drive to a familiar destination - what
happened in between? Don't know, can't remember - and yet you were
driving with absolute safety and would have responded to any
emergency situation that arose.
One part of your brain was driving you safely whilst another part of
your brain was away with the fairies somewhere. Just so in the
hypnotherapy session - one part of your brain is in absolute control
of yourself and the session. It is the part of your brain that is
'away with the fairies' that I am working with.
These are all
expressions of hypnosis. The main difference between these expressions
and purposeful self-hypnosis is the lack of specific motivations and
suggestions towards a goal.
Hypnotherapy
encourages the mind to achieve some desired result like pain or stress
relief, positive self-image, freedom from a phobia, positive
self-control (as in stopping smoking) etc. The day-dreamy state is so familiar
that it is common for people to disbelieve that they have been in the
place of hypnosis the first or second time it occurs. Hypnosis
is a subtle phenomenon and we all experience it differently.
Will I lose control without
knowing it?
Hypnotherapists do not possess the power to control other people's
minds. They guide you into deep relaxation so that you can access your
subconscious mind. In this deep relaxation you are not held back by the
inhibitions which normally prevent you from accessing your inner
thoughts and feelings. If you don't want to reveal things that are
private, you won't. You are in control of everything you say.
Can I be made to do some
thing against my will?
What about those performers
on TV and stage?
NO. Pub and Club shows where people run around like chickens or dance
with brooms thinking they are dancing with someone beautiful create a
misunderstanding of what is really happening. The guinea-pigs in those
situations could actually choose not to behave like that but they just
don't know that. This is fully explained in your first session so that
you have clear understanding of what is happening.
The stage hypnotist has contributed to the image of hypnosis as a
'trance', 'sleep-like' or 'out-of -this-world'. In fact the opposite is
true: under hypnosis all your five senses are heightened.
Any suggestion contrary to your inner
convictions will either be ignored by you, or you will come out of the
hypnotic state.
How does hypnosis work?
Under hypnosis all outside distractions are eliminated and your
attention is focused on the hypnotherapist's voice. It is this profound concentration
that permits suggestions to guide you into your subconscious. The
principal reason for its use is that under hypnosis you become aware
of why you have your present behavioural patterns which are usually of archaic
origin, and you are guided to adopt new,
desired and beneficial ones.
Can I be stuck in a hypnotic
state?
No, since it is the person being hypnotised who actually induces
him/herself through self-hypnosis. Just as anyone cannot be
hypnotised against their own will, they can bring themselves out in a split
second.
Will I be
aware of what is happening?
Yes. The predominant
feeling for some people is - "It didn't work for me - I never went under".
Until they discover that they think and insist the session lasted only
5 - 10 minutes when actually it was an hour or more.
If you have more
questions,
email them here.
Hypnosis is a completely safe, natural relaxed state, not
unlike daydreaming. During hypnosis the critical,
analytical mind becomes relaxed, (see how imaginative
your daydreams can be sometimes) and during hypnotherapy
this allows the therapeutic process, through hypnoanalysis, to continue more quickly
than with most other counselling therapies.
"Sticks
and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt
me." - not true.
The damage from
sticks and stones will heal but the damage caused by
words can last a life-time. Hypnotherapy
can get to those long-lost memories and bring healing to
that damage enabling you to lead a
fuller, better quality of life now.
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