Frequently Asked Questions about Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy
Q. What is Hypnosis?
A. Hypnosis is a completely natural state of mind. It can often be mistaken for the sleep state; it is really an altered state of mind, where the individual is consciously aware of everything they experience.
Have you ever driven a familiar route only to find one day that you have arrived at your destination without recalling actually driving there, and wondered how you have managed to negotiate the traffic lights and stop at red! This is a typical and very common example of a very light state of hypnosis, and shows how even though the mind is in an altered state of awareness, you never actually loose conscious awareness or control of what you are doing.
Once the hypnotic state has been reached the therapist is able to work with the client to alleviate many types of problems by making suggestions to the subconscious mind. It is in this relaxed state that the subconscious mind is open and receptive to suggestions that bypass the conscious mind. The therapist can then make positive changes to the client surrounding many issues including, weight loss, stopping smoking, anxiety, phobias, confidence and many more.
Q. Is Hypnosis safe?
A. Yes, Hypnosis is very safe and natural process, although if you are seriously looking for a hypnotherapist there is a few basic safeguards you may wish to consider:-
Q. What types of Hypnotherapy does Jane offer?
A.Jane offers two types of therapy, Suggestion Therapy, which is generally used for more common problems or habits, such as smoking cessation, nail biting or weight management, and generally takes a lot less time than analysis. Each clients treatment plan is tailored to there individual needs and requirements, which would be discussed prior to treatment.
Analytical therapy(or Hypnoanalysis) takes longer than suggestion therapy and can help with issues such as phobias and anxiety, the process helps people to resolve their unconscious anxieties permanently, and works by seeking to find the root cause of a problem; once the root cause is revealed and removed the symptoms will disappear. Often people present with problems or complaints which in many cases can be “symptoms” of an underlying anxiety, for example, an emotion that wasn’t expressed at the time; such as a trauma or bereavement.
Q. What about the people on stage acting like chickens?!
A. Many people have a pre-conceived idea about hypnosis and what it is. A lot of people's only dealings with hypnosis are what they have seen on TV or at the theatre with a stage hypnotist. Stage hypnotism is very different to therapeutic hypnosis. The main difference between the two is that therapeutic hypnosis is for the benefit of the client only, where as stage hypnosis is used for entertainment purposes and is primarily for the benefit of the audience. The truth is that all the people that dance like “chickens” on stage probably want to be up there in the first place, their subconscious wouldn’t let them do anything they were uncomfortable with, which helps the hypnotist with any suggestions made to them.
Q. What is the difference between the conscious and subconscious mind?
A. Imagine your mind is like an iceberg; the tip of the iceberg showing above the sea resembles your conscious mind, the part of your mind that does all the thinking criticizing and decision making.
The larger part of the iceberg under the sea is your subconscious mind, the “storage system” of your mind. Every experience, emotion and life’s events that you have encountered is stored in your subconscious whether you have a conscious memory of it or not, these life experiences can influence our behaviors and perceptions on life’s events.
The subconscious can be likened to a computer storing all information received and accessing the information when we need it. The subconscious does not have the ability to criticize or make decisions, it merely receives all the information given to it and then, depending on how the information was interpreted at the time it was received, depends on how the information is stored.
Q. Can anyone be hypnotised?
A. Yes, but only if they want to be, if there is no motivation or desire to be hypnotised then it wont happen. Anyone under the influence of alcohol or drugs should not be hypnotised, nor should anyone with a history of psychosis.
Q. Will I say things that I would rather remain private?
A. No. Again it goes back to the stage hypnotism, you are in control, and will only say or do things that you want, or feel comfortable with.
Q What does it feel like to be Hypnotised?
Generally people feel very relaxed, and often state that they have never been so deeply relaxed until the session. Although the body becomes more relaxed, the mind becomes more sensitive, (in a state of “heightened awareness”) and so becomes more aware of everything they are experiencing, including any suggestions made by the therapist. The main point to remember is, there is no particular way you should feel, everyone’s experience of hypnotherapy is personal to them.