Hypnosis is a state of altered consciousness that occurs normally in every person just before entering into a sleep state. In therapeutic hypnosis, we extend this awareness in time so that we can better access the help of the unconscious mind. Hypnosis is an approved modality of treatment by the American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association.

 

A: 95% of the adult population can be hypnotized and enter into a light to medium trance state the first time. The remaining 5% may have an organic problem such as Alzheimer's disease. Hypnosis is a normal state that almost everyone experiences...having a daydream, driving a car and realizing that you missed your turn because you were "lost in thought"! It is possible to resist hypnosis, just like you can resist falling asleep, but with practice and safe guidance, this resistance can be minimized.

 

A: If you want to change a behavior, an attitude, or a pattern you have in relating to others and have tried all sorts of cognitive methods such as traditional counseling, reading books, and attending classes, you may just do well with a few hypnotherapy sessions. Using the wisdom and the inner resources of the unconscious mind, you can quit smoking, lose weight, build self-confidence, and even improve the quality of your relationships.

 

A: Only a qualified trained professional should decide whether one needs hypnosis or could benefit from it. The Hypnotherapist requires schooling in which he/she is trained in the principles and procedures of hypnosis and should be certified upon completion.

 

A: Most people remain fully aware of what is happening around them. Your internal awareness is heightened with vivid images, sensations, and ideas that would normally be overlooked or even blocked by the conscious mind as it does its job of actively defending and/or analyzing everything it hears. You may even find when in a hypnotic trance that you hear every sound in the room, that you can resist suggestions if you want, that you remember everything that was said to you when you open your eyes...that does not mean that you failed to be hypnotized! Remember, you are not anesthetized, you are not unconscious and you are not asleep. Your mind is active, you perceive all stimuli, your thoughts are within your control, and you are in communication with the hypnotherapist. You may experience a tingling in your hands and fingers, or in your feet and toes. If you are a deep sleeper, you may feel like you momentarily dozed; if you are a light sleeper, you may have a feeling of having been completely awake.

 

A:  First consider that hypnosis is a spectrum of awareness that stretches from waking to sleep, and then you can see that some aspects will be close to the waking state, and some aspects will be close to light sleeping. Remember that suggestibility is highly increased within this spectrum (a therapeutic setting) and that is what makes hypnosis so beneficial. The depth (light, medium, deep) of trance does NOT always correlate with the degree of suggestibility...in fact, some people remain most suggestible in a light trance!

 

A: People have a conscious mind and an unconscious mind. The conscious mind is used for the limited range of information in the restricted focus of attention that we need in everyday life. The unconscious mind takes care of all perceptions, emotions, and sensations that occur outside of a person's normal range of awareness...an astonishing number of activities! We scratch an itch or straighten our hair without conscious thought. Names, dates and sudden insights pop into our awareness without us even trying...walking, talking, driving a car, finding unique solutions to puzzles, suddenly remembering a person's name or seeing hidden implications in another's movements all depend upon the unconscious mind. If the relationship between these two minds is injured or inadequate, a variety of uncomfortable emotional symptoms will arise...depression, psychosomatic illness, alcoholism, panic attacks to name a few. It's as though an entire community of specialists (the unconscious mind) is being dominated by a misinformed or biased leader (the conscious mind) who ignores or disagrees with everyone and the result is inefficiency, dissent or even revolution. A person with a block between the conscious mind and the unconscious mind may experience emotional turmoil, self-defeating patterns of thought, and even self-destructive behavior. Hypnosis has the potential of healing this lack of communication between the two minds and thus, alleviating the painful symptoms.