Curious About Hypnotherapy?
Do you find yourself sabotaging the very things you desire?
Do you ever feel like there's a puppet master below the surface pulling the strings?
If you're confused by why your behaviors do not seem to be aligned with your intentions, or
have lost trust in your own ability to make the changes you desire,
Hypnotherapy may be for you.
What is Hypnotherapy?
Hypnosis (and hypnotherapy) relax the mind to induce a waking "trance state." This is a natural state of mind that we encounter on a regular basis as our brain waves slow down. If you've ever been deeply relaxed, engrossed in a book or project you have likely experienced the trance state.
The only thing that distinguishes a naturally occurring trance state from the hypnotic trance state is that hypnotherapists induce the latter and are able to control the trance state to bypass conscious blocks, limiting beliefs and difficult emotions to create understanding and healing. It is a rapid way to access the root cause(s) to achieve real and lasting change.
How Does Hypnotherapy Work?
The hypnotic trance state creates a deep sense of relaxation and allows the client to let go. During this process, the hypnotherapist is able to uncover subconscious motivations, access repressed memories, perform regression therapy, and/or use the power of suggestion to "re-map" the mind's responses to stimuli.
When therapists treat their patients with traditional methods, they spend much of their time simply trying to get past mental blocks to understand the subconscious reasons for their patients' issues.
Hypnotherapy bypasses the conscious mind to access the subconscious directly. Accessing the subconscious allows therapists to better understand the core reasons that someone's issues may be manifesting from.
Understanding the Mind
Think of the brain as your super computer, and your mind as the software that runs this command center for your life.
The Conscious "Waking" Mind
Our conscious "awake" mind is the analytical, critical, judgmental, thinking mind. This is where we store our will power, and where we reason.
Our conscious mind seeks to manage emotions, think through beliefs, set motivations, judge creativity, and question imagination. But because these functions rest with the subconscious there can be blocks and interference that may result from mixed messages. At the conscious level, we can also find ourselves creating barriers and limitations that have been stored in our subconscious. This is how we experience self-sabotage.
The Unconscious "Sleeping" Mind
Some refer to the unconscious and subconscious minds as the same. Here we'd like to differentiate - the subconscious is as much part of the unconscious as it is the conscious mind. It sits in the background while we are asleep and communicates with the unconscious through imagery in the form of dreams.
Though we may not always remember our dreams, they do occur just below the surface. They are often symbolic and open to interpretation. Many philosophers and those in the field of psychology have written extensively about the interpretation of dreams.
The Subconscious "Always On" Mind
Our subconscious mind is the seat of our imagination, creativity, beliefs, motivation, and emotion. It stores every experience, feeling, and useful or useless piece of information we have come across since birth. In other words, it is far too much data for our conscious, awake mind, to sort and process on a daily basis. So we only become "consciously" aware of the information we need, or choose in the moment.
The subconscious, unlike the conscious mind accepts whatever is put into it with out question, because it is the non - analytical, non-critical, non-judgmental, non-thinking mind.
The Superconscious Mind
While the idea of a "super conscious" mind may seem foreign to most - and a little our there, it is not so different than thinking of a higher power such as formal religions do. You might think of our super conscious as the connection you feel to that higher power who's power is often thought of as all wise and knowing. or "infinite wisdom".
It is considered the collective conscious, the universal mind, and the warehouse of all knowledge, information and experience in the universe. This storehouse of wisdom is available to anyone who and access this level of consciousness.
"Despite all of the turmoil currently in my life, our session has reminded me of the strength I have inside to be okay. I have been more equipped to deal with everyday stressors that came up... my demeanor remains more calm."
Michael J. Reardon, Ph.D.
CEO, BioTech
Hypnotherapy can be used to help a wide range of issues such as:
Weight Issues
Body Image
Smoking
Addictions
PTSD
Sadness & Loneliness
Stress & Overwhelm
Performance Anxiety
Difficulty Going to Sleep or Staying Asleep
Grief
Anger
Betrayal
Procrastination
And More....
INNER CHILD HEALING
Finding the Root Cause
Hypnotherapy is also a wonderful modality to rapidly find root causes of unproductive behaviors and uncomfortable emotions. It is a powerful way to reconnect with the wounded inner child to accelerate healing, alignment and integration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hypnotherapy is not mind control. A person cannot be hypnotized to do something that goes against their morals or desires. Unfortunately stage hypnotism and the movies have created a false impression that a hypnotist has more control than they do, when in fact all hypnosis is self-hypnosis.
No, a person cannot be hypnotized to do something they do not want to do. However, assuming a person does agree with the suggestion, they will be less inhibited while in a hypnotic state which may be why some people seem to do things during stage hypnosis they might not normally do in real life. But don't forget, they volunteered and chose to do these things. Even in stage hypnosis, volunteers will often come out of trance when they a suggestion is made they don't want to do.
As long as someone has an IQ of 70 or greater, can concentrate and follow instructions, and desires to be hypnotized, they can be. A hypnotic trance is simply a state of deep relaxation where the mind slows down between awake and sleep.
Yes, hypnosis is a form of hypnotherapy, which is a form of psychotherapy. As a result, hypnosis is sometimes used during counseling to relax a patient or client. In this situation, a trained psychologist places the individual into a hypnotic state or “trance,” so they can openly and safely explore painful, traumatic, and repressed memories that tend to be “hidden” from the conscious mind.
This “change” in consciousness can help some patients or clients view real-life situations, feelings, and events in a “different light” – i.e. relationship issues, nervousness or stage fright, work conflicts, and even chronic pain.
While “under hypnosis,” an individual becomes more “open” to the hypnotherapist’s or psychologist’s suggestions and guidance. As a result, he/she is able to make positive changes in his/her life.
While some issues such as stopping smoking can be resolved in as little as one session, more complex behavioral change such as reducing weight is going to require more dedication and persistence to produce lasting results. A good rule of thumb is to expect to see a hypnotherapist between 4-6 sessions for these types of issues.
It is possible to do a hypnosis session remotely for most issues, however you should have a consultation with your hypnotherapist first to see if you are a good candidate for remote hypnotherapy. It is best to use a video conference in these sessions so that your therapist can see your reactions even if your eyes are closed.
Integrative hypnotherapy refers to a hypnotherapist that uses multiple modalities to work with a client/patient while in a trance state. An integrative hypnotherapist may utilize neuro-linguistic programming, energy work, breath work, sound therapy, as well as an integration of hypnotherapy approaches.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO MANIFEST
IN YOUR LIFE TODAY?
CREATE YOUR LIFE BY DESIGN (AND NOT DEFAULT)
"My sleep was completely transformed in one session with Sheryl.... I had been waking up, jolted out of bed, immediately stressed consistently for about 8 years... since then I have been able to sleep soundly."
Erin
