You see an ad...there's going to be a hypnotist in town. Let the freak out begin...should I go? I've always wanted to see a show to see what all the hype is about...but wait what if I get picked to go on stage? Will they make me cluck like a chicken? What if I reveal my deepest and darkest secret...in front of a live audience and what if it's on national television?!? Eeeeeeeep!!!
Woah, woah woah! Hold your horses and let's all just relax a little...take a breath...and now let me help you enter a little part of my world. The world of hypnosis.
It's a state of mind
When people have asked me can anyone and everyone be hypnotized I've always responded "yes if they want to be." And when people have told me that they really can't be hypnotized, I've asked them "can you fall asleep?"
For me, the best way I've been able to explain hypnosis, trance hypnosis in particular, is being in a state of deep relaxation.
To trance or not to trance
In my practice I use trance based hypnosis. Another method is conversational hypnosis.
Here's a little about both. Please note with either method a consultation will take place to understand the clients needs and determine what methods and techniques will work. For me that latter, expands out to considering other modalities that I'm trained in.
Trance based hypnosis
With this method an induction process is used to facilitate the client into a deep state of relaxation. It is in this state where the hypnotherapist will have unconscious/subconscious mind conversations or provide instructions regarding the change.
The common myths are around the hypnotherapist "doing" something to the client or "making them do" things.
Yes they are myths.
Your mind is more powerful than you give it credit for, and it's great at protecting you from doing or saying anything that you truly do not want to, and it's also great at protecting you from accessing information that may be buried and you're not ready to process yet. Sooo, if you TRULY (yes REALLY TRULY!) don't want to do or say something, then you won't! Simples.
Conversational hypnosis
This method is as it suggests carried out through conversation. Quite often it utilises discreet or agreed points of contact on the client, these points of contact become anchors for locking in new beliefs, behaviours and physiological response.
The great thing about this approach is that it takes away the nervousness that comes with being put into a trance.
For the skeptic
But here's the thing, for that little skeptic in some of you...you might now be wondering, "what about those people on stage that do all that weird stuff, and then feel embarrassed about it when they come out of trance...I bet their minds didn't want to do those things". I'm sorry to say that, yes, yes they did. When a stage hypnotist picks his "puppets", sorry volunteers he/she is looking for the most suggestable individuals. The most suggestable individuals are those that have already talked to themselves into what they will expect to see, what might happen if they go on stage, how funny it might be...and started their own self-hypnosis. All this makes the hypnotist look like "a puppet master", sorry a really great hypnotist. Oh and then there's there other comments I hear a lot of "it's not real the volunteers are in on it", sometimes they might be, I don't know for sure as I've never performed on stage before. But I do know that when the volunteers are genuine so is the hypnosis.
What's your best approach?
So what's the best approach for you, if you're wanting to use hypnotherapy for doing change work, getting over fears, giving up smoking and so on...
Be curious.
Find out what you're comfortable with and more importantly who you're comfortable working with. My own philosophy is that both the practitioner and the client are entering in to a relationship of trust and growth, as such they both need to be sure that they are comfortable working with the other.
If you select trance based hypnotherapy, rest assured that sessions are video our sound recorded. This is an ethical requirement to protect both the client and the hypnotherapist. In addition, in my work, I provide the audio recording to my clients so they can continue to listen to and further deepen the work from the session we have together. Not all therapists will do this, so if it's something that you want as part of the work you are doing ask the therapist before you commit to working with them.
Hmmm...so what else is there to tell you at this point in time...perhaps you already know what this was all about and you read out of interest to confirm your understanding...or perhaps you just learnt something new. Either way you do know about hypnosis and you know that you too can be hypnotised and that your comfortable for this to happen.
Be your best folks!
Bhav xx
