Hypnotherapy Q&A

Q. What is hypnosis?
A.It is a pleasant, voluntary, state of relaxed attentive concentration, an altered state of consciousness, during which the conscious critical mind is relaxed and relatively inactive, and the doorway to the subconscious, inner mind is opened with a person’s permission. In this comfortable state, suggestibility is heightened, mental absorption is increased, the senses are heightened, and the imagination is activated in a controlled manner. The inner mind is more receptive to acceptable, beneficial suggestions

Q. Can Anyone Be Hypnotised?
A.Virtually everyone can enter the hypnotic state using the right techniques and hypnotherapist with whom you feel empathy. Some of the best hypnotic subjects are intelligent people with a strong ability to visualise. It was thought that those with a very low IQ could not achieve the hypnotic state however it is more likely to be the level of concentration that a person of low IQ can maintain that is relevant to whether hypnosis occurs or not .

Q.Will I be asleep?
A. No. When a person is in Hypnosis, he is not asleep. He or she is very much aware of all that is going on. In actuality, in Hypnosis, one’s senses become heightened and more acute. Of course, if a person is tired, it is possible to fall asleep during hypnosis. However, then, the subject is asleep and no longer in hypnosis. In actuality, when this occurs, the state of sleep is a light but relaxing state of sleep. A simple suggestion to wake up given by the hypnotist is all that is required to rouse up the subject.

Q. Will I tell any secrets under hypnosis?
A. No. Hypnosis is not a truth serum. You retain full control over what you say. Subjects in Hypnosis reveal no secrets in the Hypnotic State that they would not reveal (because they want to) in the Waking State.
Hypnosis CANNOT be used to find the truth, or make a person tell the truth. Hypnosis is NOT a truth serum. First of all, the hypnotized subject retains enough awareness and control to NOT say anything that he doesn’t want to make known, or isn’t ready to make known. Secondly, human memory is inherently inaccurate and unreliable both in and out of hypnosis (Brown, Scheflin, & Hammond, 1997). Hypnosis can help a willing patient get deeper in touch with his deepest and most heartfelt feelings. But feelings are NOT facts. Recollections that come to mind in hypnosis are colored by the patient’s feelings. We use hypnosis to find the truth about how the patient feels about something, NOT the truth about what really happened. The hypnotist or therapist CANNOT make the patient find out, or talk about, how he feels about something, unless the patient feels comfortable and totally safe, and is ready

Q. Can a person be hypnotized against his will?
A. No. You cannot be hypnotized against your will. You must be a willing subject. Your hypnotist must have your full cooperation.

Q.What are the requirements of a good Subject?
A. They are mainly the desire to be hypnotized and to experience Hypnosis, the ability to concentrate, the willingness to cooperate and follow instructions, and the relative absence of mistrust and fear

Q. How can one learn Self Hypnosis?
A.You can learn Self Hypnosis from a good CD or even a book authored by a competent Hypnosis professional. However, your best bet is to have the experience first of being hypnotized by a qualified Hypnosis professional, and then learn from that hypnotist how to enter the hypnotic state on your own. At that point, tapes (CDs) and books can be very useful aids, guides, and sources of information and inspiration.

Q. Can anyone learn Self Hypnosis?
A. Any normally intelligent person who can concentrate and follow instructions, and who is motivated and willing can learn Self Hypnosis.

Q.What is a hypnotic induction?
A.It is a method of inducing the hypnotic state. There are numerous ways of inducing hypnosis. Most clinicians who practice hypnosis have their favorites. However, it is important for a clinician to choose an hypnosis induction method that fits the needs of the client or patient. The hypnosis professional gives you carefully worded instructions to follow with the goal of helping you enter a state of deep relaxation and focused attention. This is called the hypnosis induction. For this hypnosis induction to be effective, you must cooperate as an active participant in the process.

Q. What role does the Subconscious Mind play?
The Subconscious part of the mind, or the Inner Mind, controls all of our living functions that keep us alive, as well as all of our automatic behavior patterns. But, the Subconscious is not as easily communicated with as is the Conscious Mind. Information is imprinted in the Subconscious essentially in three ways: through trauma, through repetition, and through the language of Hypnosis. Thus, Hypnosis is the quickest and most efficient way to impress the Subconscious and imprint changes in behaviors, attitudes, beliefs and feelings. The upshot is that making changes in long-standing, core habits (e.g., eating patterns, smoking, emotional reactivity, coping responses) often creates internal discomfort and stress. Old habits cling and typically resist efforts to change them. This can be because of Conscious conflict about changing, but it can also be the result of conflict between the Conscious and the Subconscious parts of the mind. That is, you consciously may want to change and may have decided to change, but the Subconscious does not know this. If it did, it would help you, but it often has no way of knowing that you consciously want to change. So, it continues to control the old behavioral habits and this creates and perpetuates inner conflict. Once the Subconscious is informed that you want to change, and once it knows that it is in your best interest to be helped to change, it has no choice but to help you change. Then, the two parts to the mind, Conscious and Subconscious, can work together in cooperation with little tension, upset, or stress. Remember, what you can conceive you can achieve, and the Subconscious has a tendency to accept what it imagines as real.

Q.How is hypnosis typically used to treat problems or enhance performance?
A. Examples of the hypnosis utilization include;
Performance Enhancement — Hypnosis can assist in enhancing physical or mental performance in athletics, study/test taking, information retention, stress management, human relations and sales. Athletes who use hypnosis include Michael Jordon, Mary Lou Retton and Kobe Bryant. Hypnosis also helps Ellen Degeneres, Kevin Costner and Matt Damon. Notables who discovered hypnosis include Thomas Edison, Jackie Onassis, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein and Mozart.
Behavioral Health — habit control such as smoking, hair pulling and weight control, and specific issues like fears, depression, anxiety, sexual problems, alcoholism, speech problems, chronic pain, self-esteem/ego strengthening, memory/concentration improvement, and forensic work with witnesses or victims.
Medicine — Psychiatry, anesthesia and surgery, childbirth, psychosomatic disease, gynecology, control of bleeding, burn therapy, dermatology, pain control, and habit control.
Dentistry — fear of dentistry, dental surgery, bruxism, control of bleeding, tongue biting, saliva control, orthodontia, gagging, ease of dentures, and general oral hygiene.

Q.How much will I hear or remember?
A.The Hypnotic voice that you can hear when you are being hypnotised sounds different from person to person. Some people report that they hear the voice of the therapist very clearly with no identifiable changes. Many people say that during their hypnotic experience they did not notice the voice for very long and instead they had their own thoughts which stopped them listening or even noticing what the hypnotherapist was doing.

Q. Can I get “stuck” in the hypnotic state?
A. You can’t get stuck. The hypnotist counts you out, and almost always you will hear the count. Since hypnotic levels are altered states between being fully awake and being completely asleep, you would merely fall asleep if you didn’t hear the count, and wake up when you are ready.