Hypnosis Sessions How to...
Frequently Asked Questions

Introduction to Hypnosis

James Braid first coined the term "Hypnosis" which derives from the Greek word "sleep." He later attempted to get it changed to Monoideism to signify concentration on a single thought. It has been used since the time of the Egyptians and by medical doctors ever since.

Everybody involved in studying hypnosis has a different definition for what hypnosis is. I like to keep things simple and so have landed on: 
A state of enhanced suggestibility using guided imagery and language patterns.

Unfortunately for serious practitioners, stage hypnosis has created a less-than-optimal reputation for this therapy in the minds of the general public. "Therapy?" you might be thinking. Yes, absolutely.

Both the American and British Medical Associations have endorsed Hypnosis as a viable modality. The Catholic Church and The American Psychological Association have also approved of Hypnosis. It can be used for such conditions and treatments as: pain relief, surgery without anesthesia, childbirth and many psychological issues.

Why does hypnosis work?

It has been found that the unconscious mind will more readily accept ideas, in this altered state of consciousness, to then become part of the automatic processes that it controls. The unconscious mind is what keeps you breathing, your heart beating, and everything else that you don't have to think about.

Can anyone be hypnotized?

Yes, everybody is hypnotizable to some extent - some more than others.

In fact hypnotizability is often a learned trait. You can teach your body and mind to go into trance, and get better and better at it as you practice your self hypnosis. Most people don't think they are hypnotized after a session. What they do notice is that some things have changed - maybe that day, maybe the next week. Sometimes the effects are subtle and sometimes profound.

That is amazing, of course, but sometimes when the mind is really ready to make a change, it can happen quickly. Sometimes when the mind and body needs to do some healing work it happens over time. I've had clients that have felt a change occur during their session. Another of my clients was sure that he was not hypnotized in any of our sessions, but after only 3 sessions, his lifetime of procrastination was gone. Many are considered highly hypnotizable - meaning that they can readily experience quite dramatic changes in sensation and perception with hypnosis.

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Will my insurance cover this service?

A number of my clients have been reimbursed by their insuance company for this service with a perscription from a doctor.  I write the letter to your doctor requesting the proper referral with his/her diagnosis.  With that perscription, a claim form and my provider statement this can be submitted for out of network reimbursement. I will do everything I can to support this and communicate to your insurance company if needed.

What happens in a personal hypnosis session?

The hypnotherapist begins by explaining in detail what hypnosis is and what it isn't. He may then gauge the client's suggestibility to help determine how to proceed with the session in the most effective manner. The client is then interviewed extensively to determine exactly what emotions, messages, suggestions, images and modes of thought are needed for the client's unconscious to bring to actual performances on the course. A skilled hypnotherapist then guides the client to the proper brain wave state such that the critical thinking faculty releases it's filter so that suggestions go directly to the unconscious. The hypnotherapist then gives properly formatted suggestions to the client so that the precise outcome can be achieved without side effects.

What does hypnosis feel like?

The answer is that hypnosis probably feels different for everybody. Many hypnotists (researchers & clinicians) use elements of relaxation procedures, so people commonly associate a feeling of relaxation with hypnosis. Different people have all sorts of bodily responses to relaxation instructions - some feel as though their body is very heavy, whereas some can feel very light, almost as if they were floating. Mentally, again people have all sorts of responses. People typically report feeling very focused or absorbed, often effortlessly so. Since instructions for imagery are often used people can have very vivid imaginative experiences - many report feeling 'as if they were there'. I've had clients that fidgit, move in the recliner, even go into a fetal position - while in hypnosis.  Just like anything else in life, there is no right or wrong.

Am I under the hypnotist control?

The client ALWAYS has complete control over his/her actions and whether to accept or reject any suggestions made by the hypnotherapist.

Is hypnosis like sleep?

The short answer is no. Although the word hypnosis is derived from the Greek God of sleep, "Hypnos", studies have shown that hypnosis and sleep differ. Studies of brain activity have shown that although there are characteristic patterns of brain activity associated with sleep the same has not been demonstrated of hypnosis. To observers hypnosis might appear to be like sleep because suggestions of relaxation are commonly given as part of a hypnotic routine, but hypnotized people are in a state more similar to wakefulness (which I call it cat-nap state).

Will I forget everything during the session?

It occasionally happens that there is amnesia for the session. Most hypnotists want you to be aware of the session. You will be aware of everything around you, and remember most, if not all, that happened in the session. Usually, you will remember it better than a conversation we had, because your mind is in such a focused state. I call it the focused awareness of the subconscious mind!

What if I don't wake up?

No one has ever got stuck in a state of hypnosis. It simply cannot happen. If the hypnotist left the room, or if you were listening to a tape and the power went out, you would either fall asleep and wake up naturally, or your subconscious mind would detect that there is no voice guiding you and bring you to conscious awareness.

Is hypnosis dangerous?

Hypnosis is not in itself a dangerous procedure. Hypnosis is a normal state of mind, one which most people go in and out of every day.

When you are watching a movie that you are engrossed in, driving down a long monotonous road, listening to music that captures a mood or engrosses you, you are in hypnosis. We experience hypnosis every day and don't even know it. When you are in a guided hypnotic trance session, or driving down the road in trance, you have an observer self, which is an actual part of you that is always aware and watching out for you. This observer self is a credible aspect of our mind, that keeps us safe, even when asleep. During hypnosis you can trust that your observer self will watch over you. This is not a guide or spiritual being, is a scientific discovery of a function of our brain. Where I call it our "innerself". During a hypnosis session you would instantly get up and leave the room if it caught on fire, even if had previously felt like your arms and leg were too heavy to move.

In fact, since hypnosis can help make us sharper and more aware mentally, it actually may help keep us safer, by making us more aware of our surroundings during the day. If your perception of what is happening around you is better, you will notice things that are happening with greater clarity and perhaps make better decisions.

Can hypnosis make me do things I don't want to do?

The simple answer is No - Absolutely not. This is probably the biggest myth of all. You can't be made to do anything you don't want to do in hypnosis. In hypnosis you retain power over your ability to act upon suggestions, although if you do allow yourself to act upon a suggestion you may feel as though the effects are happening by themselves.

Stage hypnotists seem to make people do strange things while hypnotized, but the truth is that these people are doing these things because they have a desire to be outrageous. If the stage hypnotists chooses their subjects carefully they will have willing participants. You will never do anything, or accept any suggestion that violates your morals or values. If that was possible, all the hypnotists in the world could make you go rob the banks and bring back the money. We would be rich, and rule the world. Obviously, this is not the case!

Can hypnosis make me tell secrets?

Not at all. You will not divulge any information that you would not ordinarily divulge. You always have a choice, and your brain did not stop functioning or reasoning. However, you may find that you discover some inner truths about yourself, or your situation, or some self sabotage, that you did not know about consciously. What this means is that your subconscious mind may have some inner programming going on that you do not know about that causes you to keep making the same mistakes, get sick, get angry, have rotten luck, or ignore important clues about your success or failure. The really good news is that when you uncover these inner truths that has kept your secret from your subconscious mind, your mind can no longer play that game. That is when change happens! When the unconscious strategy is revealed. The program only worked when it was in stealth mode - upon discovery, the old version is mute.

The only danger of hypnosis is the fear some people bring to it. 

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