What is hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a natural state that we experience everyday. Many people fear that hypnosis requires to give up control of the mind. However you need to understand that you will not do anything in a hypnotic trance that you would not do in a normal waking state.When in hypnosis, you have a heightened state of suggestibility to suggestions that are morally acceptable for you. For example a daydreaming, reading a good book and meditating are forms of trance as well.
For some people the most accurate way of defining hypnosis is to refer to it as guided meditation. To me it is a mixture of relaxation, visualisation and affirmation. What your definition will be?
What is the subconscious mind?
Your unconscious mind contains all the experiences you have had since birth. , it hosts your believe system and is responsible for intuitive or gut feelings. Acceptance of any new habit pattern requires subconscious cooperation. All of us experience difficulty of changing a habit pattern at one time or another. Once your subconscious learns something it tends to resist change and the more you try to force it, the greater the resistance.
People usually try to change their habits through willpower or self-discipline. Logic works with the conscious mind but imagination is the language of subconscious. Hypnosis helps the subconscious by enhancing the ability to imagine and imagination does usually win out over logic. For example smokers trying to quit still imagine the taste or smell of cigarettes.
Will I lose control when under hypnosis?
No. You are always under your own control and you have free will under hypnosis. You cannot say or do anything that is against your morals, values and core beliefs. You cannot even be hypnotised against your will. What important, therapeutic hypnosis is different from stage hypnosis which is used to entertain.
Therapeutic hypnosis is used for your benefits to improve your health and well-being.
What is it like to be in hypnosis?
Hypnosis feels different for everyone. General consensus is a deep relaxed and peaceful feeling of the mind, body and emotions. Breathing gets slower and deeper. You may experience sensations of tingling and warmth or even heaviness of your body. Some people expect to become unconscious but there are different degrees of susceptibility and unless you are one in ten who easily achieves the deep level trance, this is not at all what the experience is like. The most possibly you will be aware of everything going on around you. It doesn’t mean you are not hypnotised, it simply means you are experiencing a hypnotic level somewhere between a light and medium trance. It is different for each person, but normally with every session you go a little deeper. Quite often clients don’t recall a thing that I’ve said, yet their unconscious mind heard everything. This is simply a sign that you have gone very deeply, and that upon coming up to a lighter level, you have forgotten what your unconscious mind heard. Later during the week they experience change and say surprised: „I don’t know what you have said but it did work!”.
Will I be able to wake up and come out of hypnosis?
Yes. Some people are so relaxed that they resist to come back of this state and want to stay there longer. But normally you can become fully alert even in the middle of session if you decide to do so.
How many sessions will it take to reach my goal?
The length of therapy process is different for everyone. It is determined by the purpose and desire to modify behaviour. Some clients may need just 1, 2 or 3 sessions. Others may benefit from ongoing therapy that can last as long as they choose.