What happens in a hypnosis session?

Hypnosis is a natural state of mind. A hypnosis session is safe, powerful and effective. It is a form of dissociation where your mind is so focused on one thing that it ignores everything else. And while you are focusing on something else, your mind is very open to suggestion.

You have actually been hypnotized many times before. If you have ever driven home and couldn't remember anything about the journey, you are actually in trance. Or if you have been so absorbed in a book or a film that you lost track of time, you were in trance then too. Or if you suddenly realize you have no idea what someone just said to you, then you were in trance. Going into trance is normal and natural and happens all the time.

As a hypnotist, I am able to call up this natural state when required, instead of waiting for it to happen at random. When you are in a hypnotic trance your mind is more open to suggestion. That is why hypnotherapy can help you stop smoking, lose weight or get more confidence.

The Hypnosis Procedure

The hypnotist will sit you in a comfortable chair. After confirming that you are ready, you will then listen to the hypnotic induction. The hypnotic induction is a form of words designed to lead you into a relaxing and comfortable trance. Although you are deeply relaxed you are actively involved in the process. In hypnotherapy you are not a passive observer. You are always aware of what is going on and following what the hypnotist is saying.

Once in trance the hypnotist will guide you in making the changes you want. At all times you will be aware of what is going on and you can talk, move and even come out of trance if you want to. You will be pleasantly relaxed. During trance, you will be able to hear a telephone ring or traffic outside, but in the trance state your mind just dismisses these things as of no importance. You will normally remember everything and you will not lose control.

At the end of the session the hypnotist will bring you out of trance again, usually including suggestions that you are feeling great. You will come out of trance feeling refreshed and alert. After hypnosis you might feel a bit 'spacey' for a while but you are safe to drive.

What does hypnosis feel like?

Most people find the experience of hypnosis very enjoyable. Hypnotic trance is like a state of deep relaxation, your mind becomes detached from everyday cares and concerns. In trance, nothing seems to matter, you feel you don't have anything to do, anything to worry about. You are aware of the hypnotist's voice, of things around you, but it is too much effort to attend to them.

There is no right or wrong way to experience hypnosis. Some people go into trance and report feeling deeply relaxed and sinking into the chair. Others report a light airy feeling of drifting or flying. For most people, once you are deep in trance you feel a lovely luxurious ease. In the trance state you can choose to forget about everything, detach completely from your surroundings, disconnect from your body. You just exist in a timeless formless state until called back. Most people's first words after a hypnosis session is "Wow! That was amazing."

How does hypnosis work?

While you are in trance your unconscious mind takes over. You react to stimuli but you do not consciously evaluate them. Much of your daily behaviour is unconscious. When you are driving and you see a traffic sign you do not start to consider who designed it, or how it got there - you just obey it. You can easily obey the traffic sign while thinking about something else.

In the unconscious state your mind becomes responsive to suggestion. In hypnosis, when you are guided by a professional hypnotist, you can do things you cannot do in normal circumstances. For example, hypnotism can alter your heart rate, reduce your blood pressure, make one hand warmer than the other. You might be able to recall long forgotten events, ignore pain, and perform many other body functions that are normally not within conscious control.

You hypnotise yourself

The theory is that hypnosis works because your mind automatically and unconsciously processes the hypnotic suggestions. The normal process of critical evaluation is absent. Hypnosis works because it seems to your mind as if the suggestions come from your own subconscious mind, rather than from outside. Your mind accepts the suggestions as rightfully belonging there and will act on them.

However, your unconscious mind will not accept just any suggestion. The primary function of your subconscious mind is to keep you safe. So you will just not act on anything which goes against your basic values, or anything that might harm you. If hypnotists could get people to do anything they wanted then I would just go to the nearest bank and get the manager to give me money. Sadly, it doesn't happen.

Your subconscious regulates all your bodily functions like taste and smell, and your emotions. In hypnosis the subconscious is highly responsive to suggestion and so the hypnotist can suggest that you can taste lemon juice, or smell oranges and the subconscious will generate the appropriate responses. You really do taste the lemons, or smell the oranges. Your mind cannot tell the difference between something vividly imagined and the real thing.

Visualise the outcome

This is why the hypnotist can suggest that events in the past mean something different. Or they are no longer important,or you can let them fade away/ Your subconscious mind will incorporate these suggestions into a new way of reacting to ideas from the past. Similarly, the hypnotist can guide you to imagining a future where you can do whatever it is you find hard to do right now.

Hypnosis increases your powers of imagination. Your subconscious mind will accept anything vividly imagined as being real and true. When you imagine yourself doing something or experiencing something, your mind cannot tell the difference between what you imagined and what really happened. You will absorb all the feelings and beliefs you created in you mind. This means that if you imagine yourself speaking confidently to an audience, then your mind will believe that you have done it. The feelings of confidence generated by that imagined event will replace any old feelings of fear and inadequacy.

CAN I BE HYPNOTIZED?

Everyone can be hypnotized. If you are able to imagine someone's face, or recall a tune in your mind, or recreate the feel of stroking fur, then you can be hypnotized. The more someone tends to daydream the more likely they are to be easily hypnotized. Strong minded people are excellent candidates. If you have ever been lost in a daydream, or if you have been so absorbed in a book or a video game that you lost track of the time, then you have been in hypnosis. In fact, you have already been in hypnosis several times today. Everyone has, and the more intelligent the person is, the easier they are to hypnotize.

Hypnosis secrets

Will I reveal my secrets? You will not say anything you would not divulge normally and you won't talk in your sleep or anything like that. If the hypnotist touches on anything that you do not want to deal with then your subconscious mind will just ignore the suggestion. You won't tell the hypnotist any secrets, but you might tell yourself some.

It often happens that in trance you become aware of the hidden beliefs that have been holding you back, or identify the source of self sabotage that prevents you succeeding. The secret of hypnosis using general suggestions that could apply to many situations and your subconscious mind will pick up the secret hypnotic wording and apply it to your particular problem. Once you become aware of a hidden problem you can deal with it.

What if I don't waken up?

That cannot happen. No one has ever got 'stuck' in hypnosis. It just isn't possible. There is no danger in hypnosis. Hypnosis is a natural state that you go into every day, your mind knows how to deal with it. Even if the hypnotist somehow went away and left you alone, your subconscious is still working to protect you. If there was any sudden alarm you would waken to full alertness instantly. For as long your mind is busy with whatever the hypnotist suggested, you will remain in trance, but when you finish you would gradually become aware of your surroundings and you would waken naturally, as if from a gentle snooze. When you leave the session you will be bright and alert and totally out of trance. You can drive, you can do everything you would normally.

How long does hypnosis last?

Hypnosis not only works faster than most other therapies, it is permanent. Once you change your thinking with hypnosis, that change is forever - hypnosis does last. For example, once you realise that there is no Santa Claus, it simply impossible to go back to believing in him. It is the same with hypnosis, the instant your mind accepts the hypnotic suggestion, you don't have to do that behavior anymore, and you are free for life. Even after the session is over, your hypnosis goes on working.

A good hypnotherapist will leave suggestions that will last long into the future. Even after you have left the appointment the hypnosis will still be making changes. It is a bit like showing you to cook instead of selling you a sandwich. So, does hypnosis last? - in fact your hypnotherapy session will last a lifetime.

DOES HYPNOSIS WORK?

Hypnosis does work, but hypnosis can not cure everything. Hypnosis will not make you taller, or increase your bust size, or put hair back on a bald head. It will not make you irresistibly sexy and it won't give you secret hypnotic powers to make other people do what you want. Sorry.

What hypnosis will do is remove negative beliefs about yourself and get rid of feelings of anxiety. Hypnosis will help you end bad habits to stop smoking and stop nail biting, turn off the bad feelings inside that make you overeat, give you the confidence to deal with jealousy, allow you to have a normal sex life, give you the confidence to do public speaking.

All of these problems are caused or maintained by bad thinking. Years ago, other people put words into your mind that created a belief that you are 'no good', 'should never been born', 'don't deserve to succeed', 'I will never be good enough', 'people will laugh at me'. These bad thoughts and others like them are what cause most of the misery people have. Hypnosis can clear these out - letting go of the past with hypnotism will let you get a life the way it should have been all along. There is nothing in your own mind that can harm you. In modern hypnotherapy you do not go back to old hurts and open them up again.

Is hypnosis safe?

Hypnosis is natural and safe. There are no secret hypnosis dangers. In fact hypnosis is the only therapy with absolutely no side effects. No one has ever been harmed by going into a hypnotic trance. While you are in trance you are aware of everything that is going on, you are not unconscious. Hypnosis is gentle and enjoyable, and many people do self hypnosis every single day.

From time to time you hear stories about the dangers of hypnosis. Supposed hypnosis dangers include getting stuck in hypnosis, having sex and not remembering it, giving away all your money. These 'hypnosis dangers' stories are all nonsense. There are no dangers of hypnosis. The most common stories are about how some person somewhere was up on stage and then died afterwards.

The fact is that almost a million people go up on stage each year and none of them die from it. The dangers of hypnosis are the same as the dangers of eating grapes. Each year thousands of people die in hospital after eating grapes that visitors bring. Nobody seriously believes that it is the grapes that causes people to die in hospital.

Hypnotherapists are trained to deal with a range of issues in the same way that physiotherapists are: they specialize in certain areas and are highly skilled in those areas.

Stage Hypnosis

The fun demonstrations seen on stage or TV are real but specially set up. The people you see really are hypnotized, they are not pretending. But the people who volunteer to go on stage are natural exhibitionists. They are also carefully screened to ensure that they select only the highly hypnotizable . The things people do on stage are things that they would do in normal life, given enough encouragement. The volunteers are aware of what they are doing and can stop at any time.

People usually report that on stage they felt as if part of them was watching someone else do the antics and they were happy to go along with the suggestions. But they were aware of what was going on at all times, and could have stopped if they wanted to. There are no hypnosis dangers.

No one will do anything that conflicts with their own safety or their own moral values. If you are asked to do something you are not comfortable with you will instantly come out of trance and back to normal awareness. It happens all the time on stage shows, but they don't televize that bit.

Hypnosis is Approved

Scientist have researched the effects of hypnosis thoroughly. There are hundreds of scientific studies to show its effectiveness. Hypnosis is regularly used in hospitals to aid recovery times and to relieve pain. Nurses use, doctors use it. All major medical associations accept hypnosis as a valid adjunct to standard medical practice and doctors are authorized to use it. Hypnosis has absolutely no side effects.