Frequently Asked Questions About Hypnotherapy

What is self-hypnosis?

Will I remember what happens during my session?

Will I lose control in hypnosis?

How does it feel to be hypnotized?

Can everyone be hypnotized?

Can hypnosis help with my pain?

I get very anxious. Can hypnosis help with that?

How many sessions will I need?

What happens in a hypnosis session?

Can hypnosis really make me lose weight?

Can hypnosis really make me stop smoking?

Could I become stuck in hypnosis, unable to wake up?

Self-hypnosis occurs when you take yourself into a trance state. In effect you are both the hypnotist and the subject. You can learn to use self-hypnosis purposefully, to give yourself positive suggestions, or to just relax and de-stress.

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Yes, unless you direct me to make a suggestion that you will forget.

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No.  The fact is, in hypnosis you are always in control.  You can and will reject any suggestion you do not like, that goes against your values or your wishes, or that you do not accept for any reason. You ignore the suggestion and perhaps come out of trance completely.

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Most people find hypnosis very pleasant, but exactly how it feels varies from person to person. Parts of your body may feel tingly, light or heavy, warm or cool, expansive, “strange," or none of these things. Many people are surprised at how normal and natural hypnosis feels. Some say it’s the most relaxed they have felt for years.

Hypnosis is not sleep. A hypnotized person is aware of everything that is happening and knows that he or she is in a hypnotic state – you don’t “zone out” or become a zombie. Some may not feel any different, and may not even believe they are hypnotized. The only sure way to tell is how well the person responds to the hypnotist’s suggestions.

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Anyone who allows themselves to engage can be hypnotized. A qualified hypnotist uses a variety of techniques, with the understanding that some people require unique ways to relax into a state of hypnotic trance.

Hypnosis is a trance state. Everyone naturally transitions in and out of various trance states throughout the day without noticing or thinking about it. Daydreaming, watching TV or a movie, and becoming engrossed in a book are each a trance state. In the hypnosis chair you are guided into a deep, suggestible, trance state. this allows your subconscious mind to more easily accept the beneficial changes and suggestions you want.

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Yes, that has been one of the most common uses of hypnosis.

I first need to know how much relief it will take for you to realize a significant improvement in your life.  That is where we start. 

The mind has great power to influence and modify the perception of pain signals coming from the body. Through hypnosis you learn to use your thoughts and mind power to control pain.

Individuals diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and IBS are among those who experience considerable improvement in their response to pain.

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Yes it can, but the means varies.  It depends on how the anxiety comes about – how and under what circumstances do you get yourself into that state? To keep it from re-occurring we have to go to the source and resolve it at that level.

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Hypnotherapy is a relatively short-term process, compared to Psychotherapy which can go on for many months or even years.
Some issues, such as a phobia or motivation problem (such as procrastination) can be resolved in just one session.  Other issues – such as anxiety, grief or stress – may require two or three.

Smoking cessation typically requires three sessions. The WHY weight reduction program takes eight; but may need more depending on the need.  Getting Unstuck is one to seven; Fibromyalgia and IBS between one and ten.

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In a first session, I ask a lot of questions and listen carefully to what you tell me.  I need a thorough understanding of what your issue represents to you and how you experience it.  I ask what changes you want and how you will know when you have achieved them.

We talk about hypnosis, what it is and what it isn’t, your experience with hypnosis, if any, and your expectations.

I teach you a basic self-hypnosis and meditation exercise. I then guide you into hypnosis where we work to make the changes you want.  After hypnosis I help you revise the ways you react to events and people, to change beliefs and behaviors in the direction or your goals.

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Hypnosis helps re-sculpt your body image, conquer stress-related and emotional eating, and motivate you to exercise. This builds a new relationship with food. You manage a healthy weight without dieting or feeling deprived. 

But none of that makes you lose weight – you do not just go about your business after hypnosis and, with no conscious thought as to how it might be occurring, somehow become slim.

The purpose of the WHY program is bring your subconscious mind on board; so that all of your being, consciously and otherwise, moves in the direction of achieving your desired size and weight and maintaining it long-term.

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If you really want to stop smoking, hypnosis helps align your subconscious, your “body-mind”, with your conscious desire; thereby enabling your success.  If you don’t really want to stop; if the motivation is coming from someone or something else; I recommend you delay hypnosis and come back when you are ready.

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It has never happened. It never will.  Even if the hypnotist vanished, you would emerge from hypnosis naturally, in a fairly short amount of time.