What the FAQ is Hypnotherapy (Part 1)

Hypnotherapy’s got a rep..

I was asked if hypnotherapists can make people cluck like chickens while flapping their wings in front of the audience - because it was broadcasted far and wide on TV at some point..

- Will I lose control and share all of my darkest secrets?

- Does it only work for quitting smoking?

- Can bad ideas be embedded in my mind?

- What If I find out something I don’t want to know?

So here’s a 101 about what hypnotherapy is (and what it’s not). Because it’s one of the most effective modalities & all these myths and misconceptions about it are not helpful.

First things first. Hypnosis is not hypnotherapy. Hypnosis is a state and hypnotherapy is what the therapist does while you’re in the state of hypnosis.

Let’s unpack the state first.

  1. Hypnosis is deep relaxation of the mind, but instead of falling asleep you remain focused and alert. This is because your conscious (logical mind) relaxes and your subconscious (feeling mind) takes over. Certain deepening techniques help achieve this state.

  2. Under hypnosis, you go from the fast Beta brain activity to the slower Alpha (and sometimes Theta) where you’re not logically justifying what comes up, but rather allowing yourself to feel it.

  3. You remain in full control, completely aware of what you share, and remember everything after coming out of hypnosis. It’s like watching a movie of your own life, with the episodes that you suppressed or forgot about coming to the surface to show you the origin of the specific problem or a pattern.

  4. While in hypnosis you become very suggestible because the mind becomes open to absorbing new ideas like a sponge. And it's a hypnotherapist's job to plant new empowering thoughts to override the outdated beliefs.

  5. Most people don’t realize they were hypnotized until the session is over. I often describe this state as seeing a lucid dream right before waking up in the morning. You know you’re dreaming, and you’re the one directing the dream and watching it unfold. Cool?

This was part 1 of “What the FAQ is Hypnotherapy”. In part 2 I will share what happens during the therapy session and how transformation is achieved.

Olena Gisys