|
WHAT IS HYPNOSIS?
Hypnosis is a very natural, normal state of mind. We go in and out of hypnosis every day. 
The real process of hypnosis has two parts to it. The first is bypassing the part of your mind that judges, compares, and analyzes. We call that your "critical factor." After the critical factor is bypassed, you also need to have an increased suggestibility to the change you want to occur.
WHAT IS THE CRITICAL FACTOR?
Your critical factor exists to protect you. It takes information coming into your awareness and compares and analyzes it against what you already know. If the new information doesn't match what you already believe and know, your critical factor rejects it. If the information does match already held beliefs, your critical factor lets the information in, and what you know is then reinforced.
HOW DOES HYPNOSIS WORK?
Here is an example of how this works. Let's say you really, really like ice cream. You ate it all the time when you were a child. It was always served at birthday parties where you were having lots of fun, being with friends and family, and getting presents. There are lots of feel-good emotions associated with ice cream, and it was reinforced many times. So your subconscious mind forms a belief that ice cream is good. And the critical factor wraps around that belief like a protective  shell.
Now your conscious mind, which is only about 12 percent of your mind, decides it's time to go on a diet. No more ice cream. Your will power is going full tilt. You are doing well for about two weeks. But your subconscious mind, 88 percent of your mind, says, "Well, that's all well and good. You've had your say, Will Power. But I know that I feel really good when I eat ice cream. It's fun. I get a great feeling of well-being, like I'm special. And whenever I need that emotional pick-me-up, I know exactly what to do. I eat ice cream! It's fast, efficient, and, presto, I feel better."
And this belief, coupled with the emotions associated with it, is what the critical factor is wrapped around. So any thoughts to the contrary are just bounced off. Sure, you know consciously, logically, that ice cream adds pounds, raises cholesterol, and is bad for you. But subconsciously, you FEEL good when you eat it. It is associated with all that fun. And the critical factor does its job and rejects the conscious information, even though it is good for you. And it is the subconscious mind that determines the behavior.
In hypnosis we bypass the critical factor. You are suggestible to suggestions that change the belief that ice cream makes you feel special and unique to suggestions that you can feel special and unique whenever you want. You don't need ice cream to do that. In fact, ice cream never did it anyway. It was your mind all along that made you feel special, that re-created that good feeling. Ice cream was just the trigger to your mind that said, "Time to feel good." And like a robot, it complied and made you feel good.
Wouldn't it be nice to know that you are in charge of how you feel, not the ice cream? You always were. Then we reinforce this because your mind learns by repetition. The critical factor wraps around this belief, one that is more reality based, and this is now the program that your subconscious mind runs. In effect, you have been de-hypnotized. And now your behavior will match this new belief. Ice cream will no longer have any emotional hold over you. In fact, it will seem kind of silly that it ever had any control over you in the first place. And your eating habits change accordingly. This is the power of hypnosis.
"Thank you for giving me back my life!! I feel so much more awake now that I can sleep through the night..."
"I believe that hypnosis is the deepest way to address our inner challenges. Hypnosis has helped me mentally, physically and spiritually. It has felt at times miraculous in how effectively and completely I have been healed."
"For the first time I can consciously remember, I feel truly loved. Unconditionally. And I love me and like me too. Life looks so rich and good and full now...I feel connected emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Amazing!"
WHAT IS THE CONSCIOUS MIND?
The conscious mind is the analytical part of your mind. It is the rational, logical, thinking part of your mind. It is your will power. It has a short-term point of focus. It is linear in nature, always thinking, judging. It is limited in scope, only able to take in about 7 to 9 pieces of information.
WHAT IS THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND?
Your subconscious mind is your emotional mind. It is also what we call "modern memory." It learns by identification, association, and repetition. It holds all your beliefs, perceptions, and knowledge accumulated from your experiences. When a perception or belief is accepted by your subconscious mind, it is taken in as fact and makes it so. It doesn't judge the information as right or wrong, true or false before it takes it in. If something is repeated enough times, your subconscious mind merely takes it in. And then this powerful, goal-achieving mind uses these beliefs and perceptions to run the programs that determine your behavior and emotional states so that you don't have to think about them consciously. Wouldn't it be frustrating to run errands -- or a business, for that matter -- if you had to keep thinking about how to walk? That is the beauty of the subconscious mind and the critical factor. They take care of that for you in the background of your awareness.
This frees you up to do the things you want to do.
WHY DOES HYPNOSIS WORK?
Once your critical factor has been bypassed and is no longer blocking new and different information, then you are open to new suggestions, new ways of thinking, new beliefs. Your subconscious mind is like a sponge, waiting for direction. We give it directions for the changes you have come to see me for. These are the ideas that you are "suggestible" to, that you are open to, that your conscious mind has already been considering.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?
Hypnosis is often a brief form of therapy. By enlisting the ability of your subconscious mind to take us to the root source of a problem, misperceptions are cleared away quickly. Emotions that are held in your body and mind are released. Trauma is healed and released.
These old, limiting emotions, beliefs, and misperceptions from the past are the programs that your subconscious mind is running. They are what block you from achieving your goals and feeling and acting the way you want to here, now, in the present, today. And they are what determine your future as you project your beliefs forward.
When your subconscious mind is given a new perspective, a new belief free from old, limiting emotions, it then runs this new program. The results are effective behaviors and positive beliefs about yourself and your abilities. This allows you to then live the life you want, to create a future that you want based on who you are now, what you want now, and what you believe now.
What determines
the number of sessions is the nature of what you want to work on, not the length of time it has existed. Often, even seemingly complex issues are quickly resolved with hypnotherapy. A behavior that has been haunting you for a lifetime might be efficiently resolved in eight to twelve sessions, sometimes in as little as six.
WHAT HAPPENS IN A SESSION?
The initial consultation is where we get to know each other. I gain a greater understanding of the reason you are choosing hypnotherapy and what the benefits are that you are seeking. I will ask you questions so I understand the nature of your issue and how it affects your life. I will use this information to structure our sessions together.
If there is a medical issue we will be working on, I will need to work with your doctor and obtain a referral. If there is a psychological diagnosis, such as addiction or clinical depression, for example, I will need a referral from a psychologist or psychiatrist. This is routine, and most practitioners are happy to supply the referral in the interest of helping their patient/client. In this first session, we will spend time discussing hypnosis, what it is and isn't, and how it works. There are many myths and confusing stories regarding hypnosis. You will come to understand that you are safe and in control at all times. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis. A hypnotist can't make you do anything that goes against your values or ethics or your safety.
We will explore in depth the theory of the mind and how hypnotherapy works to heal the mind/body/spirit. We will address all your questions, fears, doubts, and wonderings. In the process, you will come to understand that you are emba
rking on an amazing journey of discovering how your subconscious mind works and how to harness its ability to take you to your desired outcomes. This process will give you tools and skills that will last a lifetime, well beyond the time of our sessions together.
In following sessions, we will uncover the emotional blocks, erroneous beliefs, fears, and misperceptions that are preventing you from achieving your goals, both physically and mentally. I will help you release any emotions that are getting in your way, holding you back. Together we will create new mindsets and beliefs free from the limitations of your past.
And then the journey into your future really begins! Your subconscious mind, the most powerful goal-achieving agency known to humankind, will now be set in motion to help you create YOUR future, the one YOU want now, not a future that was determined by voices and experiences from the past that might not have anything to do with what you want and believe now. Once these blocks are removed, your conscious mind and subconscious mind are a team. They then work together to create the life you want.
WILL I LOSE CONTROL?
No. We are able to speak and communicate with each other while you are hypnotized. You are able to tell me exactly what you are experiencing.
Going into hypnosis is similar to watching a movie. You are reacting to the movie as if it were real, with real emotions and physical reactions. That suspension of disbelief -- that this isn't real; it's only a movie -- is hypnosis. You may even lose track of the fact that the theater is filled with other people. It seems like it is just you and the action on the screen. You don't even notice how long you have been sitting there.
You have bypassed your critical factor. You are in hypnosis. You might even be suggestible, that is, if the movie is any good. (The fear of deep water and sharks rose dramatically after the movie "Jaws." A perfect example of mass hypnosis. Unintentional, of course!)
If you are bored by the movie and not engrossed by it, you aren't in hypnosis. That's when you can start picking it apart. You don't relate to the characters or the story line. The special effects seem fake. The movie seems like it drags on. Now your critical factor is back at work judging and analyzing.
You are in as much control in our sessions as you are when you get involved in the experience of a movie. In fact, the process may feel like you are watching movies in your mind. Sometimes it seems like we are simply discussing the movies in your mind and changing the movie to one that works better for you.
WHAT DOES HYPNOSIS FEEL LIKE?
Hypnosis is a state of focus, not loss of control, just like you are focused while watching a movie. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis. You can't be hypnotized against your will. I am simply the facilitator and guide of your experience. And I guide you based on the changes you want to make in your thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Since relaxation is often a part of hypnosis, the outward appearance of one who is
hypnotized looks limp, like when you are relaxed or asleep. Your body is simply very comfortable. However, the inward experience is quite different from the outward appearance.
There are a variety of different experiences you may have. One type of experience is where your mind is totally absorbed in my words, often a state of alert focus, a pinpointed attention with heightened awareness as all extraneous thoughts fade into the background. This leaves your mind free to focus and imagine as you listen to the suggestions that we have developed together.
Another common experience is where my words trigger images: inner movies complete with sounds, physical sensations, emotions. This is the language of your subconscious mind when it is processing information. It is just like when you are daydreaming.
Another experience might be one where your conscious mind is drifting off, not paying attention. There may even be a feeling of losing track completely of my words, almost like in a dream state. It feels like being in a state of reverie. But your subconscious
mind is paying attention to me. It hears my suggestions and is paying attention without interference from your conscious mind. It takes in the suggestions and creates new patterns of thought and belief to create the behavior and the changes you want
CAN YOU FORCE ME TO DO THINGS AGAINST MY WILL?
No! That's called brainwashing, and that takes severe conditions to accomplish.
Remember, all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. I simply guide you with techniques that lead you into a state of mind that you go into naturally on your own. But you probably don't know how you do it or even when you do it. So I become your teacher or coach and teach you how to get to this state and then how to use it to your benefit.
The subconscious mind has a primary function of protecting us. So if you aren't suggestible or open to a suggestion, your mind will simply reject it. Hypnosis has two parts to it: Bypass of the critical factor and suggestibility to change. If the suggestibility isn't there, there is no hypnosis. That's how your mind protects you.
|
