What’s the first thing you think of when someone says “hypnosis”?
Is it… ‘you are getting sleepier and sleepier’!
What’s your next thought? Possibly…
‘I’M not going to be turned into a clucking chicken on stage!’
Most of our knowledge about hypnosis comes from television, movies, or stage acts. Stare at the candle or the black and white spinning disc… Or, at the snap of my fingers, you will do something way out of character… and, of course, not remember it. This portrayal actually incites our fears of being out of control, humiliation, doing something we will regret or be in trouble for.
The truth is we drop in and out of trance all the time. Driving somewhere and not remembering parts of the journey. Watching TV, being so absorbed in the show that time, sounds, or people in the room disappear from our awareness. Surfing FaceBook, Twitter or Instagram and hours go by. Or falling in love.
Take a moment, close your eyes, and imagine a lemon in your hand, feel its texture, the oils or maybe the spritz of juice that coat your hand if you squeeze it slightly. Can you smell the clean fresh scent? Imagine cutting the lemon in half and taking a bite. Do you salivate as you imagine this experience? This is a state of trance.
Hypnosis is a natural state that can produce extraordinary levels of relaxation of the mind, body, and emotion. It assists in transcending the critical and analytical mind, which facilitates the acceptance of desired suggestions. The therapeutic use of hypnosis can also elicit information and insight from the subconscious mind.
Each time a memory surfaces, you are in a semi-state of trance. The remembered experience is not happening now. You intellectually know this. And yet, emotionally, you feel the joy, sadness, excitement, or anger that you did when it happened. You may cry or laugh, dance around the room or crouch in fear. Your body may expand if the memory was a happy one or may contract if it was traumatic. You may even feel the pain in the same place if you were physically hurt in the experience.
Hypnotherapy today, as an adjunctive therapy, is applied to smoking cessation, weight loss, addiction, fears and phobias, pain management, PTSD, labor and birth, gastrointestinal disorders, dental visits, insomnia, fertility, trauma, peak performance, and so much more.
