Frequently Asked Questions

What is Hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a state of heightened awareness dominated by the subconscious mind. Hypnosis involves guided concentration on one small thing to the exclusion of everything else. During hypnosis brain wave patterns slow down to an alpha state indicative of alertness. At the same time, the brain loses the critical ability that might otherwise cause it to reject suggestions. Hypnosis is a pleasurable state within a controlled environment, during which over activity of the senses takes place, causing extreme receptiveness to suggestions. During hypnosis you are in total control. Hypnosis is a powerful tool to influence your present thoughts and behaviors.

 

What is Hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses hypnosis as part of the treatment in an effort to uncover events from your past that may be influencing your thoughts and behaviors. During the therapeutic process the hypnotherapist uses hypnosis to plant positive suggestions to remove negative thoughts and behaviors.

 

Can I be hypnotized?

Over 90% of people can be hypnotized. The only exceptions are very young children and those with severe mental illness. When you are intensely watching television, reading or driving you may have inadvertently hypnotized yourself. It does not matter if you are strong willed or very gullible, smart or slow. Everyone is born with a talent for hypnosis. The necessary ingredients for hypnosis are imagination, willingness to co-operate and to accept suggestions

Still unsure? Try the Am I hypnotizeable test today.

 

What does it feel like to be hypnotized?

When you are hypnotized you willingly shut off all feedback from the senses. Without any distractions from the senses you can focus more precisely on the words and images provided by the hypnotherapist. Most people feel physically relaxed and mentally alert while hypnotized. Some say it feels like meditation, others say it is similar to the high feeling induced by certain drugs. During hypnosis you may have a distorted perception of time. Some subjects assume a few minutes have passed when it is really much longer; others think they were hypnotized for hours when it was only minutes. Every person experiences hypnosis in a unique, individualized fashion.

 

Am I in control when hypnotized?

Under hypnosis you will not do anything contrary to your moral, ethical, spiritual or legal values. For example, you cannot be forced against your will to commit an illegal, antisocial, or immoral act. Immediately you will reject any improper suggestions and come out of hypnosis. Your subconscious mind will not permit the acceptance of suggestions that are dangerous. No one has ever died due to hypnosis.

 

What is Self-hypnosis?

All hypnosis is essentially a self-hypnosis. Self-hypnosis is a technique of subduing the conscious mind and accessing the sub-conscious mind to accept constructive and helpful suggestions uncritically. Self-hypnosis leads to self mastery, self improvement and successful living.

 

What happens if a person cannot relax?

Some people may have difficulty to relax. Relaxation techniques can be learned. One of the benefits of hypnosis is enjoyable relaxation and calmness which you will experience from the very first visit. You are shown how to pay attention to your body’s own natural relaxation responses known as Ultradian Rhythm. It is easier for the hypnotist if you are calm, however, hypnosis can be accomplished quite successfully while you are tense, upset or unhappy.

 

Still unsure if you can be hypnotized?

There is only one way to find out and that is to try. The ability to be hypnotized correlates with nothing: it is an aptitude in and of itself. You may be like the 15 to 20% of the population born with the exceptional gift of going into a deep alpha state. If you are in that lucky group then the hypnotist’s voice is the only anesthetic you will need during surgery. If your gift is minimal, like the 15 to 20% of the population at the other end of the scale, you still will be able to use hypnosis to get rid of a bad habit or to increase your self-confidence.

 

How does hypnosis work ?

Hypnosis can change your perceptions, thoughts, behaviors, and feelings (1). When you are in a hypnotic state you are in a state of deep concentration and your intellectual and critical sensors are turned off. The hypnotist uses words to help you enter hypnosis and you become extremely suggestible. It is at this point the hypnotist introduces new ideas to you. These ideas are absorbed by your subconscious mind and become part of your thinking and behavior.