What is Hypnosis?
The easiest way to explain hypnosis is as an altered state of mental and physical relaxation. Have you ever experienced a situation where you’ve completely lost track of time? You were hypnotised! Maybe you were reading a book, daydreaming or watching a film. Many people who drive or walk the same route every day will arrive at their destination without a single memory of the journey…. that’s hypnosis!
What is Hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis in order to conduct therapy with the aim of effecting a permanent, positive change in a client’s mental and/or physical state (© Sheppard 2005).
How does Hypnotherapy work?
The unconscious is an incredibly powerful part of the mind. It controls many things that we never have to think about on a conscious level such as breathing, sleeping, hormone production, digestion and even blushing to name but a few. It also has a major effect on your psychology affecting shyness, assertiveness, depression, eating strategies and relationships etc.
Your unconscious is an amazing part of you. It stores everything that has ever happened to you, everything you’ve ever seen, heard, tasted or touched will have been filed away as a memory. Every emotion, every experience, everything you have ever learnt, locked away in it’s own place. Most of the time this is fine but sometimes these memories can be traumatic or disturbing. Some of the things you have learnt can be completely wrong producing unwanted or negative thoughts and behaviours.
Hypnotherapy works by allowing the unconscious to access and alter these files to produce a positive change. However, in a normal or excited state, the conscious mind can act as a barrier to therapeutic suggestions given by the therapist but in a very relaxed state, the therapist is able to talk to the unconscious and make suggestions in order to elicit changes or recall events from present and/or past lives. These events and memories can then be worked with in a totally calm and relaxed state.
Hypnotherapy is not simply a quick fix solution to mask a problem but it actually works at the very root of a problem, repairing damage an allowing you to move on in your life.
There are two main questions that people ask before deciding to undergo hypnotherapy:
Will I be asleep?
Will I lose control?
The answer to both these questions is a resounding NO!!! In fact if you fall asleep, all the therapeutic suggestions in the world will be useless and if you feel you are not in control then you won’t be relaxed and again the therapeutic suggestions won’t work.
What does it feel like?
Most people experience hypnosis as a wonderfully relaxing feeling, similar to the feeling you have as you wake from sleep. Others report a floating or drifting sensation, while some feel as though nothing has happened until they are brought back to full alertness. However, even if you enter a deep hypnotic state you will always be aware of your surroundings and totally in control of what you say and do.
What can hypnotherapy be used for?
At Mindcraft Therapy we use hypnotherapy along with other techniques such as NLP to produce the most profound and permanent change for our clients. Hypnotherapy is one of the most effective treatments for a host of conditions including: Anxiety, Stress, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, OCD, low self esteem, depression and motivation to name but a few.
Can anybody be hypnotised?
It’s thought that around 95% of people can be hypnotised to some degree.
Want to Know more?
If you’d like to find out how hypnotherapy can help you or if you’d like to book an appointment then please use the enquiry form or call us for a chat on: