About Hypnotherapy
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is the word used to describe a natural unconscious process which is experienced daily by everyone. It is natural and can also be considered to be your super power ,as it is also the same mechanism by which we learn.
A precise definition of hypnosis has yet to be established, this is because hypnosis is a highly subjective experience that varies in quality from person to person. It is like trying to define “love” and “spirituality”.
Hypnosis is the experience of total absorption, a powerful focus on something such as a thought, a feeling, a memory, an expectation, a sensation, or any specific aspect of your personal experience.
How hypnosis works
Hypnosis reduces the activity of the critical, analytical and sometimes inhibiting part of the brain. As a result It allows you to be more creative and imaginative by utilising the deeper and less conscious part of the brain. It is through this process that you will be able to gain insights and new understandings, learnings and perspectives.
“The brain is the most advanced biological system in the known universe and each of our brains has more neural pathways than there are stars in the galaxy” (Richard Bandler)
Further information about hypnosis
Can anyone be hypnotised?
The idea of how hypnotizable a person is a complex question and often very misunderstood.
Most things are on a continuum but we often focus on the extremes. The vast majority of the population can experience hypnosis with 3% of the population been highly influenced and 3% been of low influence with the vast majority falling in between these extremes.
Most people will recognise that when watching TV or a movie, this can be described as an hypnotic experience and no one is really ever watching TV , and saying to themselves that they are not been influenced by what they are watching. It is just that people are influenced to varying degrees.
Occasionally someone may believe that they are too strong minded to be influenced by the hypnotic process, however strong minded people make fantastic clients and achieve great outcomes.
The only people that are not recommended for the use of hypnosis is someone who is suffering from dementia or schizophrenia and as such would be referred onto another specialist.
How safe is hypnosis?
There has never been a documented case of harm caused by the use of hypnosis. Below is the evidence provided by The Australia Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists:
Hypnosis is a normal, naturally occurring, healthy state of mind. It is totally drug-free. There has never been a single documented case of harm resulting from the use of hypnosis.
Leslie Le Crone, psychologist and authority on hypnosis, states: “As to self-induction, many thousands have learned it and I have yet to hear a report of any bad results of its use”.
In his book Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, Dr William S Kroger states: “An associate of Pavlov, who used hypnosis for over fifty years in over fifty-thousand cases, reports as follows: ‘We have never observed any harmful influences on the patient which could be ascribed to the method of hypno-suggestion therapy, or any tendency toward the development of unstable personality, weakening of the will, or pathological urge for hypnosis'”.
Dr David Cheek, MD, who has vast experience in the field, writes, “We can do more harm with ignorance of hypnotism than we can ever do by intelligently using hypnosis and suggestion constructively”.
Dr Julius Grinker states, “The so-called dangers from hypnosis are imagery. Although I have hypnotised many hundreds of patients, I have never seen any ill effects from its use”.
Psychologist, Rafael Rhodes, in his book Therapy Through Hypnosis, writes: “Hypnotism is absolutely safe. There is no known case on record of harmful results from its therapeutic use”.
Dr Louie P Thorpe, Professor Emeritus, University of Southern California, in his book The Psychology of Mental Health, writes: “Hypnotism is a natural phenomenon, and there are no known deleterious effects from its use”.
Clinical hypnotherapist, Gil Boyne, states: “In almost forty years of practice and more than 40,000 hours of hypnotherapy, I have never seen or heard of any harm resulting from hypnosis.
What does hypnosis feel like?
It is an individual experience, however, it is an experience where you have the opportunity to step away from everyday life and take a breath and really focus inwardly. Many people notice that this internal focus fluctuates in and out and this is the experience of most people. As is the case with relaxation, the level of relaxation a person experiences can fluctuate.
What might I experience during the hypnotherapy session?
We will never ask you to lie down, unless you requests this, our belief is that we want you to feel comfortable and most clients remain seated in a comfortable chair during the hypnotherapy process. People are pleasantly surprised about how it feels just like a normal conversation.
The hypnotherapist uses a gentle, respectful conversational approach to help your conscious logical and analytical part of your mind to become less active. This then allows the unconscious process, where all you habits and patterns are stored, to be gently reformed into habits and patterns of thought that are more useful for you.
The clinical hypnotherapist will only work within the parameters agreed with you and what you want to achieve.