If you've ever tried to quit smoking or lose weight or you have an irrational fear that just won't go away no matter what you do, you know just how frustrating it can be. There is a therapy that can help you immensely and it's called hypnotherapy. Don't take to heart the image of stage and TV hypnotists. Real hypnotherapy can be extremely helpful. Here's some great info on how it works.
What is Hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy is not what you see on TV, where a person is influenced to cluck like a chicken, fall in love with a stranger, or to do something else that will embarrass them in any way. It is actually a safe therapy, where you are always in control of what is happening and you are never made to do anything that you don't want to do. Essentially, all forms of hypnosis are self hypnosis, with the hypnotherapist being there to help facilitate things.
What Happens During Hypnotherapy?
When you are undergoing hypnosis, you do not enter a state of deep sleep. Rather, you go into a sort of trance where you are actually in a higher state of awareness. In this state, the conscious mind is suppressed and the subconscious mind is allowed to come out. During this time, the therapist will be able to make suggestions on how to positively change your life and make positive improvements. For example, you may be able to overcome irrational fears (such as of spiders), finally shake those negative thoughts and emotions, and work through suppressed traumas and emotions that may be holding you back. Hypnotherapy has been known to be useful for things such as quitting smoking, losing weight, decision making, and more.
Hypnosis or hypnotherapy works by turning off or suppressing the conscious mind and allowing the subconscious to come to the fore. This is important as it is the subconscious mind that is deeper seated and more ingrained. You may want to do something consciously but if your subconscious is resistant, you will not succeed. As an easy example, you may have tried everything you could think of to get rid of your fear of spiders, but if your subconscious is still scared, then you will be too. It is only by "re-programming" your subconscious that you will be able to fully overcome your fear.
In a hypnotherapy situation, you will be fully aware of your surroundings and the situation, but you will be in a higher state of awareness or what is known as the trance state. All that means is that you are physically and mentally relaxed so that you can let go of the analytical part of you. The most important thing is that you want to make a change to a certain thing and that you are highly motivated. Hypnotherapy will only be as effective as you want it to be.
To learn more, check out a hypnotherapist near you.
Originally published on Jun 11, 2010
