Meet Hypnosis

Questions and answers about this misunderstood and miraculous healing modality

What are "Hypnosis" and "Hypnotherapy"?

While there is often much interchange between these two terms, strictly speaking, hypnosis is a heightened state of focused attention, whereas hypnotherapy refers to the application of hypnosis to induce positive change in an individual.

Hypnosis allows one to access the healing resources inherent in the subconscious mind, promoting natural, rapid, and lasting change from within.

Through hypnosis, people are able to discover the subconscious reasons for their beliefs, behaviors, and habits. Once uncovered, certain tools and techniques are used to help release blockages which prevent one from achieving one's goals. Other techniques are then applied to enable the client to learn a new and positive way of thinking and being.

Is Hypnosis Safe?

Hypnosis is a naturally occurring and safe state that we enter into on a fairly regular basis. When a professional hypnotherapist assists you in entering into a deep state of hypnosis, you remain aware of what is happening, and you are in complete control. In fact, if for any reason during a session you decided to emerge from the hypnotic state, you could do so all on your own.

Hypnosis was first “discovered” over 200 years ago, when it was successfully used on patients in need of surgery where anesthesia was unavailable. The American Medical Association and the British Medical Association in the 1950s, and the American Psychiatric Association in 1961, formally recognized the viability of hypnosis in medical and dental procedures. The efficacy of hypnosis in ameliorating stress, anxiety and PTSD, among other issues, has been noted by researchers at numerous institutions, such as Harvard University, Columbia University, Stanford University, Mayo Clinic, the National Institutes of Health, and the American Psychological Association. Since its inception, hypnosis has been used to help patients overcome chronic pain, lessen or eliminate depression, experience anesthesia, heal psychogenic illnesses, and much more.

Can I be hypnotized?

Not only can you be hypnotized, you very likely have already entered a hypnotic state all on your own, and done so frequently. If you have ever daydreamed, or lost yourself in an engrossing movie or book, or when driving found yourself suddenly at your destination as though the last, say, 10 miles’ drive occurred in an instant, then you have experienced hypnosis. It used to be thought that only a small percentage of people could be hypnotized. However, we now know that anyone of average intelligence who is willing to follow simple instructions can be hypnotized.

How does Hypnosis work?

Once a deep level of focused attention is achieved, the client is able to bypass the analytical, or critical, aspect of their mind. Another way to think about the analytical aspect of the mind is as a protective, filtering mechanism which only allows into the subconscious mind those beliefs that are already firmly rooted in past experience. New perspectives that are at odds with past experience are rejected by this filtering mechanism. In this way, the critical part of the mind reinforces old habits and beliefs which may, at one time, have served the client well, but which now are not only no longer beneficial to the client, they are often also detrimental to them.

This is why changing habits by willpower alone, or from a completely conscious state, can be so difficult: The beliefs that first allowed the habit or behavior to form lie unchallenged in the subconscious mind, while the critical aspect of the mind continually seeks and admits only supporting evidence to reinforce those beliefs. Hypnosis is tremendously powerful because, in the state of deeply focused attention, the analytical aspect of the mind is bypassed, and new, healthy and beneficial suggestions that are based on the client’s self-determined goals can be made directly to the subconscious mind, without being rejected by the comparing mechanism. In this way, the desired change is accepted by the subconscious mind, and the potential for positive results is then quickly generated from within.

Positive change is not merely a figment of one's imagination: As you change your thinking, your brain and physiology are also changing to accommodate and support your new perspectives. Scientists are able to objectively measure this type of transformation in real time. Once neural pathways are created by the client's new way of thinking about an issue, the client can then reinforce those pathways on a daily basis, thus encouraging the long-term success of their desired transformation.

What can Hypnosis do for me?

Simply speaking, hypnosis helps you actualize the life you envision for yourself by allowing you to change your limiting beliefs. When you are able to clearly see your goals in front of you, and eliminate the barriers that have been separating you from them, reaching those goals suddenly becomes readily achievable.

Hypnosis is used to address a wide range of issues, some common and some less frequently seen, that often stand in the way of us living to our full potential. Among the many issues that have been successfully addressed using hypnosis are:

Addictions

Anger Management

Anxiety

Body Image

Bruxism

Childbirth

Concentration Enhancement

Creativity

Eating Disorders

Family Matters

Financial Concerns

Habit Control

Healing from Past Experiences

Motivation

Pain Relief

Performance Anxiety

Phobias

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Procrastination

Psychogenic Illness

Public Speaking

Relationship Issues

Self-Esteem

Self-Confidence

Sexual Issues

Sleep Issues

Smoking Cessation

Study Habits

Stuttering

Sports Performance

Stage Fright

Stress Relief

Substance Abuse

Trichotillomania

Weight Release

... and so much more ...

Interested in exploring the possibilities that await you?

To discuss how Hyde Park Hypnosis and Coaching can meet your needs, please email Laura to set up a time for a complimentary consultation, or to book your first session, and begin turning your desired future into your empowered now.

Laura.Skosey@gmail.com

312-971-9591