Hypnotherapy and Hypnosis

We see a lot about hypnotherapy now. It’s often touted as a magical fix for just about everything. But what is hypnotherapy for and does it actually fix anything?

Shall we start with a definition of what hypnotherapy is and follow with the definition of Hypnosis?

Hypnotherapy

From Wikipedia.org

• Hypnotherapy is a type of alternative medicine in which hypnosis is used to create a state of focused attention and increased suggestibility during which positive suggestions and guided imagery are used to help individuals deal with a variety of concerns and issues.

From Study.com:

• Hypnotherapy is the practice of using the power of suggestion to bring about positive change in clients or patients who are under hypnosis. A hypnotherapist will meet with a client before performing hypnosis and discuss medical history, ailments and goals for treatment. Because a client’s subconscious mind is more open to suggestions from a hypnotherapist, they are more likely to accept a therapist’s words and advice during the hypnotherapy session, which can be the catalyst for positive change.

So hypnotherapy is a way to create positive change while in an altered state of consciousness. It’s somewhere between a sleep state and a waking state and what makes it really unique is that the subconscious mind kind of takes over.

The Conscious Mind

From MarisaPeer.com;

• The conscious mind contains all of the thoughts, memories, feelings, and wishes of which we are aware at any given moment. This is the aspect of our mental processing that we can think and talk about rationally. This also includes our memory, which is not always part of consciousness but can be retrieved easily and brought into awareness.

So typically our conscious mind is leading the way and it’s our critical, analytical, very logical side of our minds. The conscious mind involves everything that you are aware of and thinking about at this moment. It is rather like short-term memory and it is limited in terms of capacity. Your awareness of yourself and the world around you is part of your consciousness.

The Subconscious Mind

From BrianTracy.com:

• Let’s first take a moment to consider the fact that your subconscious mind is like a huge memory bank. Its capacity is virtually unlimited and it permanently stores everything that ever happens to you.
• The function of your subconscious mind is to store and retrieve data. Its job is to ensure that you respond exactly the way you are programmed. Your subconscious mind makes everything you say and do, fit a pattern consistent with your self-concept, your “master program
• Your subconscious mind is subjective. It does not think or reason independently; it merely obeys the commands it receives from your conscious mind.

So one of the benefits of hypnotherapy is it creates a partnership between the conscious and the subconscious mind which really helps you in seeing the shift and making the changes you want in your life a lot faster and in a much nicer way.

So most of our beliefs are formed between the age of four to ten and I think we can all agree that’s not the best time to be making decisions. We do obviously, pick up more as we go along through life, especially limiting beliefs.

So very often, once we become adults we notice that something continually holds us back from creating the life we really want or is holding us back from things we want to do or try. Nowadays of course some internet research soon reveals why it’s happening, those limiting beliefs that hold us back because they are so firmly entrenched.

That’s one of the reasons hypnotherapy is so powerful, it allows you to kind of get into a state of consciousness where you can let go of the attachments that you have to these negative beliefs.

How it works

Our minds can’t tell the difference between something we’ve actually experienced and something we’ve mentally experienced. So when you go through a hypnotherapy session it’s very powerful because it shows the mind that something that might be new to us, or a new concept to us, is in fact super possible.

It actually goes through a whole process of experiencing it so it makes it easier for you to manifest it into your normal everyday life.

So the cool thing with hypnotherapy is that it really allows you to take back control of the kind of life you want to create and it supports you in manifesting that in your everyday experiences.

I am worried it will change me

A lot of people get worried about hypnotherapy or hypnosis because they have seen programmes or shows, where those chosen did a lot of strange things at the click of the fingers or when a particular word is said.  I saw a live show by a hypnotist who did just that. What most people don’t take note of is the way the hypnotist chose his participants. Those he ends up with are more than willing to make fools of themselves, it’s why they volunteered.

The truth is that you cannot be made to do something that goes against your core values and beliefs.  If you don’t want to be hypnotised then you won’t/can’t be. The trance is only light and you can come out anytime you want to.

It can help to get rid of limiting beliefs from the past if you want to get rid of them. It can help stop addictive habits, again, only if you really want to.

It brings about change that YOU want, helping you to become your best self.

What is it

So it’s basically an altered state of consciousness where you are not here where you currently are and you’re experiencing something different. One of the reasons that hypnotherapy is very beneficial is because a lot of the time we have traumatic events that have happened to us and it’s not something we really want to relive. But now we have so many feelings and emotions around it or them that it’s caused us to adopt specific beliefs that really aren’t serving us in any way.

So what hypnotherapy does is it allows you to clear the feelings and emotions around a particular event and release them. Then you can look back and see the event as something that happened a long time ago but no longer affects you. You can also let go of fears, phobias and anything that doesn’t support you to become the empowered and amazing person you really are.

What is a Trance?

As defined by Dictionary.com:

• a half-conscious state, seemingly between sleeping and waking, in which ability to function voluntarily may be suspended.
• a dazed or bewildered condition.
• a state of complete mental absorption or deep musing.
• an unconscious, cataleptic, or hypnotic condition.

Have you ever done meditation and zoned out for a while? Have you walked in nature lost in the beauty around you? Or even driven somewhere on autopilot and arrived with no memory of how you got there? These are all examples of being in a trance.

Do you daydream or just kind of drift off somewhere else, only brought back because of a loud sound, like a voice or knocking? Yes, that too is an example of a trance state. We drop in and out of trances many times a day without realising it.

We actually enjoy it most of the time. Though it can be a bit strange to realise that you have got somewhere purely on autopilot.

So what is Hypnotherapy For?

Now we have the basics out of the way and discover what it can actually do for You.

There are many uses for hypnotherapy;

• Personal Development
• Love and relationships
• Getting rid of limiting beliefs
• Weightloss
• Addictions: Smoking, alcohol, drugs etc
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Pain relief and labour: hypnobirthing
• Fears and phobias
• Anger management
• PTSD
• Confidence and self esteem
• Infertility and pregnancy
• Wealth and success
• Memory and concentration
• Better sleep

It can help with all of those and much more.

Sometimes we struggle with issues for years without any resolution and that can be very demoralising.

If you have tried and failed to overcome problems it is worth trying a different approach, especially something like this that can really help.

What is Self Hypnosis

With self  hypnosis, you listen to a recording of a hypnotherapy session, preferably wearing headphones. The headphones are so you focus completely on what you are listening to without outside interference. This helps to induce a light trance so the suggestions given to you go into your subconscious mind.

Like I said earlier your mind doesn’t know the difference between something it’s actually experienced and something it’s just visualized. So having the opportunity to really visualise an experience and see the changes that you’ve made as done is so beneficial.

Used regularly this can bring about the positive change in whichever subject you have selected. There are a great many subjects available from a variety of people and websites. It is better to go with a qualified practitioner. I have tried many of the years but have discovered that those by Marisa Peer are quite exceptional in comparison to others I have tried in the past.

Have I used it?

Of course, otherwise I wouldn’t feel able to write about it and recommend it. I know lots of people just do research then write about a subject, which is fine but I feel that for something this important, I need to know what it’s like before I can recommend it.

I have found it is easier to remain positive having completed courses by Marisa Peer, Uncompromised Life and Rapid Transformational Therapy. Those courses are not available on her website as yet. But they are available from Mindvalley.

I also have audio hypnosis courses on Wealth Wiring, Improve Memory and Concentration and Weight control. These are ongoing but I have found them very helpful so far.

How have they helped?

Well, the memory and concentration one has really helped me improve my focus. Because of lockdown during the pandemic, I had more time to do everything online but rather than getting more done I tended to jump about from one thing to another and not achieve as much. After all, I had plenty of time.

I needed something to help me focus better and concentrate better and to remember everything I needed to get done. I found that once my attention became scattered it was harder to get back on track. I haven’t done much with the other two yet.

Why? Procrastination. I want to lose weight but still eat all those snacks that have become a bad habit. So though I want to do it, there is no point until my head is in that place to carry it through. I will make sure I listen to them both at separate times, doing one course, then the other.

Completing an online course

Apparently, 90% of people never complete an online course. That fact didn’t have a date on it so it may have changed a little. Though it is well known that it is a high percentage who give up on a course part way through.

Why? A variety of reasons. Time is one, life gets busier and it gets set aside. Real life events that interfere and once out of the habit it’s hard to go back to it. It doesn’t hold your interest because it’s boring or too complicated. You learn enough to do what you wanted to do and don’t bother with the rest. I am sure there are many other reasons too.

The thing is, if you have taken the trouble to invest your money into improving yourself, you should really ensure you invest the time to complete it too. After all, aren’t you worth the investment of time as well as money? The answer is, of course, Yes, you are worth it!

What have we learnt?

I have learnt a lot. I knew a fair bit about the subject but further research has increased my knowledge, which I always find interesting.

I did think that Hypnotherapy and Hypnosis were two separate things but now I know that one can’t work without the other. That hypnotherapy will actually take you further in making positive changes.

Personal development and self help are such big subjects now as people come to realise that they can improve their life so much. That it is possible to live that life they dream about if they only put in the effort. More and more people are on a quest to do just that but of course there are those who talk about it but don’t want to put in the work to change their lives for the better.

Which one are you? Do you see yourself as worthy of investment?

Have you learnt much from this?

Are you ready to take the steps to create a better future?

How long will it take?

Honestly? It tends to be a life long endeavour. Once you get bitten by the bug of change and see that better future dangling before you, the thirst to know more is ever present.

Why would I want to? That ones easy. Your life improves so much. You find happiness and inner peace, not just occasionally but 98% of the time. I say 98% because we are after all human. Things happen and events occur that bring us down. But when you are happy most of the time and you have that calm that inner peace brings nothing brings you down for long, you are able to et it into perspective and move forwards sooner than in the past.

Getting in the Flow

Personal development teaches so much and brings you into the flow of life where everything runs much more smoothly.

Some people search their whole lives for happiness and never understand how easy it is to attain. In the flow happiness is ever present.

You find yourself being grateful for all you have which brings happiness. When you are happy you are encouraged to help others which spreads the happiness.

When you want to learn about something new, the right book or course is suddenly there

People often then find work they love and enjoy, rather than being in a job where they count the hours to going home and the days to the weekend.

Being in the flow is a wonderful way to live.

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