Hypnosis
Hypnosis is one of the most powerful and effective tools we use with children, teenagers and adults. Increasingly, scientific research is demonstrating the effectiveness of hypnosis for achieving personal change.
Hypnosis uses the mind's natural ability to enter a state of focused relaxation and calmness. While in hypnosis, a person's senses are heightened. At all times the person is aware of his/her surroundings, sounds and scents.
How Hypnosis Works
The subconscious mind is an incredibly powerful tool when a person wants to make changes in his/her life.
The Registered Hypnotherapist works with the client to access the incredible power of the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is easily and effectively accessed using imagination and visualization. Hypnosis uses a client's natural ability to access a state of focused concentration in order to be highly receptive to beneficial suggestions. The subconscious mind is open to the ideas that the client collaboratively develops with the therapist, so that the client's goals are easily achieved.
Understanding Your Mind
The mind's operations may be categorized as subconscious processes and conscious processes.
The conscious mind (the thinking mind) is responsible for reasoning and interpreting experiences and events in order to give meaning to events and experiences. It provides the awareness of thinking, feelings and actions. The conscious mind is responsible for about 20% of our daily actions.
Conscious thinking occurs when you are learning to drive a car: you are focusing on learning the necessary skills and consciously accessing the requisite knowledge.
The subconscious mind is responsible for automatic processes (physical, mental and spiritual). It is the part of the mind that stores memory (using all the senses), organizes and processes experiences, and utilizes the faculty of imagination and visualization. The subconscious mind is responsible for most of our day-to-day functions (about 80% of what we do)!
Subconscious thinking occurs when you have mastered the skill (such as driving a car) and you no longer need to 'think' about how to do it…you are able to do it automatically.
While a person is in hypnosis, the person enters a trance state in which the subconscious mind is easily accessible. A trance state is akin to "highway hypnosis" which is commonly experienced by drivers when they reach their destination and have no recollection of their driving experience. This is because drivers often do not consciously think about driving (allowing their mind to drift to other thoughts) and their subconscious mind assumes responsibility for following the rules of the road. This is a way a driver utilizes the subconscious mind.
Think of breathing: we do not consciously think about how to breathe. Our body just does it. Or think of walking: we don't concentrate on walking (move one foot in front of the other); we just walk without thinking about it.
Common Myths
Let us clear up some common myths that people have about hypnosis:
- You cannot be hypnotized unless you are a willing participant.
- At no time does the client surrender their will to the Hypnotist. Hypnosis is a subjective experience. While in a hypnotic state, the client is always conscious and aware of the process. This awareness allows the client to make their own decisions at all times. The Hypnotist simply guides the client during the process.
- No secrets can be coaxed out of someone in hypnosis unless they want to share the information. In fact, during hypnosis, clients are usually silent, enjoying the relaxation that comes with hypnosis.
- Some people are afraid that once hypnotized, they will never come out of it. This is not true. In hypnosis, the client actually induces the hypnotic trance themselves and as such, the client is able to revive themselves when necessary.
- Having the ability to be hypnotized does not mean that a person is weak minded or gullible. In fact, the opposite is true: hypnosis requires the ability to concentrate and focus and to actively participate in the process.