Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy

Are you affected by stress or anxiety? Do you sometimes have sleepless nights, or do you suffer from a lack of confidence, self-esteem or motivation? Perhaps you would like to achieve or change something such as lose weight, stop smoking, become a better public speaker or overcome a fear of spiders?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then it is highly likely that hypnotherapy will help. You'd be amazed at just what is possible with the power of hypnosis.

According to the Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Complimentary Health there is no single accepted definition of hypnotherapy. But it can be described as a form of psychotherapy which works on the subconscious to change thought and behavior patterns. The word ‘hypnosis’ refers to the trance-like state, somewhere between waking and sleeping, which you enter when you are hypnotized, and ‘hypnotherapy’ is the practice of bringing about healing or facilitating change while under hypnosis.

“Originally, hypnotists believed hypnosis to be a form of sleep and relied on inducing a deep trance in their patients, using authoritarian techniques, where the therapist ‘commands’ you to make the change.

“Modern therapists build up a rapport with their clients which enables them to ‘suggest’ changes. It is now also believed that the depth of trance has no bearing on the treatment. Modern hypnotists use simple techniques to induce a light trance which can have the most amazing results. While in a trance you are much more suggestible and compliant than you would be normally and your mind is more willing to accept new information, but only what you want to hear.

“Consequently, the therapist can make suggestions which you will store in your mind, effectively reprogramming it to accept or reject certain beliefs or patterns of behavior. If you have a fear of spiders, for example, she can suggest that you are no longer afraid of spiders. If you are willing to overcome your phobia, your eager mind will absorb the suggestion and replace the old fear with the new lack of fear. The same can happen with pain. Pain may be a physical sensation, but it is one which registers in the brain. If, under hypnosis, your mind accepts that you do not feel pain, then you will not feel it.

“The mind is incredibly powerful and is inextricably linked to the body. This is demonstrated during a hypnotic trance when breathing, heart-rate and metabolism can be slowed, allergic reactions stopped and pain reduced. Every thought or sensation experienced in the mind shows itself as some physical change in the body and every physical change will have mental and emotional associations. So an emotional problem, such as prolonged and unexplored grief, can cause physical illness and an injured limb can leave mental scars. Hypnotherapists believe that the mind has the power to create any disease and the power to cure it by activating the healing and repair mechanism, which is controlled by the subconscious.

“Hypnotherapy can be used alongside other therapies such as osteopathy or acupuncture to reinforce their benefits. Its success depends on the subject's cooperation with the therapist, but most people who go for hypnotherapy are ready and willing to change.”

According to the Little Giant Encyclopedia of Natural Healing hypnotherapy can be used for the following conditions: alcohol addiction, angina, anxiety, arthritis, asthma, childbirth, dentistry, drug addictions, emotional problems, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, migraine, overeating, pain relief, peptic ulcers, phobias, rheumatism, skin disorders, stress.