What Is Hypnotherapy and How Can it Help?

With growing awareness of mental health and the widespread use of evidence-based approaches, the practice of hypnosis in therapy is slowly gaining momentum as a helpful, results-based method of therapy. If you’ve ever wondered what hypnosis is and how it can help, you’ve come to the right place! Read on to find out more about it and how it can help.

What Is Hypnosis? 

Hypnosis is a trance-like state of mind resulting in heightened focus and suggestibility. Hypnotherapists use various techniques to induce this altered state of consciousness helping clients relax and facilitate desired behavioral changes. Interestingly, the history of hypnosis goes all the way back to the prehistoric era where this altered state of mind was referred to as “Temple Sleep”. Hypnosis was widely studied by Franz Anton Mesmer and used by well-regarded names in the world of psychotherapy and behaviorists like Sigmund Freud, Ivan Pavlov, and Milton Erikson.

How Does Hypnosis Facilitate Behavioural Changes?

Studies show that hypnosis can help foster behavioural change in individuals and it may also help people cope better with life’s challenges and psychological issues such as anxiety, depression and insomnia. According to Dr David Spiegel, a Stanford University psychiatrist and leading researcher, hypnosis fosters “a non-judgmental immersive experience,” that can modify a person’s consciousness, allow a person to detach from their physical surroundings and become open to possibilities. 

Physiologically, hypnosis provides relaxation effects on the body, causing your blood pressure and heart rate to decrease and allowing you to feel a deep sense of relaxation.When your body is experiencing the physiological changes from being relaxed, you can be highly responsive to “suggestions” from your hypnotherapist. These suggestions can range from visualizing escaping from a certain trauma or detaching from a certain negative self image. Being highly suggestible allows you to become open to hearing about other ways you can combat a situation, behaviour or thought patterns that you are wanting to change. Studies have also shown that the hypnotic state can help calm certain regions in the brain that are linked in autonomic functions such as our heart rate, blood flow and breathing.  

What Does Hypnosis Feel Like?

Hypnosis is a naturally occurring state. We all feel the hypnotic trance every day! Once right before we drift to sleep and again upon waking. Imagine for a moment the feeling while taking a nap of being both half asleep and half awake - this is similar to what the hypnotic trance may feel like. It can also feel like you are daydreaming. Unlike pop culture’s representation of hypnosis, individuals in a hypnotic trance have complete control over themselves. They can choose to open their eyes, wake up and accept or reject a particular suggestion at any time they want. It’s not forceful or involuntary. Hypnosis is done by a healthcare provider and trained professional, using a combination of verbal repetition, imagery and relaxation techniques. During hypnosis, you may feel a heightened sense of concentration and an overall feeling of calmness that allows you to block out any external stimuli or distractions. The depth of a trance-like state may vary depending on the person and circumstances. It can range from very light to very deep or somewhere in between. 

What Is The Process?

The first step in the hypnotherapy process is inducing a trance. The hypnotist can do that by absorbing attention and bypassing the critical mind. This allows access to a deeper part of the subconscious that stores potentially problematic behaviors and associations. The next step involves the use of hypnotic suggestions to facilitate change in those behaviors and associations. Lastly, the therapist will bring the individual out from the trance and back into full awareness. Typically, the entire process may take one to one-and-a-half hours, approximately the length of a single session. Normally, a series of sessions are booked to maximize the physical and emotional benefits of hypnosis. 

It’s important to note that during hypnosis you aren’t unconscious, but are instead in a trance-like state. This means that you’re able to be in control during the process, and you are being guided through the experience, similar to a meditation. 

Remember - you are in control, you are simply being guided through the practice. 

Who Can Provide Hypnotherapy? 

You want to make sure that you’re receiving hypnotherapy from a trained professional. Since hypnosis can put you in a highly suggestible state, it’s important to make sure that it’s being done with someone who has your best intentions in mind. You can always ask your therapist what makes them specifically qualified to explore hypnotherapy. Some therapists may have a certificate to be a clinical hypnotherapist, but others may have different levels of qualifications and experience. Either way, make sure that it’s in a safe environment and administered by a professional. 

Who Can Benefit?

Hypnosis can benefit anyone and everyone! Studies show that hypnosis is a highly effective treatment for pain control, phobias, smoking cessation, irritable bowel syndrome, psychosexual issues, anxiety and emotional dysregulation.

What Hypnosis Can’t Do 

Hypnosis cannot change your personality, change your values and cannot make you do things against your will. In other words, your hypnotherapy sessions can’t make you rob a bank!

What If I’m Skeptical Or Having Trouble Relaxing? 

It’s understandable that it can be scary to go through an experience you’re uncertain about, which is why it’s so important to find a therapist who you trust. If you’re skeptical of hypnotherapy, don’t be afraid to ask your therapist as many questions you need to in order to allow yourself to feel more comfortable with the situation. Let your therapist know if you’re having trouble relaxing so they can switch the approach and support you in the best way possible.

Have questions about hypnotherapy or are curious about learning more? Feel free to get in touch with us or to book a free consultation to explore whether it might be beneficial for you.