There are a lot of theories about what hypnosis is and how it works.
What we know is that it is an internally experienced state distinct from relaxation, sleep or meditation, which are pursued for their own sake.
Hypnosis is a completely normal, natural state of deep concentration and focus. The conscious mind remains alert but otherwise engaged while attention is directed toward an internal experience that involves the subconscious.
Most people agree our minds are incredibly complex and wondrous. They are designed to constantly seek ways to "make sense of" and "respond to" what is happening both inside and outside of ourselves. They are also designed to "learn" from these experiences and to develop patterns that allow us to deal with these, or similar, events in the future.
From our experiences, we learn skills and habits. We develop patterns of thinking, solving problems and behaviors. We develop beliefs and patterns of relating to ourselves, other people, and the world that serve an important purpose for us at the time they were learned.
You can expect your first session to be 1.5-2 hours in length. It will include some information gathering, completion of any paperwork, and should answer any remaining questions you may have about the process. You will clarify your goals, discuss what changes you would like to see and craft suggestions before beginning a hypnosis experience.
For some people, hypnosis may be all of the work they do in counseling. For others, hypnosis may be just a small part of the counseling process, and for still others, formal hypnosis may not be a part of the plan at all.
Just as the act of staring at the road can cause "highway hypnosis", a skilled Hypnotist will use, and teach you, a variety of techniques (inductions) to help relax your conscious mind. As the conscious mind "steps to the side" , you will be assisted to direct your attention on a focused inner experience called a hypnotic "trance", hypnotic "state" or "hypnosis".
The use of hypnosis to effect changes in a person's thinking, feeling, beliefs or behavior. Learn more about how hypnosis and counseling work, visit Subconscious and Change.
It is important to understand, that at this time, and in most areas of the United States, Hypnosis itself is not a well regulated profession. With minimal training anyone can hang out their shingle as a "hypnotist" and some of these hypnosis practitioners do incredible work and offer a tremendous service to their clients. In Florida, there are no state mandated requirements for the minimal training, background screening or supervision of vocational (unlicensed) hypnotists. They are required to work under the supervision of a licensed health care practitioner when engaged in any work associated with a medical or mental health diagnosis.
The history of hypnosis is almost as old as man himself; it has been called many things, has roots in many disciplines and has been observed in almost all cultures. While hypnotic phenomena have always been real and observable, our opinions of it have always been subject to our ability (or inability) to understand and explain it. Even today, what hypnosis actually "is", and how it works, remains a topic of hot debate in professional circles.
Hypnosis is NOT the myth that Hollywood, the media and entertaining stage hypnotists continue to present. After all, they have a financial interest in maintaining the "mystery" of hypnosis.
Lay person or professional, you probably have some personal experiences that have shown you that what people "think" or "perceive to be true" in their minds has a real effect on their thinking, feeling and behavior in the outside world. A common pop example is how a belief in "Voodoo" can effect those who believe they are "cursed". On a more positive note-many of us know people who defied all odds against them, motivated only by those things they "believed" in.
Sometimes, what we "think" can even have an impact on our bodies. In scientific research this is referred to as a "placebo effect". It is important to understand that any "placebo effect", that is to say, any change that occurs because of what the subject BELIEVED, is still a change. It is a CHANGE THAT WAS CREATED BY A THOUGHT.
Do you have more questions about the effectiveness of hypnosis?
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