What is Hypnosis?

When a person responds to suggestions given by another person (the hypnotist) for “unconscious” experiences involving changes in perception, memory and the voluntary control of action. Generally, the most well known characteristic of hypnosis is increased suggestibility. Though there are varying degrees of this heightened responsiveness to suggestion, the potential power of this direct access to the unconscious or subconscious should not be underestimated. Imagery, emotions, regressing to past memories, thoughts, feelings and reactions will inevitably give access to altered states of consciousness.

Generally hypnosis needs two conditions:

- ability to focus on a thought or object for a limited period of time, and/or;
- to dissociate from one stream of thought or cognition (cognition defined as a thought or image).

Some of these processes are described as follows:

- Ego State Therapy - working with the parts of our personality or mood states.
- NLP (neuro linguistic programming) working with our representational systems, such as visual, kinesthetic and auditory systems
- Creative Visualisation
- Ego-Strengthening suggestions or affirmations
- Ericksonian approach - involving a naturalistic style that leans heavily on pacing and leading
Various Spiritual Therapies using hypnosis
- and many more (go to Ego State Page)

What is Hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy is used to help patients gain more control over their behaviour, emotions, and even physiological processes that cause undesired consequences.

Hypnosis is used to promote relaxation, enhance imagery, and generally loosen the flow of free associations (some psychodynamic theorists consider hypnosis to be a form of adaptive regression or regression in the service of the ego). In spite of the increased suggestibility inherent with hypnosis, genuine motivation is necessary for a person to achieve meaningful results in therapy. Clients become more motivated toward their goals if significant underlying resistance issues get properly addressed and there is some degree of rapport with the therapist. The range of approaches and techniques to hypnotherapy is wide and various.

Who can be hypnotised?

According to the World Health Organization, 90% of the general population can be hypnotised and therefore intervention with the unconscious patterns of long established habits and patterns is possible.

Health Applications of Hypnosis

The list of ways hypnosis has been used to help children, adolescents and adults is practically endless and includes:

- weight loss
- stopping smoking
- building self-confidence and self-esteem
- improving academic performance at every age level
- pain management
- eliminating anxiety, fear and phobias
- stress management
- insomnia
- other sleep problems
- helping to heal physical problems

Overview of hypnosis from the American Cancer Society

Hypnosis is one of several methods that have been approved by an independent panel, convened by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as a useful complementary therapy for treating chronic pain. The technique may also be effective in reducing fear and anxiety, treating pain during labour and delivery, reducing labour time, and controlling bleeding and pain during dental procedures. There is no scientific evidence that hypnosis can influence the development or progression of cancer, however, it can help to improve the quality of life for many people with cancer.

Can Hypnosis help with Weight Control?

Hypnosis has been shown to be especially favorable in the treatment of obesity (Kirsch, I., Montgomery, G., & Sapirstein, G.1995), where individuals in the hypnosis group continued to lose weight even after formal treatment had ended.

In one study, for example, women who received personally tailored hypnotic suggestions for specific food aversions, in the context of a traditional self-monitoring and goal-setting treatment, lost approximately twice as much weight as a comparison group.

Can Hypnosis Help People Stop Smoking?

Where the patient is appropriately motivated, as in the obesity study described earlier, hypnosis may offer a boost to treatment. A single-session hypnotic treatment has an advantage in terms of efficiency over other cognitive methods that tend to be longer term.

Before you start to use hypnosis for your self-improvement, you should get it clear in your own mind why you want to change. This clear intention to change will help the hypnotic suggestions to take hold and manifest themselves in your everyday life. Over the years, self-improvement and personal growth using hypnosis has helped millions of people change their lives permanently because it is a safe and powerful tool for changing your thoughts, feelings and habits.