Q&A - Frequently Asked Questions about hypnosis and hypnotherapy
A word about this Q&A page
A word about this Q&A page These are my answers only. There are many other opinions and approaches, and many perfectly reasonable, workable answers to each of these questions. If what you find here appeals to you, call or email me! If not, you can certainly find another interpretation that better suits you. The purpose of these pages is to let potential clients know where I am coming from, not to write the definitive text on the subject.
What is hypnosis? What are these elements of hypnosis? Concentrated Attention -- If you have ever had a big wasp flying around inside your moving car, you understand focused attention. It is almost impossible to drive while having something absolutely rivet your attention. We can each process a limited amount of input at a time. Our ability to focus on these few things is remarkable, both for the intensity we can bring to it, and for the general ability of our mind to handle other tasks, even very complex tasks, outside of our conscious awareness. This ability to function outside the scope of present attention is in part what we have come to call the sub-conscious mind or unconscious mind. In hypnosis, we turn our attention to precisely those tasks and habits that are generally outside of our awareness. Expectation -- What we expect to occur is vastly more likely to occur than the unexpected. A goal that is clearly understood and consistent with everything else we expect is vastly more effective than a goal we don't understand or have no belief will occur. When we imagine the sites, sounds and feelings of some future event, we create an incredibly compelling model of expectation. It is considerably easier to reach a goal that you have already experienced fully, even if it is 'only' in your imagination. Imagination -- We experience life as a rich, multi-layered array of imagined models and metaphors. We are not aware of the neurons in our eyes firing when stimulated by light. We 'see' an image that is assembled by our brain based on patterns of nerve activity. Between the light striking the neuro-receptors in the eye and the image we 'see', the mind is at work, creating a model of the world that fits past experience and our expectation of the present. The world we each experience is entirely 'imagined' in response to input from the outside, but in no way a complete or accurate representation. Our memories of past events generally change over time, particularly if we tell stories about them. But these memories and imagined experiences are no less real than 'facts', in terms of how we respond to them. Clearly, this opens vast opportunity -- your own ability to imagine the world you WANT to experience. Intent -- When we make choices about what we do with our Attention, Expectation and Imagination, we have entered the realm often called hypnosis. What we do with it has everything to do with the final key element - Intent. What to you intend to do? What choices do you intend to make? Quite often we start this by encountering something we DON'T want, a change in behavior or emotion we need to make. The process of turning an old habit into a valued resource is at the heart of most therapy, in hypnotherapy, it is where we place all of our effort. We ask, "What do you WANT to be doing, when you have been experiencing this issue?" The process of carefully answering that question is at the core of much of my work. There are probably as many styles of hypnotherapy as there are those who practice it. Some use trance, some don't. Some use relaxation, some don't. Some speak in monotone, some are quite dramatic. Some read from scripted trance inductions, some improvise every interaction. Some employ spiritual or mystical metaphors, some mechanical models or naturalistic stories. My intent, when approaching each session, is to be as ready as I can be to respond to the client, then and there. Not where they were last week, or where I think they should be, but to do what is needed to move toward the agreed goal, RIGHT NOW! This calls to mind a term often used in discussion of hypnosis, Rapport. I haven't mentioned it so far for the simple reason that rapport is only an issue when there are two or more people involved. If you are doing all the work yourself (self-hypnosis), there is no need to attend to another person in the mix. If you are working with another person, whether as client or therapist, a certain amount of your attention is set aside to monitor the relationship. The more transparent the relationship -- the less awareness there is of difference -- the less of your attention you need to allocate to the other person.
To distill it down: hypnosis is effective communication. With intent, focus, expectation and imagination, applied with vigor and discipline, you have resources to make the choices in your life that you want.
What is self-hypnosis?
What is NLP?
What is hypnotherapy useful for? Habits -- There are some who suggest that we consciously track only five to ten things at any given time. Others, who have seen someone driving while on a cell phone, suggest it may be less than two. Habit is behavior or emotion that has moved from conscious choice into automatic response to certain situations. Most habits are perfectly useful and appropriate. The fact that habits operate outside of our awareness frees our conscious mind to do other things. When the behavior or emotion is no longer appropriate, or when there is an internal conflict between competing habits, our attention is drawn to the habit. This call for attention can be purely emotional or it can be unpleasant feeling (dizziness), physical discomfort (nausea), even full-blown panic. Hypnotherapy is by far the most effective, direct means to address managing habits that have become conscious issues. Habits in need of managment appear in many forms: inappropriate emotions, phobias, eating and sleep disorders, self-sabotage, and so forth. Goals -- How can you make a constructive change, if you have no idea where you are headed? Setting and meeting goals is at the core of my work. Creating a well-formed outcome is central to successful therapy, and beyond that, is the central skill of managing ALL your resources. A properly formed goal adapts to the resources and beliefs of the client and is stated in terms that the 'unconscious' portion of the mind understands clearly. It is, in fact, these so-called unconscious resources that do the heavy lifting toward reaching well-formed goals. It is certainly possible to hit your goals by force of will, but why make torture out of it? and why risk failure? Your conscious mind is profoundly powerful. The part of your mind outside your awareness is vastly MORE powerful. And it never rests. Emotion -- The good feelings, joys and ecstatic moments of our lives are our emotional treasures - not only do they mark the great moments in our passage through life; they are the very fuel with which we drive ourselves forward to reach goals and overcome fear. With hypnosis, we can collect and put these emotions to work as passion, energy and enthusiasm. It makes reaching our goals not only possible, but perfectly natural, even seemingly effortless. Bad feelings have a purpose, too -- to alert us to the need to make changes. Often, when we respond by making some change, bad feeling goes away. When bad feeling gets stuck -- inaccurately associated with particular trigger sensations -- it can persist (as phobia, for example) and cause considerable distress. Fortunately, with hypnosis, we have the tools to dissolve useless bad feeling from old patterns easily and for good!
Memory -- Our ability to recall experiences long after they occur is a key capablity of living consciously. The process of removing experiences from consciousness is also a highly refined skill, yet something we often neglect. Much of what we call memory is really forgetting; the skill of moving things from awareness so that we can attend to what we want or need to pay attention to. Imagine what life would be like if you had all the phone numbers you've ever heard directly in your field of attention! Hypnosis has the perfect tools for working with memory (and forgetting!) to build those skills and talents into far greater resources.
When is hypnotherapy NOT the right choice?
Is hypnosis like sleep?
But while deep trance is often useful, it is rarely a necessary component of the work. We each go into and out of powerful trance states as a perfectly normal part of daily life. Quickly, while we are in traffic, or at the store. That's just it - we ALL do this stuff all the time. The key difference in working with a hypnotherapist is the focus on developing and refining the skills, on unlearning any conflicting habits and on setting goals with elegance. Once you have the skills refined, you can apply them to meet your own interests, as a powerful part of your own mind, a part you've had all along!
Can everyone be hypnotized?
Can hypnosis make me do something I think is wrong?
Will I remember everything?
Can you force me to do what I want?
Let's be clear, getting the life you want, making and fulfilling choices, is work. Great, exciting work! Hypnosis provides the tools, but you only get results if you use them. You can't be a carpenter or a mechanic without tools, but even the best tools don't do the work by themselves.
I've seen stage hypnosis, is that like what you do?
Can I bring a guest, or my spouse?
How many sessions will it take?
How much do you charge?
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