First,
ALL hypnosis is ultimately self-hypnosis. We all hypnotize
ourselves
repeatedly each day. We just don't call
it hypnosis.
Some
may
recognize it as when they are driving home from work
or a long distance and suddenly they realize that they are at
their destination and really weren't aware of how they got there.
Effectively, the conscious part of our mind is put in neutral
and the subconscious mind drives you home "automatically." Hypnosis occurs when we set the conscious mind aside and work directly with the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is where your true memory resides - in fact, your subconscious never forgets anything that has happened to you. There are many instances of people being asked during hypnosis what they ate for breakfast on their fifth birthday and being able to tell exactly what they ate or other similar details. When we say we "can't remember" something, we actually mean we can't recall it from our subconscious mind using our conscious mind. But the actual memory remains embedded within the subconscious part of the mind. Our subconscious is also where our emotions come from and where we hold our beliefs about most everything.
Our conscious mind is used for short term memory, analyzing, intelligent thinking and rationalizing. It is usually used to protect the subconscious mind using its critical analysis on any new information being provided to it. However, just as when we are engrossed in a movie, we usually suspend our critical analysis and our normal critical disbelief and accept the premise of the fantasy in the movie as if it was real. This suspension of the critical factor of our mind is the same thing that happens in hypnosis.
When we suspend the critical factor of the conscious mind, we allow direct access to the subconscious mind and that is where true change can really occur. We do this by either progressively relaxing the conscious mind or through other means and then talk directly with the subconscious part of the mind. When we were young and impressionable, each of us was taught a multitude of things. Each of our lessons had a direct or indirect effect upon us and how we viewed the world. While most lessons were purposely taught, some lessons were inadvertently taught - like putting your finger in an electrical outlet or touching a hot stove. There's no better lesson than one that leaves a lasting impression on you. In such a situation, once a child has been shocked, they no longer want to investigate what will happen if they put their finger in an outlet again. Other lessons were also inadvertently taught to us. Sometimes children are mistreated or see or hear things that are harmful to their psyches. Parents incessantly fighting often leads to children becoming either withdrawn or they begin to fight with others and emulate their parents. There's no way to tell in advance how such acts will impress a child. Only their reaction afterward will clearly reflect their response. Often it is these responses that form the child's personality which they then carry into adulthood. Certain traits that people display are the direct result of the emotional "wounds" they received as children. Other times, the traits are actually slight variations of the original traits that they displayed as children. But children always carry the lessons they've learned in their earlier years. It is when these traits become so overwhelming to the person that they can no longer reasonably react to normal societal contact that they seek help. Good examples are stress, phobias, inappropriate anger or rage and chronic conditions. In Hypnosis, we can access the past history of where these traits have come from and change the memories held in your subconscious so that your present can change to a more acceptable experience. Direct suggestion is also used to give the subconscious mind a positive point of view and "post-hypnotic suggestions" can be left to assist a subject to remember to do something when needed without conscious thought. This can be very helpful for people who might otherwise forget important functions due to stress or other reasons. Overall, hypnosis can be profoundly beneficial for those who want to change their lives but find themselves "stuck" and unable to move. It can also be very helpful with physical pain and maladies and can be used for accelerated healing. Hypnosis is only limited by the imagination of the subject and the hypnotist. We have the creativity and the experience to address every situation that presents itself from our clients. We use both Hypnosis and Emotional Freedom Technique when dealing with Weight Loss, Smoking Cessation, and a host of other problems. We find that by using the two together, each is more effective and the overall healing is greater. We have notices that most clients will use EFT more readily if a post-hypnotic suggestion is left during hypnosis. This allows the client to help themselves without outside assistance. As our motto says, we are "Helping Others to Help Themselves." |