Hypnosis Myths and Facts
Hypnosis is often misunderstood and remains a mystery to most. Luckily there is a growing body of research from Harvard, Ohio State, and many others that can put your fears to rest and reveal how effective it can be. While I'm not suggesting it's a quick fix, there is compelling evidence that it can be a much quicker route than talk therapy.
Hypnosis Myths
Hypnotized individuals slip into an involuntary trance.
You are always in control. I am guiding you into a brain state that takes you out of the chatty judging monkey-mind into a surrendered state where the subconscious is accessible and brings together the conflicting messages you have. From that place, you can negotiate and make decisions. My job is helping you work through how to take next steps, and let go to uncover more layers while instilling the belief in yourself that you have the ability to change.
Hypnosis is a form of therapy.
Hypnosis is not a form of therapy. It is an altered state of consciousness in which therapy can be conducted. Science has confirmed that hypnotherapy can change our perception and behavior. Read more than 10 findings about the efficacy of hypnosis from PositvePsychology.com.
The hypnotist can make you do things against your will.
If a suggestion is unacceptible to you, it will simply not be followed. I can't make you cluck like a chicken (or do the chicken dance!) unless you want to. You maintain your values, beliefs, and opinions while under hypnosis and are an active problem solver. Hypnosis quiets the frontal cortex in the brain and helps you become more open to information, more suggestible, and capable of creating more intense sensations in your mind. (Thomson, 2019).
Hypnosis is no different from the placebo effect.
In 1961 psychiatrist Ralph August published a study of 850 women who gave birth under hypnosis. Only 4 percent—34 women—required painkillers. We now have the ability to see changes in the brain in response to hypnosis. Areas responsible for processing cognition and emotion show greater activity during hypnosis, as well as hypnosis-induced changes in functional connectivity between anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the large neural network.
Some People Cannot Be Hypnotized.
There is no such thing as someone that can't be hypnotized. There are however people that resist it, even if they don't know they are resisting it. If you resist hypnosis then it won't work. You can't force it on someone, they have to want it to happen for it to work. The critical faculty in your mind is like a security guard. Whenever someone says anything to you, it analyzes it and decides whether to let the suggestion in or reject it. Just like Henry Ford said, "Whether you think you can, or you think you can‘t – you‘re right."
Hypnosis can "cure" you in just one session!
Remember the old adage, "if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is?" The same applies here. Don't believe the hypno-hype. Uncovering the reasons for deep-seated beliefs and self-sabotaging behaviors is required before a pathway to change can begin. That said, take a look at the studies below.
Hypnosis Studies
While there are plenty of examples in scientific literature attesting to the usefulness of clinical hypnosis, a study published in the journal Gut is noteworthy. The study involved 204 people suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Treatment consisted of 12 weekly sessions of hypnosis (lasting about one hour each). Fifty-eight percent of the men and 75 percent of the women reported significant symptom relief immediately after finishing treatment. More than 80 percent of those who reported initial relief were still improved up to six years later. Fewer than 10 percent of the participants tried other treatments after hypnotherapy. (Gut, November 2003).
Hypnosis Benefits & Facts
Improve Behaviors
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Eliminate self-sabotaging behaviors that hold you back
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Overcome emotional eating
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Understand and deal with sexual issues in a positive way
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Learn tools that help you stay on track and excel in life
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Navigate stressful changes like divorce, loss, or career with grace
Feel Your Best
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Learn to fall asleep easily and get more rest
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Quiet your monkey mind and circular thinking
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Understand and deal with difficult emotions in a healthy way
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Boost your motivation and energy
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Find relief from chronic pain, migraines and other health issues
Enhance Performance
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Improve your focus and energy
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Banish your negative self-talk
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Feel calm under pressure and overcome test anxiety
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Assist fast injury recovery
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Find new ways to work through stumbling blocks