Hypnosis is a perfectly safe, natural state of mind that occurs multiple times each day. Thismental experience is characterized by a highly focused state of attention in which everythingelse recedes into background awareness. Common examples: Let’s say Jane’s driving on thefreeway and misses her exit because she’s deep in thought. That’s hypnosis. Gwen paints,losing track of time. Paul daydreams while Cheryl gets absorbed in a good book. Or thatwonderful, relaxed feeling just before falling asleep at night; these are all very naturalexperiences of hypnosis and signifyan altered state of mind. We shift in and out of these stateseasily…just imagine Paul at his desk, daydreaming…until the tapping sound by his boss gets hisattention. Shift. Notice also, Paul was in full control of that mental experience.

Therapeutically, the intrinsic value of hypnosis is two-fold. Hypnosis deeply relaxes the bodyand effectively quiets the mind. This beneficial aspect alone merits value. Secondly, hypnosishas the ability to create profound, rapid changes because it communicates directly with thesubconscious mind.
This part of the mind has a very different nature and job description than its more familiar co-worker, the conscious mind. Whereas the conscious is responsible for logical, critical thinkingskills (ie: Sherlock Holmes), the subconscious stores our memories, life experiences, self-thoughts and creative imagination—and it’s from here that our emotions take shape, habitsform, and choices are made as to how we relate to ourselves, to others, and to the world aroundus. Additionally, while the conscious mind thinks sequentially, the subconscious provides a bird’seye view, “seeing the whole picture,” providing connections and insight that’s outside of analyticthinking. These two very important parts of the mind have a working relationship in which theconscious mind makes decisions informed by our subconscious thoughts.
The subconscious also controls our autonomic nervous system, responsible for numerousinvoluntary functions (ie: heart rate, blood pressure, rate of healing, digestion) and physicalsensations, such as pain. These things operate outside of our conscious control yet areinfluenced by our emotions and subconscious thoughts. Moreover, the subconscious and thephysical body communicate with each another 24/7—through thoughts, feelings and images. Inother words, subconscious thoughts and feelings drive our behaviors, while simultaneouslyinfluencing our physical health.

All hypnosis is really self-hypnosis and the client is in full control of his/her experience.
In a therapeutic session, a clinical hypnotherapist gently guides the client into a safe, relaxedstate, to engageboththe conscious and subconscious mind for healing purposes. This is whatmakes hypnotherapy a unique and powerful healing modality. A free, confidential consultation isalways done beforehand to discuss the client’s issue and to agree upon treatment goals. As youmay already sense, hypnotherapy offers hope and excitement for what’s possible.

Sometimes we are in conflict with ourself—we want something or wish to feel differently aboutsomething, yet either work against the very thing we desire or feel blocked—as though anotherpart of us is in control. Perhaps you’ve tried conscious strategies to act or logically talk yourselfinto feeling differently, with limited or no success. Einstein once said, ”We cannot solve ourproblems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
Since hypnosis works by communicating with the subconscious mind (where memories andself-thoughts are stored), hypnosis takes the client directly to the origin of an issue. Oncebrought out into the light of day, together we explore and better understand the issue. I drawupon a variety of techniques to effectively help my clients discover their own self-limiting beliefs, false assumptions or negative self-thoughts. With new perspectives and healing words, feelingsand behaviors change. Possible now are opportunities to create new and healthier, happierways of being. Since the conscious mind makes decisions informed by our subconsciousthoughts, a change of perspective has the potential to benefit not just one, but multiple areas ofone’s life.

How can hypnosis help clients dealing with medical issues?The subconscious and ourphysical body communicate with each other 24/7, via thoughts, feelings and images. A certifiedmedical hypnotherapist can tap into this “conversation” for multiple purposes, such as to sendhealing messages or beneficial instructions to the body. Conversely, medical hypnosis can beused to help the client better understand the wisdom of their body, gaining valuable insight.
Additionally, our subconscious thoughts and feelings influence our overall health, how fast weheal, our perception of pain, and have been proven to impact outcomes of medical procedures.In my medical hypnotherapy practice, I use a combination of hypnosis, therapeutic suggestions,guided imagery, and NLP to help clients face their medical challenges with a positive mentalattitude, to reduce suffering, improve sleep, and to heal faster. Because clients are often givenmental exercises or self-hypnosis to do at home to compliment their sessions, clients reportfeeling good about taking a proactive role in their own healing process.

Below are some suggested applications:

*Note: The practice of hypnosis, guided imagery and NLP is not the practice of medicine. Clientswith physical symptoms or medical issues are to see their physician first for medical treatment,incorporating medical hypnosis as an adjunct therapy to their physician’s treatment plan.
**Note: Following an initial consultation and before we start our first session, I ask clients totouch base with their physician to discuss incorporating medical support hypnotherapy into theirtreatment plan. I will ask for a referral or the ability to contact their doctor for any questions.

I teach most of my clients how to do self-hypnosis for themselves, as a self-care strategy forseveral reasons. 1) It’s an easy, economical and portable way to experience deep relaxationand comfort when and where it’s needed. 2) It effectively calms the mind and quiets mentalchatter, and 3) Overall, it brings a measure of control back into a person’s life.

Smoking is a physical and psychological addiction that responds well to hypnosis. Working withthe subconscious allows attitudes to change, which effects behavior. The smoking habit is mostdefinitely changeable, if the person who smokesreallydesires to stop. What’s truly remarkableis how rapidly your body begins to heal, once you stop smoking.