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Articles
Demystifying Hypnosis
Sometimes you may feel that paying attention to your
health is a real scramble. There are so many choices
when it comes to taking care of your body and soul,
you may not know which way to turn. Do you opt for
conventional medical treatment or do you choose an
alternative? How do you know if therapy x is better
than therapy y? You may find it hard to know which
path to take in order to be at your best both
physically and emotionally.
In the midst of all of these choices, hypnotherapy
stands out as a very important tool in the health
and wellness toolbox.
Hypnotherapy who?
You, like most people, may not know a lot about
hypnosis. You may have seen it presented as a source
of entertainment or as a shady practice that people
with dicey ethics engage in. As a result, you may
perceive it as sinister or simply silly.
What you may not realize is that hypnosis provides
an effective and painless way to relieve various
physical and mental conditions, from the ordinary to
the extraordinary. It’s also great for improving
overall health. Whether you’re facing physical or
emotional challenges—or both, hypnotherapy is a
great tool to help you live your best life.
The roots of hypnotherapy
Researchers began to practice—and examine—the
technique that came to be known as hypnosis in the
mid-1800s. This means that hypnotism has been under
scientific scrutiny for more than two hundred years.
Though evidence has pointed towards the positive
health benefits of hypnotherapy, it wasn’t until the
mid-1950s that the medical profession started
endorsing hypnosis as an acceptable medical
practice. In 1955, the British Medical Association
approved the medical use of hypnosis followed by the
American and the Canadian Medical Associations in
1958. Psychiatric and psychological associations
came on board in the years that followed. Even with
the endorsements, however, hypnosis did not become
widely used.
Current medical research
In the last decade, many studies have shown that
hypnosis has a positive impact on the treatment of a
number of medical conditions. For instance,
researchers have been very interested in the effect
that hypnosis has on the experience of pain. They
have shown that when a person is hypnotized before a
painful procedure, the brain’s pain processing
center works differently and pain is reduced.
Studies have proven that hypnosis reduces pain for
people who are cancer patients, receiving treatment
for burns, donating bone marrow, or giving birth.
Hypnosis can be used as a form of anesthetic. It is
useful in the treatment of other conditions
including irritable bowel syndrome, skin disease,
and obesity among others. These findings are paving
the way for the wider use of hypnosis inside and
outside conventional medical practice.
Hypnosis at home
While it is gaining an important role in the
treatment of medical conditions, hypnotherapy is
beneficial even if you don’t have serious medical
issues. Hypnosis can help you deal with and change
any realm of your life that is troubling you or
wearing you down. With the aid of hypnotherapy, you
can conquer patterns you may feel trapped by such as
smoking or overeating. Hypnosis can help eliminate
bad habits, troublesome behaviours, and negative
thought patterns. Studies have shown that hypnosis
is useful for tackling debilitating phobias. With
hypnosis, you can boost self-esteem and improve your
performance, focus and ground yourself. Hypnosis can
easily be part of your life in the same way that
relaxation, meditation, exercise, or prayer can.
Hypnosis provides useful techniques for simply
getting through the day-to-day stresses of your
life, whether they are little or big.
What is hypnosis?
Hypnosis is actually not that complicated. It has
been described as “a wakeful state of focused
attention.” Hypnosis relies extensively on the
imagination—it harnesses the power of the mind to
bring about change. Hypnotherapists often employ
relaxation techniques as well as guided
visualization. You’re not asleep during hypnosis;
you remain aware and in control. Once a
hypnotherapist helps you achieve a hypnotic state,
your subconscious is more “available” to receive
positive suggestions. Some claim that hypnosis
merely produces a placebo effect, but evidence
suggests that hypnosis is a real process that
happens on a neurological level. Studies show that
in the hypnotic state, some parts of the brain
actually change their activation patterns. As a
result barriers to change are removed, positive
suggestions can be made, and their effects are
amplified. Most people describe the process as
empowering and rejuvenating. Some people employ
hypnotherapeutic techniques on a daily basis.
Why hypnosis is a great healing tool
There are so many reasons that hypnotherapy is such
a fantastic tool. Here are a few important ones:
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Research shows that it is effective—both
physically and emotionally.
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It has no side effects.
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It is a holistic healing technique—dealing with
the mind and the body.
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It’s non-invasive—that is, it doesn’t require
surgery or medication.
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It works in combination with other conventional
or alternative treatments.
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It is versatile—it can be used for childbirth or
for improving a golf game.
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It’s easy to learn and can be used alone and at
home.
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Its effects are long-term.
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Relative to the high price of prescription
medications, it is not costly.
Making decisions about caring for yourself may
stress you out. But perhaps knowing that
hypnotherapy is an option—and that there are
hundreds of certified hypnotherapists practicing
across Canada—will ease your mind a little. Whatever
level of intensity you’re experiencing—whether
you’re facing a life-threatening illness or you just
feel a little off-course in your life, hypnotherapy
will help you.
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Who can be Hypnotized?
Who can be hypnotized? Well,
let’s turn the question around: who can’t be
hypnotized?
Truthfully, anyone can be
hypnotized. People actually go into states of light
hypnosis on a daily basis. You might experience
hypnosis when you’re watching a great movie, when
you daydream while driving, or when you’re so
wrapped up in a book that you don’t hear someone
call your name. You have probably also been
subjected to advertising that “hypnotizes” you every
day; you receive messages that you may accept
unconsciously because they play on your emotions,
hopes and fears. These are all examples of hypnosis;
we just don’t know it by that name.
Hypnosis is a form of
concentration. Whenever we tune the world out in
order to focus on some really specific thing—a book,
a movie, a song, or a highway—then we are using
hypnosis techniques whether we realize it or not.
Believing you can’t be hypnotized is one of several
misconceptions about hypnosis that can provoke fear.
Most people can be hypnotized
especially once they understand how hypnotherapy
works, and what it can and cannot do. Here are some
important points about hypnosis that you should know
right off the bat.
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You cannot be hypnotized if
you’re not willing to be hypnotized.
Period. Hypnosis is not something
that can be “imposed” on you. In a way, all
hypnosis is actually self-hypnosis. You can’t be
hypnotized unless you agree to it.
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Hypnosis is a participatory
process; it isn’t something done to you.
You and your
hypnotherapist work together. He or she guides
and instructs you, but you’re the one who
actually does it. Many people learn to use
self-hypnosis on their own at home too.
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You do not lose control under
hypnosis. You will
never do anything that you don’t want to do
while you are hypnotized. Hypnosis does not
enable a hypnotherapist to manipulate you or
force you to do or say things against your will.
You will not suddenly reveal all of the intimate
details of your life. You will never lose
control even if you practice self-hypnosis
techniques on your own.
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You can come out of hypnosis
any time. There is
no such thing as being “stuck” in hypnosis. On
your own or with a hypnotherapist, you can leave
the hypnotic state whenever you want. At the end
of a session, clients are typically brought
gently out of hypnosis by their hypnotherapist
and emerge feeling revitalized and refreshed.
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Being hypnotized is not a
sign of weakness.
Some people feel that if they are hypnotized, it
means they are impressionable or weak. Being
hypnotized says nothing whatsoever about your
personality; whether you are strong-willed or
mild-mannered, a follower or a leader, powerful
or weak, your ability to respond to hypnosis is
not affected.
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Even highly-strung people can
be hypnotized.
Some people live with a great deal of stress and
don’t feel they are able to “relax” enough to be
hypnotized. No matter how tense you are,
hypnotism can work for you. In fact, it will
probably help you feel less stressed.
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Hypnotherapy techniques are
learned techniques.
This means that, like other
things you learn—a language, an instrument, or a
sport—you will get better at these techniques
the more you practice them. Hypnosis is a
practice that can be easily incorporated into
your daily life.
When people seek out a
hypnotherapist, they usually have a specific goal
they need help achieving. In this case, the process
is more focused and guided than the other forms of
light hypnosis you might experience during your
day-to-day life. Some of the work that’s done with a
hypnotherapist actually involves “de-hypnotizing”
people from the negative messages they receive, and
unconsciously accept, every day.
Hypnosis is quite a simple
process. It distracts the conscious mind and brings
forward the subconscious mind. The conscious mind is
the “critical” part that screens incoming
information. Hypnosis allows you to bypass the
conscious and connect directly to the subconscious
so that changes can be made more easily since
there’s no resistance from your “editor”! Any severe
scare or stress will also instantly bypass the
conscious mind. Just think about it: when we’re
frightened, our instincts kick in immediately. Of
course, a certified hypnotherapist can help you
access the subconscious mind in a way that is very
gentle, yet effective.
As well,
during the hypnotic state, communication pathways
between the two hemispheres of the brain are
strengthened and that makes change easier. Any ideas
that are suggested to you while under hypnosis come
in the form of words or images that you provide the
hypnotherapist yourself—so in a sense, you
direct the session. The hypnotherapist is not in
control of your mind—you
are.
To
ensure your success in hypnotherapy, you bring three
things to the table:
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adequate language and
comprehension ability to follow the words and
instructions of the hypnotherapist
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the ability to think or to
imagine
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the willingness to be hypnotized
A skilled hypnotherapist has a
huge repertoire of techniques that work with a wide
range of people. You can rest assured that he or she
will be able to guide you effectively through the
process.
Hypnosis is an incredibly
effective tool that, with the investment of some
time and energy, anyone can employ. Hypnotherapy is
not invasive and it doesn’t have any side effects.
It doesn’t interfere with any other treatments,
medical or non-medical, that you may be taking; in
fact, it can be used alongside them.
Hypnosis is about harnessing the
power of your mind. It’s a state of heightened
awareness that lets you communicate with the most
powerful part of your brain and send it positive
messages about the changes you’d like in your life.
Whether you want to manage your weight better, eat
more healthily, leave behind habits that are
hurting you, get ahead, or feel good about
yourself—hypnosis will help you.
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