Hypnotherapy
is the use of Hypnosis to assist in therapeutic change. It is an approach
that has been used with considerable success and entails the individual
being assisted into a hypnotic state. Hypnotic states are in fact quite
common and you will probably have experienced them before, maybe when
driving a car and not remembering the journey, or drifting off in your imagination
whist in the bath or maybe when becoming totally involved in a film or
TV program where you lose consciousness of the rest of the room. These
are all natural ways that we enter hypnosis. Entering these highly
creative areas of the mind can allow therapeutic change to occur at a
much deeper level.
There
are many misconceptions about hypnosis:
The hypnotist
is in control of me
Hypnosis is a state that
you create yourself, it is a natural state that you have been in many times.
In that sense all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. By engaging in the
hypnotic processes presented by the therapist, you can easily enter
these natural states. In hypnotherapy suggestions may be
accepted or rejected, in effect you only take what you need.
I will do
things that I would not normally do
In hypnosis your boundaries
are more open and accepting, you may discover ways to do things differently,
incorporating new understandings at a deeper level. So after
hypnotherapy you may do things that you had not done before (maybe
things that you would not normally have done). In a sense this can be an
outcome of hypnotherapy, helping you do things differently that you
have had trouble dealing with before (phobias for instance).
Even though this is the case, your own values, beliefs, morals and
ethics are also still active and applicable to what you choose to
do. People do not accept, nor act on, suggestions outside of their
values, beliefs, morals and ethics.
I will reveal
my innermost secrets
Hypnosis is not a truth
drug. In most cases you will not be required to say anything during
hypnosis. In some situations you may be asked questions if
applicable to your particular issue. In these cases hypnotherapy is
being used in order for you to more fully remember events. You always
have your own discretion about what you wish to say in these
circumstances.
So what's it like?
Being in
hypnosis is a very individual experience but is generally found to be
very physically relaxing, leaving your mind free to use its
creativity and personal store of memories and learning across multiple levels.
Peoples' experiences differ but you will notice changes.
Alan
Simms 
