What is Hypnotherapy?
There has often been confusion about what hypnosis or hypnotherapy is all about. Much of the confusion is brought about by the lack of knowledge of the phenomenon of the hypnotic trance and the misuse of this trance state for the purpose of entertainment. Sensible and dedicated Hypnotherapists do not contaminate their work by demonstrating on a public stage the healing abilities of hypnosis. One cannot visualize a member of the medical profession, or any other professional, charging money for people to come and watch their clients make fools of themselves.
In New Zealand, at this time, it seems that a large proportion of so-called Hypnotherapists have as part of their modus operandi, endorsed stage hypnosis and this has served and will continue to serve the opinion that hypnotherapy and hypnosis is a gimmick.
What is Hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a state of mind where the body is very
relaxed. The person in
hypnosis looks as though they are asleep. When a person is asleep they
are unconscious or it could be said that they are unaware.
Certainly unaware that they are asleep - unaware of what is going on
around them. Their conscious mind is asleep. While
they are asleep they are not thinking such things, as “it is good to be
asleep.” Whereas when that person is in hypnosis or in the
hypnotic “sleep”, they are VERY conscious. They hear very
clearly and are aware of where they are and who is there with
them. As well as being very conscious, they can think and
reason and have full control of their mind and actions.
They will not undertake dangerous things nor will they act on
suggestions, which are against their moral nature. You cannot
get people to steal, cheat, murder or things like that. Any
suggestions along that line will result in the person opening their
eyes and coming out of the hypnotic state. Hypnosis is, then,
a conscious state where the body is asleep and the mind is
awake. The phrase often used that a person is “under
hypnosis” is completely erroneous. The true phrase is :in
hypnosis”. It is not the ability of the so-called hypnotist
that puts people in the hypnotic state, but it is always the ability of
the subject that results in hypnosis. All hypnosis is
self-hypnosis and any reputable practitioner knows this.
What is Hypnotherapy?
The easiest definition of hypnotherapy is “the giving of
therapeutic suggestions to a person while they are in a state of
hypnosis”. Why would we want to do this? First of
all, it is a fact that everything that we have learned has been learned
by suggestions and these suggestions lodge in the subconscious mind and
become our knowledge. That knowledge in the subconscious mind
is what causes us to behave the way that we do. The conscious
mind is the mind that we think with, whereas the subconscious mind does
not think but simply records all the things that we experience through
the senses. Everything we touch, taste, smell, hear and see,
records in the subconscious and this begins to occur the moment that we
are born. This learning carries on and every time we
experience something through the senses like touching, smelling,
tasting, seeing and hearing, this experience lodges in the subconscious
mind. Each time we experience these things, it reinforces in
the subconscious exactly what muscles, nerves, sinews etc it needs to
move in order to accomplish what we wish to do. The
subconscious then answers to the call of the conscious mind.
Where problems arise is when the programming of the subconscious mind
is such that it overrides the intention of the conscious
mind. A person may decide that they will stop smoking and
this decision is made by the conscious mind, which is the thinking
mind. However, if the person’s subconscious mind is
programmed for smoking by consistent use, a conflict arises between the
two minds and it is the subconscious mind that always wins for it
overrides the conscious mind’s decision to stop smoking. The
person then goes to see a Hypnotherapist because they think they have a
weak will. The truth of the matter is that it has nothing to
do with weak willpower but has everything to do with the programming of
the subconscious mind. Now if the subconscious mind were re-programmed,
we would then have a position where the conscious mind and the
subconscious mind are in agreement. When the two minds are in
agreement, we have a winner. Now the way to re-programme the
subconscious mind is to talk to it directly by bypassing the conscious
mind. There is only one way to bypass the conscious mind and
talk directly to the subconscious mind and that is when the person is
in hypnosis. In fact the bypassing of the conscious mind, and
talking directly to the subconscious mind, is the one and only reason
why we use hypnosis. Thus it can be seen that hypnotherapy is
the name given to the giving of suggestions directly to the
subconscious mind.
Selecting the Hypnotherapist
It is very important that in order to help people with hypnotherapy, the Hypnotherapist must be able along with the client, to decide on the real problem rather than trying to deal with a symptom of the problem. Often the presenting problem is a symptom and not the real problem. Having ascertained the real problem, it then the Hypnotherapists responsibility to make sure the suggestions given are appropriate and compiled in proper therapeutic language. Thus it is very important for the public good that Hypnotherapists are well trained in all aspects of human behaviour and all aspects of physical and mental activities - both normal and abnormal. There are some situations when hypnotherapy is not appropriate and if Hypnotherapists were not adequately trained, they would be unable to make this decision. Therefore, the public should exercise care when choosing whom to consult and whether that Hypnotherapist has been trained in a hypnotherapy training programme which is of sufficient length and depth. For there is no way that a qualification is bona fide if it was completed in a matter of a few months or in some cases a few weeks.
What kinds of problems can be treated?
If behaviour or thinking are involved in your problem then Hypnosis can be used to help:
Smoking Cessation
Sport Confidence
Slimming
Nervous Tension
Emotional Upset
Anxieties
Fears and Phobias
Nail Biting
Headaches
Insomnia
Depression
Sexual Problems
Studying
Concentration
Exam Anxiety
Memory Recall
Asthma
Shyness
Confidence
Stuttering
Bedwetting
Pain
Child Behavioural problems
Relationship Difficulties
Sales Motivation
Child Birth
Dentistry
Surgery
Public Speaking
More than ever before people are turning to using Clinical Hypnotherapy to overcome personal difficulties and to enable their self development, to achieve goals, inner peace, and happiness.