FAQ
Questions about hypnosis & hypnotherapy
What is hypnosis?
This is the most common question about hypnosis. Hypnosis is a relaxed state of focused awareness. It opens up a door into your subconscious mind, that allows you to replace negative beliefs & associations with positive ones. This is why hypnosis is used in therapy to assist with weight loss, quitting smoking, changing habits, increasing motivation, and building confidence. Hypnotherapy is commonly used for over 100 different issues.
How does hypnosis work?
Picture your mind divided into two parts. You have the “subconscious mind” and the “conscious mind”.
The subconscious controls a whopping 88% of your thoughts and behavior. Meanwhile, your conscious mind is only controlling 12% of what you think and do.
And the subconscious is a rebel. It doesn’t care about all that logic, reasoning, or willpower in your conscious mind. It’s all about knee-jerk reactions.
You consciously want to make a change in your life–such as lose weight–but your subconscious mind isn’t on board and can’t stop craving that comforting bowl of ice cream.
Since you were born, you’ve been making associations in your subconscious that stick with you. Let’s say you had a scary encounter with a dog as a kid and it bit you. Even though you now know most dogs are kind and won’t attack you, you still react in fear when you see a dog. We often don’t realize why we react a certain way to a situation, as these associations are made subconsciously.
During hypnosis, your brain waves slow down from beta and into alpha and theta states. This also happens right before you fall asleep at night and when you first wake up in the morning, so it is a natural state that all humans experience daily. During this time you become more suggestible and open to suggestions. You put aside your “critical mind” which includes your reasoning and become much more receptive to change.
The suggestible state of hypnosis opens a door into the subconscious part of the mind and creates new associations that align with what you consciously want. It’s like re-wiring your brain to work in your favor!
Hypnosis won’t force you into doing or saying anything you don’t want to. You are in complete control the entire time.
Hypnotic suggestions during your sessions are personalized just for you, and while there are no guarantees, the changes we can make together are pretty powerful and just might transform your life.
What does hypnosis feel like?
Most people find hypnosis during hypnotherapy to be a highly relaxing experience. It’s the ultimate form of self-care, as the state of hypnosis is a natural stress reliever. You may simply feel deeply relaxed, or you may feel like you are floating blissfully, or like you are sinking down comfortably into the support beneath you.
Everyone experiences hypnosis differently, but you will be awake and aware the entire time. Your mind may drift while your subconscious mind is absorbing the positive hypnotic suggestions that are given to you during your session, and this is perfectly normal. The subconscious will still process the information.
Will you make me cluck like a chicken?
No…not unless you want to for some reason! Many people have this question about hypnosis, but thankfully hypnotherapy is nothing like a stage hypnosis show that is done for comedy and entertainment. You won’t do or say anything that you don’t want to. You’ll be in complete control the entire time.
Has hypnotherapy been proven to work?
While there are no guarantees, there are numerous studies that have found hypnotherapy to be beneficial in helping people with several issues*.
Hypnotherapy is not a “cure” and may not work for everyone.
Listed below are some of the most common issues that hypnotherapy has shown effectiveness:
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Test Anxiety & Academic Performance
See more COMMON ISSUES here.
* Some issues listed above may require a signed referral from a medical doctor or mental health practitioner for hypnotherapy.
Can everyone be hypnotized?
Yes, everyone can be hypnotized, but you need a qualified hypnotist and you have to be a willing participant. During your first session, I will conduct “suggestibility testing” that will give me an indication of how your subconscious likes to take in information. This will allow me to customize the hypnotic induction and suggestions that will work best for you.
It’s common for people to believe they were not hypnotized after a hypnotherapy session. That is because it’s a natural state that you are already familar with.
You experience the natural state of hypnosis every night before you fall asleep at night, as your brain waves slow down into alpha and theta.
You also expereince “environmental hypnosis” regularly in your life when you are really into a movie and forget about the world around you. Environmental hypnosis can also happen when you “zone out” while driving on a freeway and miss your exit.
Hypnosis will feel familiar to you, because it is a natural state that you experence often, but this doesn’t mean that you weren’t hypnotized.
Will I spill my secrets to you while in hypnosis?
No, you won’t tell me anything that you don’t want to during your hypnosis session. Most clients don’t speak during hypnotherapy sessions, but if you do, it will typically be during guided therapuetic imagery or past life regression (if you choose to do this type of session). You may reveal truths to yourself while in hypnosis, but you won’t be spilling secrets to me. You will be in control and can keep your secrets to yourself.
Can I get stuck in hypnosis?
No, you can’t get stuck in hypnosis. It does take a few moments for your brain waves to return to the wakeful betawave state following your session, but you will not remain in the hypnosis state. It is similar to how you always wake from sleep. It’s possible that you could drift off to sleep during your hypnosis session, in which case I would gently wake you.
How can hypnotherapy help me?
Hypnotherapy can help with a wide variety of over 100 issues ranging from insomnia, to weight loss, to smoking cessation.
I often help people who feel stuck and need assistance changing habits and achieving their goals. I also assist clients with past life regression, weight loss, smoking cessation, sleep issues, and fears.
I am a certified specialist in these areas by the American Hypnosis Association:
- Hypnosis for Weight Loss
- Hypnosis for Smoking Cessation
- Hypnosis for Sleep & Insomnia
- Hypnosis for Anxiety & Fears
- Hypnosis for Caregivers
- Past Life Regression Hypnosis
I am a Therapeutic Imagery Master, in which I received extensive training in guided imagery.
How many hypnotherapy sessions will I need?
Hypnotherapy is not “magic” and does not typically make instant changes. However, it often helps people make desired changes quickly. You will have an impactful experience in your first hypnotherapy session!
Most clients typically need at least 3-5 sessions for a specific issue, but sometimes more. I recommend you start with a minimum of 3 sessions. The first couple of sessions (or so) are going to condition you to the hypnotic state and prepare you for becoming more receptive to positive change. The subconscious mind will begin to process the information given to you during hypnosis and works on the law of repetition, which takes several sessions.
I like to tell my clients that your subconscious mind is like a lake. Imagine that you see a choppy lake, and that if you throw a pebble into that choppy lake it doesn’t make a difference on the surface of the water. Now imagine that the lake is calm and the surface of the water is like glass. When you throw a pebble into that calm lake, you see big ripples in the water from the pebble. When you first come in for a hypnotherapy session, your subconscious is like the choppy lake. I need to calm it down, so that when I give you positive suggestions (pebbles), they make an imprint.
Some issues are known to typically take fewer sessions (such as smoking cessation), while others typically need more sessions and a longer commitment for success (such as weight loss). It’s also common to come in for one issue and transition to additional issues as your sessions progress. I invite you to request information here and schedule a free consult call to discuss what you’d like to work on and how many sessions I recommend we start with.