Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Be Controlled by the Hypnotherapist?
No, you are in control the entire time that you are in hypnosis. Your hypnotherapist simply guides the process for you. You will never do anything in a hypnotic state that you would not find acceptable in your normal awake state. You can hear everything being said, and can bring yourself out of hypnosis at any time. You will feel very relaxed, yet still aware and able to respond if you need to. (However, you won’t reveal anything to your hypnotherapist that you don’t want to reveal, either!)
Can I Get Stuck in Hypnosis?
No, no one has ever been stuck in hypnosis. You are always in control, and can come out of the trance state any time you choose. You may, however, enter such a state of relaxation that you fall into a deep sleep, in which case you would simply awake naturally.
What if I Can’t Be Hypnotized?
We all respond to stimuli in varying degrees; there are no guarantees as to how an individual will respond. However, almost anybody that is willing to be hypnotized, and has the desire to be hypnotized, can be hypnotized. In fact, we go in and out of trance states on a daily basis, including when we are daydreaming, absorbed in a book or a movie, or even while driving (remember when you last drove on the highway, and suddenly realized that you had passed your exit without realizing it? That was a trance state!)
What is the mind/body connection?
The connection between mind and body is such that our thoughts, feelings, beliefs and attitudes can profoundly affect our bodies and our health either positively or negatively, taking the body from ease to disease. Just as feeling nervous can cause a sensation of butterflies in the stomach, or constriction in the chest, so can mental stress cause negative physical responses in other parts of our body, causing or exacerbating disease.
How might hypnosis help with my medical condition?
We all have tapes running through our minds, tapes that are most often negative in nature. We tend to be our own harshest critics, constantly telling ourselves that we’re not smart enough, good enough, pretty or handsome enough, blaming ourselves for perceived failures. Hypnosis can help to change the negative thought patterns in the subconscious mind into positive thoughts, which will then change how we respond to illnesses and other negative things that happen to us.
Hypnosis can help by:
· Increasing positive emotions
· Changing how we think and feel about the condition
· Reducing stress, positively impacting the immune system
How does hypnosis work?
Hypnosis is a state of deep relaxation; a state so relaxed that the conscious mind takes a mini-vacation and gives us access to the focused subconscious mind, where we can introduce positive suggestions using metaphor, patterns, and association. Hypnosis can change how we respond to the issues in our lives.
What are common uses for medical hypnosis?
Hypnosis can be used to reduce pain and improve medical conditions including (but not limited to):
· Migraine and tension headaches
· Lowering blood pressure
· Reducing Asthma
· Minimizing hot flashes
· Diminishing side effects from chemotherapy
· Insomnia
· Nausea
· Fibromyalgia
· Reducing the “noise” of tinnitus
· Autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis
· Heart disease
· Pain reduction
Hypnosis can also be used to cope with the stress and anxiety associated with medical procedures, diagnostic testing such as CT scans and MRI’s, surgical/dental anxiety, and child birth.
How is guided imagery used for medical conditions?
Since guided imagery is a mind-body therapy, it can be used, through deep relaxation and visualization, to alleviate any stress-related condition or health concern. It has been used to lower high blood pressure, relieve insomnia, anxiety or depression, and even alleviates associated conditions such as skin rashes or irritable bowel syndrome in conjunction with traditional medicine.
What does science have to say about the mind-body connection?
Medical hypnosis has undergone extensive conceptual evolution and technical sophistication in recent years, and is increasingly understood as a treatment modality with the capacity to be applied, in selected situations, to a wide range of problems encountered in and out of the hospital.
When should medical hypnosis be used?
Medical hypnosis should be used to alleviate stress-related conditions after the client has been evaluated and diagnosed by a medical professional, and it has been deemed that hypnotherapy would be beneficial in conjunction with traditional medicine.
No, you are in control the entire time that you are in hypnosis. Your hypnotherapist simply guides the process for you. You will never do anything in a hypnotic state that you would not find acceptable in your normal awake state. You can hear everything being said, and can bring yourself out of hypnosis at any time. You will feel very relaxed, yet still aware and able to respond if you need to. (However, you won’t reveal anything to your hypnotherapist that you don’t want to reveal, either!)
Can I Get Stuck in Hypnosis?
No, no one has ever been stuck in hypnosis. You are always in control, and can come out of the trance state any time you choose. You may, however, enter such a state of relaxation that you fall into a deep sleep, in which case you would simply awake naturally.
What if I Can’t Be Hypnotized?
We all respond to stimuli in varying degrees; there are no guarantees as to how an individual will respond. However, almost anybody that is willing to be hypnotized, and has the desire to be hypnotized, can be hypnotized. In fact, we go in and out of trance states on a daily basis, including when we are daydreaming, absorbed in a book or a movie, or even while driving (remember when you last drove on the highway, and suddenly realized that you had passed your exit without realizing it? That was a trance state!)
What is the mind/body connection?
The connection between mind and body is such that our thoughts, feelings, beliefs and attitudes can profoundly affect our bodies and our health either positively or negatively, taking the body from ease to disease. Just as feeling nervous can cause a sensation of butterflies in the stomach, or constriction in the chest, so can mental stress cause negative physical responses in other parts of our body, causing or exacerbating disease.
How might hypnosis help with my medical condition?
We all have tapes running through our minds, tapes that are most often negative in nature. We tend to be our own harshest critics, constantly telling ourselves that we’re not smart enough, good enough, pretty or handsome enough, blaming ourselves for perceived failures. Hypnosis can help to change the negative thought patterns in the subconscious mind into positive thoughts, which will then change how we respond to illnesses and other negative things that happen to us.
Hypnosis can help by:
· Increasing positive emotions
· Changing how we think and feel about the condition
· Reducing stress, positively impacting the immune system
How does hypnosis work?
Hypnosis is a state of deep relaxation; a state so relaxed that the conscious mind takes a mini-vacation and gives us access to the focused subconscious mind, where we can introduce positive suggestions using metaphor, patterns, and association. Hypnosis can change how we respond to the issues in our lives.
What are common uses for medical hypnosis?
Hypnosis can be used to reduce pain and improve medical conditions including (but not limited to):
· Migraine and tension headaches
· Lowering blood pressure
· Reducing Asthma
· Minimizing hot flashes
· Diminishing side effects from chemotherapy
· Insomnia
· Nausea
· Fibromyalgia
· Reducing the “noise” of tinnitus
· Autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis
· Heart disease
· Pain reduction
Hypnosis can also be used to cope with the stress and anxiety associated with medical procedures, diagnostic testing such as CT scans and MRI’s, surgical/dental anxiety, and child birth.
How is guided imagery used for medical conditions?
Since guided imagery is a mind-body therapy, it can be used, through deep relaxation and visualization, to alleviate any stress-related condition or health concern. It has been used to lower high blood pressure, relieve insomnia, anxiety or depression, and even alleviates associated conditions such as skin rashes or irritable bowel syndrome in conjunction with traditional medicine.
What does science have to say about the mind-body connection?
Medical hypnosis has undergone extensive conceptual evolution and technical sophistication in recent years, and is increasingly understood as a treatment modality with the capacity to be applied, in selected situations, to a wide range of problems encountered in and out of the hospital.
When should medical hypnosis be used?
Medical hypnosis should be used to alleviate stress-related conditions after the client has been evaluated and diagnosed by a medical professional, and it has been deemed that hypnotherapy would be beneficial in conjunction with traditional medicine.