What’s so special about hypnotherapy?
Why do I love hypnotherapy above all other therapies? Well, some therapies make us feel good, that’s for sure. No one can doubt the pleasure of a good massage, for example. Sometimes I’ve floated off the couch feeling pampered and poodled… but, the feelings don’t last that long, do they?
Hypnotherapy is different. It can be very relaxing but it also works on the mind to create lasting change. The change that you want to see in your life – the change that will make all the difference to the quality of your future.
Stage Hypnotism -v- Clinical Hypnotherapy
Hypnosis has been around since ancient times in some form or other, and ancient Egyptians, for example, built dedicated sleep temples for the treatment of people through hypnosis.
We’ve come a long way since those days and also since the Victorian ages. Back in the mists of time people considered hypnosis to involve mystical powers and the hypnotist was revered as a powerful controller of the mind.
So, just to clarify, hypnosis is not:
- Mind control
- Ridiculous
- Dangerous
- Weird
- New Age
- Clucking chicken making
- From the devil
There are still many hypnotists who perform comedy stage routines that show people acting silly on stage under the influence of hypnosis. The truth is, hypnosis will not make you do something that you don’t want to do. Whilst these performers draw attention to the field of hypnosis there is no other similarity between stage hypnotism and clinical hypnotherapy.
As a clinical hypnotherapist I personally enjoy watching stage hypnotists do their stuff. They are clever entertainers and specialise in such areas as rapid induction – getting people into an altered state fast.
In the therapy room this type of induction is not needed. We go about things in a slow and relaxing way most of the time. Clinical hypnotherapists understand that when the body relaxes the mind can also relax. This inducement of calm flows like a wave of comfort and serenity, guiding the client into a Theta brainwave state that is perfect for the relaxed focus that is needed during a hypnotherapy session.
What is an Altered Brainwave State?
We all have brainwaves – these are the electrical pulses generated in the brain from the neurons (nerve cells) located there. These electrical pulses aren’t powerful enough to turn on a light bulb or burn a piece of toast, but they are strong enough to stimulate our thoughts and reactions to the world around us. These neurons communicate with each other so that we can react to our environment.
We naturally flow into different brainwave states all the time. When we sleep at night we are in an altered brainwave state – the Delta brainwave cycle is associated with deep sleep, for example. If we are meeting friends for coffee and chatting about our day we are likely to be in a Beta brainwave cycle. Often different cycles operate at the same time, so that we dip in and out of daydreaming states. Hypnosis works by encouraging a specific brainwave state that allows positive and useful suggestions to be incorporated into a person’s belief system.
Suggestions Do Work!
We are influenced by suggestions all the time. That’s why there are adverts everywhere we look, from traditional media platforms such as television, football stadiums, bus stops, all the way through to YouTube channels, Facebook, Google etc. Wherever we put our attention, we can be sure somebody somewhere is putting an advert for their product into our awareness. So, are all these companies throwing money away? No, of course not. They know that exposure to something over a period of time normalises it and makes it more likely that we will buy what they are selling. They know that even if we think we are immune to advertising or paying no conscious attention, it can still affect us.
The great thing about hypnotherapy is that you get to choose how you want to be influenced. Do you need more confidence, or the motivation to lose weight or stop smoking? No problem, hypnotherapy can help with all of those things. But, there is so much more that hypnotherapy is useful for.
Hypnotherapy for Anxiety
That’s right! Hypnotherapy is a great way to help people deal with anxiety. Not only does it calm a person down and get them thinking from the intellectual part of the brain that doesn’t “do anxiety”, it can change reactions and thinking patterns, building strong habits that encourage positive thinking and a sense of calm control. If anxiety has been destroying your life, if the pills don’t work and CBT failed you, then hypnotherapy may give you the results that you are desperate for.
Hypnotherapy for Success
All our limiting beliefs are stored in our subconscious minds. If you’ve ever had a moment where you’ve not felt good enough, when you stopped believing in yourself, if you think other people are better than you, more talented, more beautiful, more deserving… then you need to take control of your own mind with hypnotherapy. Ever met those damned “lucky” people whose lives seem to be perfect? Thoughts create everything, including the perfect life.
It’s a No-Brainer!
We don’t need to be defined by our past, we can build better futures for ourselves, simply by harnessing the power of our thoughts. We can shape our beliefs in ways that make us stronger, more resilient, happier, more positive and optimistic. When we feel positive and optimistic then good things start happening to us.
When we embrace this new way of thinking the world around us begins to change. When we change ourselves, everything else changes. It quite simply has to, because the world “out there” is only a reflection of what we are thinking “in here”. Reality is only as real as your thoughts about your situation. Life is nothing more than subjective experiences and the hardware of our brain colours our personal stories with meaning. It’s time to make those meanings better than before.
And we can do it! We have neuroplasticity! This means that our brains can change. In fact, they change all the time. And when you make changes in your perceptions and beliefs then it’s like designing a new shape from a tub of Play-Doh. We can reinvent ourselves and become just who we want to be.
Modern brain research shows how hypnotherapy can help to calm the mind and activate different areas of the brain, promoting change. Many studies show our amazing capabilities. Our brains are that clever we can even build muscle by thought alone!
What are you waiting for?
There is no time like the present. If you feel you would like to give hypnotherapy a go, get in touch and use the power of your own mind to become who you want to be.
Remember, we aren’t tins of spaghetti, our ingredients aren’t stamped to a label on our foreheads. We have all the abilities to change. If the ingredients you want for yourself include more motivation, more confidence, bravery, calm, resilience, happiness… then hypnotherapy can help you get what you need.
You’re just a phone call away from your new self.