Hypnotherapy can offer dramatic results for a variety of emotional, mental and physical issues. The challenge is that there are many cultural myths and stereotypes to overcome in order to be open to trying hypnosis as a therapeutic modality. Here are a few of them you may have heard or may have had, and how you an overcome them for greater healing and self-awareness: 1. You'll embarrass yourself. Let's face it. Humiliation is often part of a why an audience finds a stage hypnotists show so entertaining. We're laughing at the person who's "under a spell". Why this is a false belief. The difference between hypnosis and a stage hypnotist's act lies in intent and consent. The ethical hypnotherapist has an intention of serving her client with full integrity and confidentiality, obtaining a client's consent and reminding them that they have full control of their experience. Hypnotherapists are therapeutic guides whereas stage hypnotists are entertainers. 2. You won’t remember anything. Your hypnotherapist will ask you what your goals for your session are, and among them will be that you will bring back all you discovered and learned during your session. She'll reinforce these by using post-hypnotic suggestions. Emotional, mental, physical and spiritual integration is a core benefit of hypnotherapy. I would imagine you'd want to remember all you can discover about yourself during a guided meditation or trance session. Much of the value of this healing modality lies in our ability to quickly get to the root cause of our imbalances or sense of unease. This relies on remembering the key details and "take-aways" of each experience. (Anchors are a great tool for this, look for a blog article on this soon). 3. You’ll be triggered at some distant point in the future. To be honest, the discoveries you make during your sessions may continue to unfold over the coming days and weeks. That said, you'll have more tools and support systems to rely on to help you during these moments. EFT is one of the best tools for integrating new emotional and spiritual discoveries into your energetic system and consciousness. This transformative process involves tapping on your energetic meridians while acknowledging and accepting what is. Additionally, while tapping, you also express your desired outcomes (e.g. affirmations). This clears any lingering blocks and "takes the edge of" lingering emotional triggers or physical manifestations of pain and anxiety. 4. You’ll disclose secrets without your consent.
See number #1 above where we talk about the importance of ethics, integrity, consent and confidentiality. Despite the fact that the state of CA does not license hypnotherapists, you can still do your own homework to validate your hypnotherapist has your best interests in mind. Before meeting with them, have a call or email exchange to determine what their stance is with respect to the core values of consent and confidentiality. During your face-to-face interview, at the start of the session, if you still have concerns in this area, ask your hypnotherapist to record your session so you listen back to what their specific words are, how directive they are in their communications, and in general, how they hold the space for you. Remember that you are always in control, which brings us to the last myth to debunk. 5. You'll lose control. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis which means in essence - you are always in control. Without your active consent, it's not actually possible to be hypnotized. And, the more resistant or tense someone is to hypnosis, the more time it may take for them to relax enough to be hypnotized. So as long as your hypnotherapist holds a space of self-empowered and non-directive healing, you'll be grounded and aware of your place in this experience as well as have the courage to let go for deep healing and transformation. When it comes to hypnotherapy, the more empowered you feel during the experience, the more transformative the experience. Feel free to ask your hypnotherapist for what you need to feel whole, grounded, and complete before, during, and after your session. Stay tuned and good luck on your road to self-healing. After all, you're always in the driver's seat.
1 Comment
1/26/2021 10:26:52 am
I'm glad you explained that hypnosis requires active consent to work and we won't lose control while under it. My husband could benefit from hypnosis treatment for pain relief since he injured his knee about a month ago. I'm glad I read your article so I can talk to him about hypnosis treatment soon and help him feel more comfortable with the idea of pursuing it!
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