When your mind is relaxed, concentrated and focused, you are able to use it more powerfully. Hypnosis allows you to use more of your potential, your lifetime of learning and your unique understanding of yourself to solve problems. In this state of mind, you are also more open to suggestions, meaning you are more open to receiving suggestions on changing negative thoughts or improving negative behaviors.
Clinical Hypnosis is an altered state of awareness, consciousness, and focused attention used by a licensed healthcare professional with an advanced degree to treat a psychological or physical problem.
What is Hypnotherapy?
While the words hypnosis and hypnotherapy are often mutually used, they are not actually the same thing. Hypnosis is the state of mind that a person is put into during Hypnotherapy, which is a form of therapy to help treat a number of both physical and mental health conditions. Hypnotherapy is used along with other treatments or therapies.
Have you ever felt “zoned out” right before falling asleep or so thoroughly engrossed in a book, movie, or meditation that you are solely focused on that particular thing and nothing else? This is a state of mind that is similar, but not identical to, clinical hypnosis.
There are several hypnotherapy techniques that can be used in order to help a person recover from the issues they are experiencing:
Coping: This technique teaches skills that can be used when a person is faced with a long-standing fear.
Exploration: Exploration is used to explore the problem at hand. Exploring how you felt the first time you encountered the problem may help in the recovery process.
Relaxation: With the relaxation technique, patients are guided through a process to help him / her learn to relax when presented with a particular situation or fear.
Suggestion: Suggestion may be used by your therapist to assist in making changes necessary to overcoming the behavior, thoughts, or fears that are affecting your daily well-being.
Myths and Misconceptions About Hypnosis
Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy are often misunderstood due to negative portrayals seen on television, magic shows, and in other pop culture references.
Despite what you may have seen in TV and films, you will not be put into an entirely unconscious or sleeping state, or in any way vulnerable or not in control of your actions. Rather you will hear their verbal suggestions, and then you and you alone will decide whether or not to act on them. There is no trickery involved during hypnosis.
- You do not become unconscious–you are aware of everything at all times.
- You are in full control during hypnosis and cannot be made to do anything against your will.
- You will not reveal information that you wish to keep secret.
- Hypnosis is not a form of sleeping.
What are the Benefits of Hypnotherapy?
At Montgomery Counseling Group, hypnosis is used as a primary approach or as an addition to other counseling approaches to treat symptoms of a variety of issues.
Hypnotherapy has a range of benefits including awareness, focus and motivation, relaxation, and awareness. These benefits are crucial to resolving issues such as:
- Anxiety disorders
- Depression
- Trauma / Ptsd
- Fear / phobias
- Health concerns / pain management
- Trauma / PTSD
- Pain management
- Substance abuse or addiction
- Self-esteem related issues
- Sexual Dysfunction
- Sleep disorders
- Learning Disorders
The 7 Components of Hypnosis
Hypnosis is comprised of 7 components or parts:
- Assessment
- This component involves finding out what problem will be addressed during therapy and the best actions to approach it.
- Induction
- Induction is the process of gradually and safely guiding the patient into a state of hypnosis.
- Deepening
- This stage of hypnosis involves guiding the patient past induction into a deeper state of relaxation in preparation of facing the issues at hand.
- Safe Place
- Following the deepening, a safe space will be created in order to begin facing the issue at hand.
- Suggestions
- In this component, your therapist will provide you with suggestions and possibly visual cues in order to change the negative thoughts or behaviors.
- Future Pacing
- Future pacing is accomplished by having the client imagine themselves in a situation within the future and applying the positive thoughts and behaviors suggested during hypnosis to those situations.
- Re-awareness
- In this component of hypnosis, your therapist will safely guide you back to a state of full consciousness and awareness.
How Long do Hypnosis Therapy Sessions Last, and How Many Sessions do I Need?
How long sessions last depends on the person, and the person’s condition or concern. While some experts say that 20 – 30 minute sessions are best, other experts believe that 50 – 60 minute sessions are best. The time limit really depends on the person and his / her personal matters, which will be discussed in your initial assessment.
Also dependent upon the individual and his / her needs, is the number of sessions required. On average, about 15 sessions are needed in order to bring about positive, lasting results, but based on individual needs, this number could be fewer, or more.
Results that Last
The results of hypnotherapy and the suggestions that are given during therapy, when administered by a licensed healthcare professional, last a lifetime. This however, is subject to both therapist and client, as the client must be open and willing to participate in and actively pursue changing the negative thoughts or behaviors.
Hypnosis can work for just about anyone, as long as they are open to the idea and have chosen a therapist they trust. Roughly 70% of the population is open to suggestion and can benefit from hypnosis. Young children are particularly good candidates for hypnotherapy due to their active imaginations and having fewer inhibitions than adults.
If you or someone you know has tried other forms of therapy without success and are interested in hypnosis, we encourage you to contact Montgomery Counseling Group. We would be more than happy to discuss how we may be able to help you. It Gets Better!
If you feel that anxiety has taken over your life and you can no longer control it no matter how hard you try, please give us a call. You may have even already talked to a therapist before for anxiety but found it ineffective. Montgomery Counseling Group uses proven, research-based approaches that can help to uncover the underlying causes of your worries and fears, helping you learn how to relax, look at situations in a new, less frightening way, and develop better coping mechanisms and problem-solving skills.
We are confident we can help! Montgomery Counseling Group offers the most effective forms of anxiety counseling, to get the relief that you deserve.
Contact us today for a free consultation. Connect with John Burns, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, on LinkedIn for news on the Montgomery Counseling Group and news articles that align with the practice.