WHAT IS HYPNOSIS?

 

Hypnosis is a heightened state of awareness in which the subconscious mind becomes open and receptive to receive positive thoughts, suggestions and images, allowing you to make truly powerful changes in your life. It is a completely natural state that we drop in and out of frequently throughout our daily lives. If you have ever become lost in thought while driving, laughed, cried or jumped while watching a movie, or been so engrossed in your phone that you didn't hear someone speak to you, you've been in a state of hypnosis. 

 

WHY CHOOSE HYPNOSIS?

 

There’s a reason that celebrities, winning sports teams, Olympic athletes and successful CEOs and companies use hypnosis and have for years…because it works! Hypnosis is incredibly effective when applied properly by a skilled practitioner AND you are committed to change. A study by Alfred A. Barrios, Ph.D., which was later reprinted in American Health Magazine, revealed the following success rates: Hypnotherapy: 93% success after 6 sessions, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: 72% success after 22 sessions, Psychoanalysis: 38% success after 600 sessions.

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A study out of Harvard Medical School showed that hypnosis helps surgical wounds heal significantly faster. Six weeks after an ankle fracture, those in the hypnosis group showed the equivalent of 8 1/2 weeks of healing. Who wouldn't want to get out of a cast weeks before expected?

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Hypnosis is one of the easiest, most effective tools available to gently and effortlessly replace limiting beliefs and unwanted behaviors with positive and long lasting change. And although hypnosis works more quickly than most traditional forms of therapy, it is not a magic quick fix and it's not something that can be done to you or for you. You still need to (or should I say get to) participate in the process. 

 

HOW DOES HYPNOSIS WORK?

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Hypnosis works by relaxing the conscious mind (the linear, reasoning mind) thus allowing access to the subconscious mind (where beliefs, habits, emotions and memories are stored), which is where real change happens. In this state, you are more open to positive suggestions, which help you achieve your goals much more quickly and easily. Think of the mind like a computer. It constantly runs software in the background (like deeply held beliefs) that sometimes needs to be updated or the computer will start to slow down or even malfunction. Just like computers, we also need to upgrade our belief system from time to time. Many beliefs that were downloaded during our childhood or traumatic experiences no longer serve us and therefore really hold us back. (Were you ever told "money is the root of all evil"? How about "all the good men/women are taken"? These are beliefs that really don't serve us)! You may or may not be consciously aware of them, but either way, they are running in the background like malware on a computer and any time we attempt to consciously introduce a new program without fully downloading it at the subconscious level, we get an error message. This is why it's so important to get to the root source or belief that is causing the issue and change it for good. Removing limiting beliefs from your subconscious mind and replacing them with updated, empowering beliefs is perhaps the single most impactful and powerful thing you can do to improve your life. 

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WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO BE HYPNOTIZED?

 

Everyone experiences hypnosis just a little differently. While some people may not be aware of any particular "feeling", others say they experience pleasant feelings like easy, effortless breathing, enjoyably heavy or floating feelings, or tingling sensations throughout their body. There are so many ways in which people describe their trance experiences - nearly everyone states that they feel a deep sense of calm and relaxation following a hypnosis session. 

 

CAN I BE HYPNOTIZED?

 

Yes! Everyone experiences hypnosis a little differently, but everyone can be hypnotized IF they want to be. It's completely up to the individual. Hypnosis is incredibly effective when you want to experience it but in order for hypnosis to work, YOU have to want the change. It will not be effective if you are attempting to change something that someone else wants for you, but that you do not want. So, if you're reading this and hoping I can hypnotize your partner to stop playing video games and do the dishes...it'll only work if that's what they want. 

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Also, you may have heard the common misconception that strong-minded or very analytical people are not easily hypnotized, but in fact the opposite is true. People who are more intelligent or creative (and want to change) usually go into hypnosis more easily. 

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If you have tried hypnosis before and been unsuccessful, I can help! Each person has a unique way of taking in information, so not everyone responds the same way to the same hypnosis techniques. This is why I do NOT use generic scripts or one-size-fits-all techniques.  It’s my job to figure out how you take in information and to help you to use that information strategically so that you can change easily. It's also important to note that hypnosis is a very natural feeling so it may not always feel like you have been hypnotized. Even if you feel you are not “hypnotized,” your subconscious mind is still paying attention and will pick up everything that is said while in the hypnotic state. That is where the transformation happens!

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IS HYPNOSIS SLEEP?

 

No. Hypnosis is so incredibly relaxing that it may feel similar to those moments just before you drift off to sleep or that feeling as you first begin to gently awake in the morning, but you will hear everything that is said and be aware of what is going on the entire time. In fact, hypnosis works best when you participate in the process.

 

WILL I LOSE CONTROL OF MY MIND AND BODY AND TELL ALL OF MY DEEPEST SECRETS?

 

No. This is a common myth often portrayed for pure "entertainment" in TV and movies and it irritates me to no end!  I often joke with my clients that, if hypnosis were mind control, my husband would be vacuuming under my feet as I type this! Seriously though, you are in complete control throughout our entire session and cannot be made to do or say anything you don't want to. You cannot be made to do anything against your will or outside of your moral code. You will not divulge any secrets or information that you do not wish to share. It's a choice to go into hypnosis, stay in it, and come out. 

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CAN I GET STUCK IN HYPNOSIS?

 

Not a chance. Unlike what you may have seen in movies or on television, all trances end, whether formally ended by the hypnotherapist or ended naturally by you. For example, if the fire alarm went off during our session, you would get up and exit the building without waiting for me to count you out of hypnosis.

 

HOW MANY SESSIONS WILL I NEED?

 

Think of the overall change you desire as a beautiful table. Our work toward this change is like knocking out the different legs so that the entire table is transformed. In my experience, 12 sessions over 12 weeks is truly the "tipping point" for lasting transformation. But I love for people to have options so I also offer the opportunity to work together over 6 weeks, which will absolutely allow us to knock out several of those legs (remember that study by Alfred A. Barrios, Ph.D., which showed a 93% recovery rate after 6 sessions)! Either way, the time between sessions will not only give you the opportunity to draw upon the tools you'll learn to change your state in the moment every day, but will allow your nervous system to deeply integrate the shifts that occur during each session. You'll literally be rewiring your brain throughout our time together. 

 

WHERE DO HYPNOSIS SESSIONS TAKE PLACE?

 

All of our sessions take place via Zoom. Enjoying sessions from the comfort of your own home or other preferred location allows you to enjoy the deeply relaxed state of hypnosis long after our session ends, without having to fight traffic or rush home.

 

This means it's important that you choose a place where you will be able to relax and focus entirely on you, without interruptions like phones, friends, family or pets. Because you deserve it.

 

HOW LONG ARE SESSIONS?

 

Sessions typically last approximately 60 minutes. Please note that my first priority is always you and your healing. This means that, some days we may need a little less time than scheduled, while others we may go just a little longer. Please keep this in mind while choosing your appointment day and time.

 

IS HYPNOSIS SAFE FOR CHILDREN?

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Yes! In fact, it’s often more effective for children than adults because they are more in touch with their imaginations. Hypnosis can help children to resolve all kinds of habits, including bed wetting, anxiety, self-confidence, social and school stressors and more. Hypnosis can really be a game changer for kids and teens. 

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HAVE QUESTIONS NOT COVERED HERE?

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