What is hypnosis?
Hypnosis is the best way I know of to help you effectively reduce stress, stop smoking or other unwanted habits, shed unwanted weight, improve sports and job performance, relieve test fear or other fears, increase self-confidence, and achieve any other goal you wish to achieve. Strictly speaking, hypnosis is the bypass of the critical factor of the conscious mind and the establishment of acceptable selective thinking. In simple terms, hypnosis is a delightful state of relaxation and concentration that enables the subconscious mind to accept ideas to achieve your desired results. While this is not the technical definition, people easily relate to the wonderful feeling of relaxation typically associated with the hypnotic trance.
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Hypnosis has been recognized as a complimentary healing modality by the British Medical Association (since 1955), and the American Psychiatric Association (since 1961).
Reader's Digest recently published an article online, "12 Ways That Hypnosis Can Help Change Your Life For the Better."
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Celebrity physician, Dr. Mehmet Oz, said the following about hypnosis in January, 2011:
“I learned something in medical school that I’ve never talked about until today…hypnosis. I believe hypnosis has profound powers to help you stop sabotaging yourself….It changed my life when I learned about it in medical school….People don’t understand how much they hurt themselves without wanting to, subconsciously.”
Is hypnosis safe?
Yes! Despite what you've seen from Hollywood, hypnosis is safe. Sadly, movies and television shows tend to depict hypnosis completely inaccurately; they portray people in hypnotic trance as being asleep and under the control of the hypnotist. People whose understanding of hypnosis comes from popular culture understandably have fears and misconceptions about it.
When you are in hypnosis, your body can relax very deeply, and your conscious mind is an observer, allowing your subconscious mind to be many times more alert than in your normal state. You hear and respond to everything and are an active participant in the session. You have complete control over what you will and will not do. You instantly reject any suggestions that are uncomfortable for you. If at any time you want to emerge from hypnosis for any reason, you will instantly open your eyes and become fully alert. No one can keep you in hypnosis against your will.
How does hypnosis work?
Each one of us is a product of our subconscious programming. If your subconscious perception of yourself is that you are too fat, then the subconscious will take whatever steps it can to ensure that I meet its expectation. Until we change the subconscious perception, permanent change is nearly impossible.
As previously noted, when you are in hypnosis, you are deeply relaxed physically, but mentally many times more alert than in your normal state. You hear and respond to everything and are an active participant in the session. If you like and want the suggestions given, the suggestions are allowed to enter your subconscious mind. Using hypnosis we are able to access this subconscious computer and reprogram ourselves to be whatever we wish to be.
Can hypnosis make me tell secrets?
No. You will not share any information that you would not ordinarily divulge. You always have a choice, and your brain does not stop functioning or reasoning. You may discover some hidden truths about yourself, or your situation, or some self-sabotage, that you did not know about consciously. What this means is that your subconscious mind may have some inner programming that you do not consciously know about that causes you to follow a pattern of bad choices, get sick, get angry, have rotten luck, or ignore important clues about your success or failure. When you reprogram your subconscious through the use of hypnosis, you achieve the goals YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE.
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Can hypnosis make me do something against my will?
No. If I had that kind of control over my clients, I'd never have to work, would I?
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Again, it makes a ton of money for Hollywood, but this is probably the biggest myth of all. Stage hypnotists seem to make people do strange things in trance, but the truth is that the people doing these things already want to be outrageous – the stage show just provides the opportunity for them to have fun. If the stage hypnotist chooses his volunteers carefully, he will have willing participants.
You will never do anything, or accept any suggestion that violates your morals or values.
Does the practice of hypnosis conflict with religion?
Hypnosis is a natural and voluntary state and God-given ability that everyone has. It can be used to help us become better people. If you were to eliminate all the negativity inside you right now, wouldn't you feel more at peace with yourself and others? Hypnosis is neither a belief nor a religion; it is simply a natural state and a wonderful tool that allows us to use our God-given ability to help us achieve our goals.
Can a person get stuck in hypnosis?
One of the questions I got most in Afghanistan was “What about that guy in Office Space when the hypnotist dropped dead?” Again, that’s more Hollywood creativity. My teacher, Gerald Kein, suffered a heart attack in the middle of a session with a client who was deep in trance. She was able to recognize that there was a problem, emerge, and call for help. I’m fairly certain that when he returned to work, he finished her therapy for free! Rest assured that you will emerge fully capable of resuming your normal activities.
Can anyone be hypnotized?
Yes, as long as:
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You want to be hypnotized
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You have no fears or misconceptions about hypnosis and how it works
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You can follow simple directions
As a matter of fact, you can learn to go into trance on your own. Once you experience how blissful trance can be, you’ll probably want to enjoy it on a regular basis.
Sometimes the effects are subtle and sometimes profound. When your mind is really ready to make a change, it can happen quickly. The more often you go into hypnosis, the quicker and more effective the reprogramming of your subconscious mind becomes. The suggestions are compounded and become stronger each time.
Can children be hypnotized?
Yes. Children have a driving need to discover. The hunger for new experiences and the openness to new learning make children very good hypnotic subjects. The next time you see children playing, you may notice how vivid their imaginations are, and see that they are hypnotized naturally when they pretend to be someone else or play with pretend friends.
Children under the age of 18 must have parental/guardian permission before being hypnotized.
What is a session like?
Your sessions will be extremely pleasant.
At the beginning of your first session, I explain in detail what hypnosis is and how it will help you achieve the goals you have set for the sessions. We then discuss your goals and how you can quickly achieve the desired results.
When you are totally comfortable with me as your hypnotist, then - and only then - I will begin the actual hypnosis session. I will guide you into a very deep state of physical and mental relaxation where you feel very relaxed but mentally alert. You’ll be aware of everything going on around you. I will give your subconscious the suggestions for desired change that experience has shown me work best. The old negative programming that was keeping you from achieving your goals or which was causing a problem is replaced with positive programming that will allow you to take back control of your life and achieve your goals and eliminate problems.
You will then emerge from hypnosis with strong suggestions of good health and positive attitude. You will feel better than you have in a long, long time.
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How many sessions are needed to stop smoking?
I’ve been very successful at helping many clients become non-smokers in just one session, even Soldiers in Afghanistan! Each individual is different, so more than one session is usually needed to achieve your goal. You must honestly desire to be a non-smoker. Trying to quit for your significant other might seem like a good idea, but until you are ready to do it for yourself for your own reasons, I’d rather not waste your time or money. When you are sure you are ready, call for an appointment so that you may become a much healthier person and reach your goal of being a non-smoker for the rest of your life!
I want to recommend a hypnotist to friends outside the area. Where can I find one?
Visit http://www.omnihypnosis.com/omnigrads.htm OMNI-trained hypnotherapists all over the world.