Mind & Mental

If you are new to using hypnotherapy or self-hypnosis as a tool for improving your life and health, you may be wondering why the core of it all seems to revolve around relaxing and relieving stress and tension.

Most of the inductions (hypnosis sessions) that you can download online or on CD uses a progressive relaxation process to reach a deep state of trance. Many free downloadable sessions are only focused on deep relaxation and releasing stress and tension from around the body - and nothing else.

Why is that? In today's modern world we expect direct, efficient, cause-and-effect, software-controlled, exact science and results-driven approaches and methods. You may have a dozen issues you would like to address directly with hypnosis, why waste time on this basic relaxation stuff?

A good quote is from Dale Carnegie's book, "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living":

“Seventy per cent of all patients who come to physicians could cure themselves if they got rid of
their fears and worries.”

The impact of a direct suggestion can heavily depend on its meaning to the individual being hypnotized. When offering suggestions, it’s essential to consider the language being used. A good example of this would be a particular case involving an individual from a different country where a common implication (as opposed to their dictionary definition) of the word “fat” would mean healthy, whereas calling someone “fat” in English would commonly be used offensively. In other words we benefit from considering cultural connotations, before we rush to decide that our own language is what works for the person being hypnotized. Rapport building and conversation is key to knowing the best approach. We are not the same, but the same in that we are all different.
Cultural environment plays a factor when indirectly influenced. Since studies have shown that indirect and direct language can equally be effective, it makes sense to consider the cultural desires and dislikes of the client when using indirect suggestion before putting the person into a deep trance.

Single parenthood is extraordinary and unparalleled. There is an assumption, however that in order for single parents to live their dreams, they must wait until a child grows independent. At this time, the parent’s mind grows weary and physical capabilities can diminish if a healthy diet and exercise is not part of their routine. Sometimes a typecast is mentioned as the reason for seeking help. “I’m a single mother” is mentioned as a stigma and not a simple statement of fact. To think independently may seem more difficult than to simply accept how many in society, family, and friends believe a single parent should live. Independence equals creativity. Assuming a role everyone else feels you should play impedes on your overall growth & individuality so that seeking a holistic health practitioner, a life coach or therapist offers little help if the individual is not willing to let go of those belief systems holding them back from reaching desired results.

"One of the great discoveries a man (or woman) makes, one of his/her great surprises, is to find he/she can do what he/she was afraid he/she couldn't do. Most of the bars we beat against are in ourselves --- we put them there, and we can take them down." --- Henry Ford

I would like to add to this quote. Some "bars" are put in our minds by others, and these, too, can be taken down. Consider the following statements that may run through one's mind, "I never keep the weight off," "You'll never amount to anything," "I can't hit a drive today, " "I know I'll fail, " "You're stupid, " "I have to have a cigarette with my cup of coffee, '' "I can't stop eating," "You don't like me. " The list goes on and on. Thoughts such as these reflect one's beliefs.

After a hypnotherapy appointment, how do you know if you were hypnotized? Speaking only from my practice of hypnotherapy, the answer is simple: everything else being equal, you were hypnotized if you got positive results.

Sometimes, hypnosis feels just like your normal state of consciousness. Suppose you tried your hardest to change the problem and then sought out hypnotherapy. Then, looking back on your hypnotherapy appointment, you feel like all that you did was close your eyes, and nothing else occurred. IF you still got your desired results, then that seems to indicate that your unconscious mind received and accepted the posthypnotic suggestions that were given at the appointment.

How Deep Do You Want Your Trance State to Be?
Although each person reacts differently to trance induction, a good hypnotherapist will be able to choose the induction technique that fits best with your personal history, dominant learning modalities and stated desires. A skilled hypnotherapist can get you to the level you want and keep you there. Every day, every one of us goes through trance states. The following examples of everyday trance states can give you an idea of what sounds good to you, if and when you seek therapeutic hypnosis.

Sometimes personal change seems harder than it ought to be. People who have accomplished many other projects with success sometimes feel surprised and disappointed when they hit a roadblock in a seemingly minor enterprise. And the feeling of frustration isn’t helped when other people explain that it just takes willpower to change eating habits, adopt a more relaxed attitude, or give up those last two cigarettes per day.

The fear of mind control may be one of the strongest hindrances to people making free use of the various and far-reaching benefits of hypnotherapy. Ironically, the very notion of mind control is distinctly at odds with the purpose and practice of hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapists are trained to empower people to tap their own inner resources to change their perceptions and responses to situations, for example, to change the physical sensation of pain to a feeling of coolness. In hypnotherapy, it is the client who controls his or her own mind in order to give the entire organism - the mind, the body and the ineffable sense of self - a happier experience of life. Regarding the control of one person's mind by another, hypnotherapists know as little about that as anyone, and probably much less than do government officials.

Everyone knows how important clear thinking and a positive attitude are to a successful job search, particularly at the interview stage. Since the same qualities are also important to a successful search for a good friendship or partner relationship, the following suggestions could be applied to that subject, also. Hypnosis offers a bountiful array of techniques for reversing the inner energy drain that can come with the loss of a relationship or a job.

People who have felt a positive sense of identity from their work may feel a sense of loss after termination that goes beyond what's missing from their bank accounts. Losing a job can also result in self-blame and regret, not to mention a drop in the self-confidence that is vital to the search for a new job.

Whenever many people are working longer hours just to get by, and many others are searching longer just to get a job, it becomes medically more important for people to become skilled at relaxing their bodies and calming their minds quickly and effectively, on a daily basis. Here is an exercise, based on the pioneering work of Dr. Milton Erickson, that you can learn to use in the next twenty minutes. While this method is easy to learn and use, it can be applied in almost any situation without anyone else knowing that you are self-inducing an alpha brain wave state. To follow is a fictional example that you can use as a reference as you apply the steps to the situation you are experiencing right now. Before beginning to experiment with this method, it is imperative to make sure that you are in a place where it would be safe for you and those around you if you fell asleep. This exercise is never to be used while driving or operating any machinery (not even so much as a battery-operated mini-fan.)