Nanaimo Hypnotherapy & Hypnosis

What is Stage Hypnosis and What is Hypnotherapy?

Stage hypnotists sometimes argue that it is seeing people hypnotised on television or on stage that convinces people of its use and that it does indeed work. Sure enough, many people who come to see hypnotherapists, or indeed doctors and psychologists using hypnosis, have seen hypnotism on television and are intrigued. The flip side of this is that it takes quite a lot of time explaining hypnosis correctly, including allaying some of their fears, for example;

• Hypnosis is not magic.
• It does not involve people being made to do things against their will .
• It does involve a hypnotist acting as a guide to help clients empower themselves and make natural, healthy and often profound changes.

In its worst form, stage hypnosis has been accused of being manipulative and exploitative. Most professional stage hypnotists would counter this claim by demonstrating that subjects have volunteered to take part in the show and fully understand what to expect. This is seen by many as a grey area in that stage hypnotists often suggest indirectly that events are beyond the subject's control. Far less debatable is the willingness a client shows when entering a session of hypnotherapy.

Hypnosis is a totally natural state of mind. When under hypnosis you will feel very relaxed, just like that wonderful feeling when you are tired lying in your bed and you are so overcome with comfort that you wish the moment could last forever. Through simple hypnotic, relaxation techniques you can easily attain this state at which time it becomes easy, with the help of a trained hypnotherapist, to visualize yourself becoming healthier, happier, more confident, a non-smoker, free of over eating or whatever it is that you want to be!
Hypnotherapy, or self-hypnosis once you've learnt to use the tools for yourself, can be a very effective tool for asking the right kind of 'internal' questions.

For instance, have a think about the following:

1. What do you want your life to be like in a year's time? Make your answer as compelling as possible - what do you really want it to be like?
2. What changes will you need to make for this to happen? Don't just think logically. What changes will you have to make in the WAY that you think?
3. Could anything negative happen if you do make these changes? In other words, how much do you really want it?

How about committing to spending the rest of today thinking over these exciting questions but not actually being aware that you are doing so? Does this sound a bit strange? It shouldn't, because that's what people do when they are described by others as 'preoccupied' or 'stressed' or 'anxious'. This deeper level of thinking is the level at which hypnotherapy or self-hypnosis can have proven effects.

Many people claim that they have never been hypnotized, but they do admit to having drifted off whilst thinking about a loved one, forgetting large chunks of a car journey (commonly known as highway hypnosis), or 'going somewhere else' while reading a book. These are all examples of natural trance states. One of the great things about hypnosis is that in the hands of a reputable practitioner it is harmless and produces no damaging side effects, whilst providing positive therapeutic benefits.

What Does Hypnotherapy Involve?

Hypnotherapy is a two way process between the therapist and the client, a professional partnership. A person cannot be hypnotized unless he or she agrees and co-operates - this cannot be stressed enough. Also while hypnotized, nobody can make you do anything which you do not want to do. Even those people on television eating raw onions and pretending to be Madonna are doing it because they want to! They have chosen to participate. It must be emphasized here that what hypnotherapists do is, by definition, therapeutic.

A Hypnotherapist's Job is to Help People

The first stage of a hypnotherapy consultation will generally involve an informal chat and some questions from the therapist to ascertain the nature of the issue and the necessary route to overcoming or dealing with it.
You are led, by means of the hypnotherapist's gently guiding voice, into a state where your body and mind are relaxed and nearly asleep. To an onlooker it might seem as if you were totally asleep but in fact, though you will normally feel very relaxed, you will remain awake enough to be aware. Also awake will be those parts of your mind which the therapist is working with to induce beneficial changes. This may mean that you will be picturing, as in a daydream, the things which are being spoken of and that you may experience the associated pleasant feelings.
REMEMBER that if at any time you feel uncomfortable and want to terminate the session, then you will be perfectly capable of doing so.

After this there is always time left at the end of the session for you to ask questions or to discuss any experiences you had whilst you were in the relaxed, hypnotic state.
Hopefully one day we will do away with the strange and mystical stereotype of the hypnotherapist once and for all. The magic is all in the mind of the person receiving hypnotherapy.
The hypnotist merely helps you to use that incredible hidden power to achieve things in your life such as stopping smoking, losing weight, cutting down on stress, gaining in confidence and happiness, even excelling at your chosen sport.

For many clients Hypnotherapy can change their lives, from a simple negative thought that has plagued them for all of their life to a winning edge over another athlete in a sporting event.
Hypnotherapy is used throughout hospitals in Europe and now in the USA .Many Censer clinics are using hypnotherapy for mind body healing and post surgical healing.  If you want more information and or a consultation please call and we can talk about what hypnotherapy can do for you .

Ron Thompson ACCHT
The Nanaimo Hypnotherapy Center