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SO HOW DO YOU FIND A GOOD
HYPNOTHERAPIST?
Probably the best way to find a successful Hypnotherapist is by
recommendation – so ask around. Clients who have been satisfied with
their treatment are often happy to recommend their Hypnotherapist.
It is important that clients feel comfortable with, and have
faith in their Hypnotherapist, and satisfied clients are the best form of
advertising any Hypnotherapist could possibly have.
In addition, many Doctors are now becoming much more open
minded about alternative therapies and sometimes get to hear about the success
rates of the alternative practitioners their patients have visited.
Therefore your G.P. may be able to recommend a Hypnotherapist in your area.
Other than that – contact a few therapists and see what you think
of them.
When you first contact a Hypnotherapist, he or she will
usually be able to provide you with a leaflet or brochure explaining about their
qualifications and the services they offer. You should also be given
a list of fees and an idea of how many sessions are likely to be needed.
When you are speaking to the Hypnotherapist on the telephone,
do not be afraid to ask a few questions.
At your first session the Hypnotherapist should gather some
information about you in order to assess the best way to treat your problem.
If your problem is of a more complex nature, many
Hypnotherapists offer an introductory consultation during which you can both
discuss the matter and decide if Hypnotherapy is suitable for you.
Practicing Hypnotherapists should be properly trained and
qualified by a professional Hypnotherapy association or Hypnotherapy training
school.
All professional Hypnotherapy associations should have an ethical
code of conduct, and keep lists of their qualified members. If you
wish to check out the credentials of a particular Hypnotherapist you should
contact the Hypnotherapy Organisation he or she belongs to.
Practicing Hypnotherapists should carry Professional Indemnity
Insurance.
If you contact a
Hypnotherapist listed on this register, please mention that you
obtained their details from
HypnotherapistRegister.com
ABOUT HYPNOTHERAPY
WHAT IS HYPNOTHERAPY USED FOR?
The aim of
Hypnotherapy is to bring about beneficial changes to certain problems which have
their origins in the mind.
There are many branches of
hypnotherapy and hundreds of uses.
Probably the most widely known use is
to help people to stop smoking. However, hypnotherapy is also used to break
many other habits, and to strengthen self-control.
Hypnotherapy is used to overcome
stress – and stress related ailments.
It is very useful for calming nerves,
and overcoming fears and phobias – and it is wonderful for general confidence
boosting.
Where the problems are more complex
and there are deeper psychological indications, Hypnotherapy can be used in an
analytical capacity, to give an insight into the subconscious triggers which
can cause many unexplained symptoms.
More specialized branches can even
deal with pain relief. You may have heard of Hypnosis being used as a natural
anaesthetic in surgical operations, or to help with childbirth.
Most Hypnotherapists cover a wide
range of subjects, but Individual therapists will supply you with a list of the
specific problems they treat.
Occasionally individual therapists may
specialise in certain areas which are of particular interest to them.
If you contact a Hypnotherapist listed on this
register, please mention that you obtained their details from
HypnothrapistRegister.com
WHAT IS HYPNOSIS ?
Hypnosis (hypnotic
trance) is an altered state of consciousness in which it is possible to
communicate with the subconscious mind.
You may be surprised to know that it
is a very common state which everybody automatically drifts in an out of from
time to time.
You know how it is when you get
thoroughly lost in a beautiful piece of music, or a good book, or a
daydream. Your attention is completely captured and everyday reality fades
into the background as your mind carries you away to a different world of the
imagination.
You are still conscious, but your
consciousness is temporarily altered. Well believe it or not, that is a form
of trance.
In fact we all go through a similar
phase just before we go to sleep.
When you are being hypnotised, you
are guided by the Hypnotist into this same kind of trance state somewhere
between being asleep and being awake, and this is called a hypnotic
trance. It is a very pleasant feeling of calmness and deep relaxation.
Contrary to popular belief, when you
are hypnotised you are not asleep or unconscious. You will normally
have your eyes closed, but you can still hear and feel and even speak.
Indeed, your concentration and awareness actually become heightened.
Different people can experience
hypnosis in slightly different ways. Some people may notice that they feel
rather heavy, whilst others may feel light and ‘floaty.’ Often the closed
eyelids can flutter a little here and there, or there may be a slight tingling
sensation in various parts of the body. However some people experience nothing
at all, other than a feeling of deep relaxation. The experience of hypnosis is
a very personal thing, but basically, it is just a very calm and pleasant
feeling – rather like being in a daydream
The main requirement to enter hypnotic
trance is relaxation, and for most people this is a very gradual process.
For some people, entering hypnosis can
be rather disappointing because they expect to suddenly ‘go under’ some strange
spell and feel extremely weird - but it isn’t like that at all.
For most people, there is no
sudden feeling of ‘going under’ hypnosis.
Sometimes individuals may doubt that
they are actually being hypnotised at all because they do not experience the
sudden loss of consciousness they expected.
It is quite important that your
expectations of hypnosis are realistic, and you understand that it is a gradual,
drifting process. It is important you should understand this because during
the induction into hypnosis, if you are mentally interfering all the time by
constantly thinking that you are not ‘going under’, this in itself can disrupt
the whole process of gradual relaxation.
All you need to do, is to let yourself
go, and concentrate on your Hypnotherapist’s voice so that he or she can help
you to relax.
When the body and the conscious mind
have been sufficiently relaxed, the normal barriers to the subconscious part of
the mind also become relaxed, and the subconscious becomes receptive to
positive suggestion.
WHAT IS POSITIVE SUGGESTION?
A positive
suggestion is a positively worded statement or command, which is given (or
suggested) to the subconscious mind.
In the relaxed state of hypnosis, the
subconscious mind becomes receptive and can accept and store the positive
suggestion, and subsequently act upon it.
For instance, a smoker can have it
suggested to him that he is now a non-smoker, and that suggestion is then left
in the subconscious mind, so that the person no longer wishes to smoke.
However, for the suggestion to be
properly accepted into the subconscious mind, it is important that the smoker
really wants to give up the habit.
In brief, positive suggestions can
re-programme the mind to bring about beneficial changes.
WHAT IS THE SUBCONSCIOUS (sometimes called the UNCONSCIOUS) MIND?
That is a big
question –and this is a very brief answer.
Your mind consists of two parts; the
CONSCIOUS and the SUBCONSCIOUS.
The CONSCIOUS mind inhabits the
surface level. This part of the mind is where you do all your everyday
conscious thinking.
At a deeper level, we have the
SUBCONSCIOUS mind, and this part of the mind deals with your unconscious
actions – the things you do automatically.
In the subconscious you keep your
habits, and also your habitual fears - and from here all your automatic
responses are triggered .
The subconscious also stores your
memories – and all the things that have had a hand in making you what you are
today.
HOW
IS A HYPNOTIC TRANCE INDUCED?
There are
several ways to induce hypnosis, and different Hypnotists will use their own
favourite methods. Stage Hypnotists and Hypnotherapists may employ different
methods.
Some Hypnotherapists like to start
with some form of fascination. They may ask you to concentrate on a revolving
spiral, or some other object. But don’t be disappointed if this technique is
not used, as it is just a variation, not a necessity.
Honestly, not many people ask you to
gaze into their ‘piercing eyes,’ or stare at a swinging watch these days.
That sort of thing has more to do with old fashioned Hollywood movies than
modern Hypnotherapy.
Most Hypnotherapists use relaxation
techniques, and you are also likely to be asked to concentrate on certain
things. For instance you may be asked to focus your attention on your
breathing, or to imagine various things.
During the induction, the therapist
is likely to speak to you in a particular way, and at a particular tempo,
which is designed to gently slow down the brainwaves. This will help you to
gradually drift into the pleasant state of hypnotic trance, in which you will
experience feelings of relaxation and well-being.
Words like “relax,” “deeper,” and
“sleep” or “sleepy” are often used in the induction. However, these words are
not intended to send you to sleep. They are merely calming words which send
special messages to the brain to help you to become very relaxed and tranquil.
Hypnosis is not a state of being
unconscious, but merely of having your consciousness altered – indeed your mind
remains clear and focused, and you are likely to remember most of what was said
to you.
Some people are very easy to hypnotise,
whilst others take longer.
Most people remain in a fairly light
state of hypnotic trance, whilst a very small percentage naturally go to much
deeper levels. Sometimes people drift in and out of lighter and deeper
states. All this is perfectly normal.
Deep states of hypnosis are not
required for successful therapy.
COULD I BE HYPNOTIZED AGAINST MY WILL?
No, your
co-operation is required
CAN
ANYBODY BE HYPNOTISED, OR DO YOU HAVE TO BE WEAK MINDED?
On the contrary, you need a
reasonable amount of intelligence in order to be hypnotised. The people who
respond best to hypnosis are those who are capable of concentration,
imagination and mental dexterity.
Most people can be hypnotised.
The exceptions are those who are mentally subnormal, young children, or those
who are ‘high’ on drugs or alcohol.
Everybody else (who properly
co-operates with the process) can be hypnotized.
Obviously, if somebody cannot
understand what is required if them, or if they are resisting for some
reason, they will have difficulty entering into hypnosis.
WILL I LOSE CONTROL OF MYSELF and COULD I BE MADE TO SAY OR DO ANYTHING AGAINST
MY WILL OR NATURE?
No. You will know what is going on
and you will retain your intelligence and your self-control.
Hypnotherapy requires the client and
the therapist to work together in a spirit of co-operation, in order to help you
to control your own mind.
For Hypnotherapy to be successful,
you need to be comfortable with what is going on in the session.
If any suggestion was given to you
with which you did not agree, you could reject it. If anything was suggested
to you that went against your beliefs or moral code you would be shocked out of
hypnosis.
IF
YOU DON’T LOSE CONTROL, WHAT ABOUT THOSE STAGE SHOWS WHERE PEOPLE DO ALL SORTS
OF SILLY THINGS?
Successful stage hypnosis requires
willing volunteers.
These people obviously have a desire
to join in the show and perform, or they wouldn’t volunteer to go on stage in
the first place.
Hypnosis merely helps them to lift the
inhibitions which they may ordinarily have against performing.
Please do not confuse
Stage Hypnosis
and Hypnotherapy.
The aims are very
different.
IS
HYPNOSIS DANGEROUS and ARE THERE ANY SIDE EFFECTS?
Hypnotherapy is not dangerous. In
skilled hands Hypnotherapy is a proven therapeutic aid. NO drugs should ever be
used, and there are no unwanted side effects.
We hope that you now have a clearer
understanding of Hypnosis and it’s uses.
In addition to the information we have
given, most therapists will be able to provide you with their own informative
material when you contact them, and should be able to answer any additional
questions you may have.
If you contact a Hypnotherapist listed on this
register, please mention that you have obtained their details from
HypnotherapistRegister.com
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