Facts & Fibs

Healthy Concepts

Health, Wellness and Fitness Guide for All Ages

Published – June 2006

Want to know how clinical hypnosis helped a woman become pregnant, a boy turn his life around, a man make millions of dollars, and a senior citizen put her teeth in? Read on. These are true stories about people in your own community!

Explaining facts and exposing fibs about hypnosis

Hypnosis is a natural state of mind that takes place when you are very relaxed and processing information. Physical relaxation means sitting, standing or lying still. Mental relaxation means either your mind is wandering (as in daydreaming) or you are comfortably focused (as in gazing into a fire) or you are quietly concentrating (as in examining an interesting object or watching a good movie).

Under these circumstances your brainwave pattern automatically changes, allowing information to bypass the conscious part of your mind (the part in charge of filtering material based on what makes sense and what doesn’t).

The subconscious part of the mind then takes charge, simply absorbs information without evaluating it, and the new information influences your behavior.

Any information that conflicts with your values or threatens your safety, however, is automatically rejected — which is why no harm can ever come from the use of hypnosis. Remember — what you see sensationalized in movies is fictionalized, not factual.

Centuries ago in Europe physici­ans discovered they could use the combination of relaxation and suggestion to help their patients remain more comfortable through­out medical procedures and heal more quickly afterwards with fewer complications. It was then discovered that the same techniques are highly effective tools to achieve behavior modification.

It is the subconscious part of your mind that runs your entire body. It keeps your heart beating, your lungs pumping air, your blood circulating, your nerves transmitting messages, and so on. All of these things (and more) can change in response to suggestions given during hypnosis. Pain, for example, can be reduced or even eliminated, when doing so is safe and appropriate.

An example from our own hypnotherapy practice that demonstrates how the body responds to hypnosis is about a woman who had tried in vitro fertilization several times without success. When she wanted to try again, her doctor advised against it.

He said her body was not pro­ducing enough eggs and the few she had were not healthy enough. After one hypnotherapy session in our office he reexamined her and said, “Hmmm… very interesting. You do have enough eggs, and they’re quite healthy!”

Prior to implantation she had another session during which suggestions were given to ensure the success of the procedure. When she became pregnant, her doctor said, “Don’t get your hopes up. Your hormones are out of balance and the pregnancy might self-terminate.”

Once again she used hypnotherapy and upon reexamination was told that her hormone balance had greatly improved. She successfully carried and delivered a healthy and beautiful baby girl, whose picture is in the front office on our “wall of fame.”

Beside it are pictures of athletes we’ve worked with, including a lovely figure skater who went on to win second place in national competition; an actor who was able to overcome stage fright; a young boy who had been kicked out of two public schools, was on probation in a private school, but turned his attitude and his grades around; and a senior citizen with gag response who, after four months of trying unsuccessfully to insert dentures, was able to do so easily, then grin proudly with teeth in place, and go out to eat in public.

These and other successful clients might surprise you if you were to ask them about hypnosis. They would tell you they simply felt relaxed, were aware of everything, realized they were in complete control at all times, they remembered everything afterwards, and were pleasantly surprised with their results.

So why is it, you may be wondering, that more people don’t use hypnotherapy? The answer is two­fold.

Entertainers who use it for fun in order to amuse an audience, create false impressions about hypnosis. They’re like magicians who aren’t really sawing that pretty girl in half, despite how it may appear. They make hypnosis seem mysterious, sensational, comical, and even scary to some — without bothering to explain what it is and how it works.

Secondly, in California there are no regulations regarding the practice of hypnosis. Consequently there are amateurs, hobbyists, and other practitioners with little training and sometimes questionable ethics, who do a shoddy job of it. People may leave their offices feeling worse instead of better, or at least believing hypnosis is a waste of time and money.

Too many schools that “train” hypnotherapists only stay in business by accepting anyone who can pay their price, and by turning each and every student loose with “certification” that implies they are ready to competently treat clients, which is sometimes far from true. (Be sure to do careful research and “comparison shopping” when looking for help from a hypnotherapist.)

Why would you want to use clinical hypnosis?

It can help you lose weight by making it easier to choose healthier foods, feel satisfied with smaller servings, and it can motivate you to actually enjoy exercising!

It can help you stop smoking with confidence and commitment, and without withdrawal symptoms, or weight gain.

It can help you rid yourself of disabling fears — of heights, of spiders, of speaking in public, etc.

It can help you before, during, and after surgery and other medical procures such as injections or MRI’s .

It can help you become more successful academically, athletically, and professionally. One of our clients came in on the verge of being fired. Three months later he was top producer in his office. Six months later his goal was to do one million dollars worth of business in three months. Instead he did three million dollars in one month, and soon afterwards went on to become a regional manager.

Hypnotherapy isn’t about what someone else can do for you. No one else takes control of your mind and no one makes anything happen to or for you. Hypnotherapy is about what a competent professional can help you do for yourself by using a higher percentage of your own brainpower.

Everything that happens in your body and in your life begins in your brain, the most powerful part of which is subconscious. In order to change your body or change your life, you must first change your subconscious mind. Hypnotherapy helps you do precisely that. It’s a very exciting beginning along a fascinating path to self-improvement!