Hypnotherapy is quickly making its
way to the forefront as a preferred method of hypnosis because it works
on a broader scale
Achieve Change Faster
with Hypnotherapy
by Julie Pech
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Hypnotherapy
has been around for decades, but its popularity is on the rise as people
look for alternative methods to get to where they want to be on a 21st
century time table—fast. If you haven’t looked in to it, you’ve missed
out on tapping 90% of your brain power. Fortunately it’s never too late
to start.
It’s been proven that we only use an estimated 5-10% of our brain to
function while awake. The other 90% might be called the power center,
also known as the subconscious. When change is desired, it makes sense
to access this power. This part of brain is generally asleep under our
conscious, or ego. Hypnotherapy helps put the ego down for a nap so we
can tap in to the power center.
Clinical hypnosis has been used successfully in the past, but
hypnotherapy is quickly making its way to the forefront as a preferred
method of hypnosis because it works on a broader scale. To understand
clinical hypnosis, imagine a client with an issue or a goal, a hypnotist
and a couch. The client lies on the couch, the hypnotist relaxes them,
and then feeds them with affirmations to set their desire in the
subconscious. Magically the client awakes and all problems are resolved.
Of course, most of this too-good-to-be-true image is simply that—a false
image, where patients are magically reformed in a mere moment. It
doesn’t quite work this way, and while hypnosis can be relatively
successful, it’s not nearly as effective as the new and innovative
“hypnotherapy.”
The strength of hypnotherapy lies in its powerful
one-two punch—a combination of hypnosis and therapy. The “therapeutic”
element generally involves a 30-45 minute consultation between the
therapist and the client. Goals and intentions are defined, possible
blocks to their attainment are discussed, and an understanding of the
client’s needs is assessed. During this consultation, the client will
often discover for themselves exactly what their issues are, just as in
traditional therapy. This in itself is very personally empowering, but
the fun doesn’t end here. When therapy ends, hypnotherapy begins.
While the therapeutic session is in process, the hypnotherapist takes a
special interest in the words the client uses, their mannerisms, their
gestures and their emotional characteristics. Routine observation? Yes,
but the hypnotherapist is actually developing a hypnotic “set,” designed
specifically for the client to be used while in trance. When the
therapist uses the client’s words and phrases in the session, it puts
the client in control of the messages they receive in trance. It also
insures that the subconscious will respond most favorably to the work to
be done. While this might sound like a alarming prospect—you, the one
with the problems, hypnotizing yourself to fix everything—it’s actually
much more empowering because your own words are more readily accepted by
your subconscious.
The “hypnosis” element of hypnotherapy is more interactive than clinical
hypnosis, meaning there’s more dialog between the therapist and the
client throughout the session. While you’re in trance, your therapist
guides you and gently talks to you about what you’re experiencing. By
doing this, the therapist can continually integrate your words into your
experience, successfully guiding you toward your intention. It also
allows the therapist to move in the direction your subconscious is
going, guiding you and helping you identify your issues.
It’s been proven that we’re more receptive to our own words than those
of others, but this isn’t such a surprise. With our constant self-talk,
we listen to ourselves more than anyone else. Unfortunately this can
often prove to be our downfall. When a limited belief system remains
stuck in the subconscious, we continue to pound negative statements into
our brain day in and day out. But hypnotherapy can teach us to access
our highest and most supportive selves. It also helps identify the first
time a situation occured, which allows us to change the initial
response. Over time, this change moves forward into our present lives
and helps us make the changes we desire. But can you just relax and talk
to yourself to achieve the same results?
Bobbi Thompson, owner of the School of Integrated Healing in Denver and
certified hypnotherapist, notes that “It is sometimes difficult to quiet
the mind enough to change subconscious programming to something more
positive, and a hypnotherapist helps achieve this necessary level of
relaxation. The hypnotherapist also maintains a neutral response to the
client’s events, so the guidance occurs with more clarity.” It’s
certainly possible to achieve success on your own, but for maximum
results on the quickest time table, use a hypnotherapist.
Even if you’ve struggled with a 20 year smoking habit, fear not. In his
book Meditation as Medicine, Dr. Dharma Singh Khalsa gives example after
example of the enormity of the power of the mind. In one study, people
were able to slow the growth of yeast in 151 of 194 dishes simply
through focused thought. In another study conducted using a computer
generating random numbers, the group was able to “think” the system into
generating patterned numbers that were not just statistically
significant, but were considered extraordinarily successful. Another
startling fact—the group’s success was heightened after they’d “bonded”
with the machine, a response Dr. Khalka likened to the emotional
attachment some people come to experience with their car.
When you consider that all these experiments were performed with the
conscious mind, or only 10% of the mind’s power, you begin to get an
idea of the power of the unconscious mind and how accessing it can make
goal attainment extremely probable.
Ultimately, whether or not you can stop your habit, jump-start your
career or become a world class athlete appears to be based more in your
belief system and less in whether or not you can actually achieve it. A
deep set pattern, possibly even triggered in early youth, can create a
lifetime blueprint that you continually repeat. Ever hear these words?
“You’ll never be able to do that! Do it my way fastest it’s the best
way. What if it doesn’t work out? Then what are you going to do? You
better be careful.” As Bobbi says, “…hypnotherapy allows us to alter the
moment an attitude, belief or behavior began and transform it.” No other
form of therapy has the ability to access that amount of power for
change.
In one of his songs, Dave Matthews sings to his father “it’ll take a
life time to undo what you’ve done,” undoubtedly a collective-soul issue
we’re all tied to in some indiscriminant way. Fortunately hypnotherapy
gives us an option we haven’t had in the past, allowing us to recreate
our purpose and intentions in our own words, to deeply set our deepest
desires within our subconscious and to change lifetime patterns by
altering our response to their very beginnings.
To find a certified hypnotherapist in your area, try
www.hypnosisonline.com or
www.natboard.com (National
Board for Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists). Both websites offer a
nationwide directory divided by state.
Julie Pech is a certified hypnotherapist
specializing in career advancement, sports performance and personal
achievement. She’s also a free lance writer, as well as the author of
“The Chocolate Therapist: A User’s Guide to the Extraordinary Health
Benefits of Chocolate.” For hypnotherapy information, contact author
Julie Pech, CHt, at: 720-981-5806 or julie@goalfocusedtherapy.com
Website:
www.goalfocusedtherapy.com. For book information go to:
www.thechocolatetherapist.com.
