About Hypnosis

WHY "NORMAL" PEOPLE BENEFIT FROM HYPNOSIS

JUST AS LEARNING TO DRIVE GIVES ONE A NEW SKILL THAT OPENS NEW HORIZONS AND CAN BE A TOOL FOR ACHIEVING SUCCESS, LEARNING HOW TO CONTROL AND PROGRAM ONE'S OWN INNER MIND THROUGH SELF-HYPNOSIS CAN LEAD TO BENEFITS FROM BETTER SLEEP TO BETTER PERFORMANCE THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY UNIMAGINED. BEING ABLE TO CHANNEL THE SUBTLE POWER OF OUR OWN MIND CAN RELEASE ENERGIES NEVER BEFORE APPRECIATED, CALM ANXIETIES, IMPROVE SLEEP AND STRESS MANAGEMENT, AND FOCUS ONE'S MIND IN POSITIVE DIRECTIONS. THE RESULT CAN BE A HAPPIER AND MORE SUCCESSFUL LIFE EVEN FOR "NORMAL" PEOPLE.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. Can Anyone be Hypnotized?  Anyone who has an IQ of 70, (possibly less), has the ability to concentrate, and wants to be hypnotized can be hypnotized. In fact, most people who have ever noticed they were driving, concentrating on the white line and radio, and didn’t remember the last few miles, have already been hypnotized. It’s when the mind is on “autopilot.” This ability is natural- a gift that the Lord gives everybody.  My job is just to teach each individual how to  develop and use this ability to achieve their individual goals.

 2. Is Hypnosis Mind Control?  No. Although some of my clients would prefer it if I could just override any negative tendencies they might have, the truth is that Hypnosis changes what we say to ourselves, but [just as any person can ignore a nagging spouse or conscience] the hypnosis client can, with effort, ignore even helpful suggestions if determined to do so.  Therapeutic Hypnosis helps make positive traits or inclinations [like not smoking] more automatic.

 3.  What if I don't believe in hypnosis?  If you don't believe in the town of Mt. Dora, but are willing to follow my directions, you will arrive there.  On the other hand, the hypnotist is like a guide.  If you flatly refuse to go or substitute "right" for "left" in my directions, you probably won't get to it and will feel doubly convinced it never existed.  A few will "say" they want to go, but will be so unwilling to relax and allow it to happen that they may not succeed.

 4.  Is hypnosis dangerous?  Any tool should be treated with respect and used with the proper care, but the Subconscious Mind is very good at protecting itself, and accepting beneficial suggestions.  Usually when memories are too traumatic or upsetting, they are simply blocked.  No one can be made to do anything under Hypnosis that they wouldn't have done otherwise -including telling the truth.  The most serious risk in the wrong hands is the potential for implanting false memories for things that didn't occur.  This should be avoided by the trained hypnotherapist by being careful to ask open-ended questions rather than implying that any specific thing happened or should be remembered.  By focusing on positive and healing emotions rather on negative actions, the chance of false memories is minimized.

 5.  Is Hypnosis habit-forming?  Not any more than sleep.  Certainly, once one has experienced the deep relaxation associated with Hypnosis, it is a pleasant experience which people like to return to, but this only encourages them to practice self-hypnosis as taught.  There is no dependency or withdrawal.

 6.  Is Hypnosis against God?  Quite the contrary.  Because Hypnosis is a natural state of mind, a gift of God, just as one's hands or eyes are, what determines its relationship to the Lord (as in the case of the hands) is the purpose to which it is put.  If used to serve and glorify the Lord, it can greatly magnify our talents.  If misused, the opposite effect is also obvious. "Trees are known by their fruit" Matthew 12:33.

 7.  Will my insurance or Medicare pay for hypnosis? Unfortunately not, as it seems they are best at finding things not to pay for.  However, hypnotic care provided on the basis of a physician referral should be deductible, and many hypnotists provide flexible payment schedules. My practice never turns anyone away simply because of their inability to pay.  On the other hand, those  who are most committed [and thus willing to put their money "Where their mouth is"] seem to get the best results.

 8. How can stage hypnotists make people do those crazy things?  Anyone who volunteers to work with a stage hypnotist first makes the conscious decision he/she will go along with the hypnotist's suggestions- if not too dangerous or immoral -before they volunteer or take a front row seat from where they know volunteers will be chosen.  The important point is that: If the Subconscious can be enlisted to incline people to do silly, funny, or embarrassing things, it should be clear that the Subconscious can even more easily be enlisted to do healing, positive, confidence-improving, or performance-enhancing things.

 9.  Am I vulnerable during hypnosis?  If hypnosis produced the vulnerability that some people claim, simply because the Conscious Mind and Critical Faculty are less active, then that would be true of sleep and all the other times [as in road hypnosis] that the mind was in that natural state.   This has not been seen in my practice or documented in the hypnotic literature dating back over the last 200+ years.  I believe this is either because it's very unlikely or that the Lord protects us from that.

 10.  Is hypnosis a substitute for or “Alternative” to my doctor's care? Definitely not.  While hypnosis and other complementary and adjunctive therapies {vitamins, exercise, yoga, magnet therapy, energy work) can assist greatly in your physician's and your maintenance of your proper health, they are not a substitute for regular screening and care by your physician.  In fact, except for assistance with smoking, stress, performance, and weight control, a written referral or prescription for our services is required before we can help -as required by FL law.

  11.  How can Hypnosis help control pain?  First, most pains are made worse by stress or emotions.  To the extent that increasing confidence and relaxation improve the way we handle stress, discomforts are less troubling.  Second, because the client’s mind, in hypnosis, is taking what it is told literally, the suggestion that nothing can bother them is accepted by the mind, during that session.  This is what we use for nearly painless childbirth and dental work or medical procedures. Third, the mind can control many physical processes and help your doctor’s care to better reduce inflammation.  Decreasing inflammation indirectly decreases pain. I myself have used self- hypnosis for root canals, crowns, biopsies, cystoscopies, and even [in consultation with my anesthesiologist] for brain and abdominal surgeries. 

 REFERENCES:  Scientific American Medicine Vol. 11 XIV:15, Answer Cancer Parkhill, Stephen 1995 Health Communications, Inc.  Health & Wellness Confidential Boardroom Reports, Inc. pp359-363, Hypnotherapy Elman, Dave 1983 Mind Probe Hypnosis  Hickman, Irene, D.O. 1983 Hickman Systems, Inc. ...among others.