Q. What is hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a state of altered awareness during which our subconscious mind is more open and receptive to suggestions that are given. We drift in and out of different levels of awareness many times a day, absorbing information on a subliminal level as well as consciously.
Q. How does it feel to by hypnotised?
Everyone is different. Some people say that their body feels like a lead weight, others say they feel as though they're floating away. Most people will agree that it's a lovely feeling because they are more relaxed than they have ever been before.
Q. How do I know if I can be hypnotised?
Anybody can experience and enjoy hypnosis unless they are unwilling to do so or are incapable of any degree of concentration whatsoever (either because they are young or through mental infirmity). If a person is reading this and they are willing to cooperate, it may be assumed that you can experience hypnosis.
Q. Can I be hypnotised against my will?
No, anyone can resist and it won't work. Hypnosis is cooperation between two people - as your therapist I will show you the way and you can choose if you want to go there or not.
Q. When I am 'under' will I be asleep?
You will be aware of everything that is happening and being said the whole time, however you will be so deeply relaxed that you may find yourself drifting into different levels of awareness, but you wont be asleep. Remember, your subconscious mind is active throughout and it is this that your I as your therapist am working with.
Q. Will I lose control?
Contrary to popular opinion the practitioner has no “special powers”, nor can they “control” the subject in any way that is foreign to their nature, ethics or will. The client is always in control and if they wanted could come out of the hypnotic state at any time. The practitioner's function is that of a guide within a shared experience.
Q. Will I give away any secrets whilst I am hypnotised?
There is often a fear that you will be “commanded” to say or do things you do not wish to. This does not occur in Advanced Hypnotherapy. Generally the unconscious mind is very protective and will allow only as much communication in a trance as can be dealt with by the mind. You will not say or do anything at all that you don't want to. If you were given suggestions that you didn't morally agree with you would come out of hypnosis.
Q. Do I have to remember things from my past in order to recover from my problem?
Not necessarily; different therapists have varied approaches, but if the cause of your problem is a repressed memory (one that you are unable to remember consciously), then bringing it back into conscious awareness can help you to view the problem from a different perspective and so feel differently about it.
Q. Will I remember everything afterwards?
That depends how deep in hypnosis you are, but generally most people do remember either everything or certain parts of the experience. You will find that suggestions which have been given to you in hypnosis will resurface in your conscious, thinking mind after your hypnosis and these will be the thoughts that produce changes in your behaviour or way of thinking and feeling.
Q. How do I know I will wake up from hypnosis?
It is quite impossible to become 'trapped' in hypnosis. Even if something were to happen to the hypnotherapist halfway through the session, you would still 'come out' of the trance state once rapport had been broken, with no ill effects.
Q. Are there any side effects from hypnosis?
The only side effects are the beneficial ones of feeling more relaxed afterwards and feeling more positive about whatever it was you sought hypnotherapy for. Hypnosis is a perfectly natural state.
Q. I went to a hypnotherapist once before and it didn't work. Does this mean I'm not able to be hypnotized?
The most common reason for failure to induce trance is lack of rapport. To overcome this problem, contact a few different therapists and choose one that you instinctively trust.