Hypnosis - Does Hypnosis Really Work

About Hypnosis -- Why is Hypnosis Effective?

What your mind can conceive your body can achieve.

What is Hypnosis? / How Does Hypnosis Work? / Why is Hypnosis Effective?

Does Hypnosis Really Work?

Yes. Hypnosis is one of the fastest, most effective methods of change and improvement. In a single session, people have stopped smoking, improved golf games, learned to deal with stress, begun to effectively lose weight, improved concentration and study skills, and much more. Many complex personal problems that would take years of traditional treatment often require less than ten sessions with hypnotherapy.

How does hypnosis help people?

The ability to reprogram emotional attitudes and reactions is a latent talent within every human being. Hypnosis is the most functional and reasonable way to train life-long attitudes, rather than suffer a lifetime of emotional accidents the conscious mind is unable to change.

In what areas is hypnotherapy helpful?

Within the field of hypnotherapy, there are a great variety of ways to harness the power of the subconscious mind to affect change. Hypnosis is used in areas such as chronic and acute pain control, to change the pain threshold or affect the psychological associations of pain. It can be effective to improve confidence, concentration, recall, motivation, achievement, focus, health and stress management. Hypnosis can help overcome addictions, habits, eating disorders, insomnia, depression, anxiety, fears, phobias, and negative thought, emotional and behavior patterns.

In addition, hypnotherapy is helpful in a variety of areas including:

Can hypnosis really help me quit smoking?

Yes, hypnosis is the most effective treatment that we have to change this habit, far more effective than the patch or the gum. In fact both of these treatments suggest using behavioral therapy in addition to their Nicotine dispatching techniques. Smoking is a learned behavior, which can be unlearned. The nicotine addiction part is only 72 hours long, the behavioral parts often last for years. If you have ever tried to stop before you know it was not the nicotine that draws you back, but the feeling of wanting something in your hands or in your mouth, being with friends, having a drink, etc. Conscious knowledge is hardly ever enough. You already know cigarettes are dangerous to your health, yet you keep smoking. Getting your subconscious mind involved is the key. It controls your habit center, your intellect does not. Why do you think cigarette advertising is now so restricted? Advertising works on the subconscious mind. You need to get the message across to your subconscious mind, and hypnosis is the key to doing just that.

Can hypnosis really help me lose weight?

If you have tried to lose weight in the past without success, you have probably discovered losing weight is never easy. Yet we are continuously tempted by the hundreds of advertisements promising quick and easy weight loss. Advertisements that purport that 'All you need to do is take this two little harmless capsules and vola the fat will melt off you while you eat all the foods you have always wanted and sit on the sofa watching T.V. In no time you too can be just as thin as the professional models that are getting paid to sell you this harmless supplement.' Which is worse, the fact that advertisers can actually get away with such outrageous and often false and misleading advertisements, or that we actually believe them enough to open our wallets and dish out good money and hope?

Although most of us have tried and have been failed by many diets, it is a credit to the human spirit that we continue to seek solutions and persist at trying new ones. What our clients most often say is 'I know everything there is to know about dieting, and how to lose weight. I have tried hundreds of diets, but I have a hard time staying on them and I gain the weight back after I stop.'

Why don't diets work. Independent studies have confirmed that over 90% of the weight lost by dieting is re-gained within 18 months. Diets are generally based on depriving you of the foods you like, and while this approach can be good if you want to lose few pounds to fit in your special dress or suit for a friend's wedding, it is not successful for long-term weight loss. Most people perceive dieting as a short-term proposal. 'Once I reach my ideal weight, then I can stop dieting,' is often the inner thought of the dieter. An author and psychologist once said look at the first 3 letters of dieting, who wants to Die-ting?

Another reason most calorie-restricted diets fail is they go against our survival instinct. A major reduction of calories is perceived as a crisis condition which the body is forced to deal with by lowering metabolism, reducing your defense system functions, reducing hair and nail growth and strength (just like we all have been reducing energy consumption by turning off lights and appliances). But as soon as the famine is over, or so the body believes, it tries very quickly to regain the lost ground and, in fact, often add an extra 25-30% of what was lost to be better prepared for the next cycle of famine. If you diet enough times, at some point your body may stay at a permanently low metabolism.

To lose weight permanently, one needs permanent changes in habits, behaviors and beliefs, all domain of the subconscious. As an evolved species, we have managed to automate our routine and repetitive tasks so our active or conscious mind can be free to focus on making decisions and learning new things. Therefore, habits like walking, language skills or driving do not require conscious actions once mastered. You do not know how to walk; you just get up and go, although as a child you learned that. You may not be aware which side of your body or face you start shaving everyday, but you did at one time. These tasks and behaviors, and thousand more like them, are managed by your subconscious, which controls all your learned behaviors. Some of these learned behaviors might deal with food, like your mother telling you to finish all the food on your plate because of the starving children of the world. Although as smart adults, most people wishing to lose weight know that their eating or not eating does not affect the starving people elsewhere, they often are unable to stop until all the food is gone. This is a learned behavior which is now managed by the subconscious, and the active or conscious mind has very little influence on the subconscious. That is why some old habits are hard to change. But it not impossible to change or eliminate old unhealthy or unproductive habits; and that is where hypnosis comes in.

Hypnosis is simply a state of being, similar to daydreaming but with a purpose. Most people experience hypnosis at least twice a day, once when they wake up, but before fully awake and alert and once just before falling asleep. During hypnosis you can communicate with your subconscious directly, without interference from the layer known as the Critical Factor. You see the active or conscious mind receives new information constantly and must process that information and make decisions. The logic of our mind is contained in a layer known as the Critical Factor. This is where the essence of who you are, your habits, your beliefs, and thoughts are maintained. For example, if you were to say to yourself, I will eat half of the food on my plate, the conscious mind checks with your Critical Factor and might decide this information is false for you because of what mother told you, or because of your belief that you need a large portion to feel full, etc. And, therefore, this new information actually never makes it in to your subconscious to change that old habit of cleaning your plate.

During hypnosis, you can examine your belief system and see why you eat the way you do. Do you eat when you are bored, stressed, angry, worried, or happy? Has food become an old friend into which you drown your unhappiness with life into or that you associate with celebrations? Do you have food addictions? With hypnosis, you begin to let go of old beliefs and create new healthy ones. You can become motivated to eat less, feel satisfied with smaller portions, select healthy foods, and enjoy exercising regularly.

Hypnosis is a very effective tool for weight loss. Your subconscious contains your body image and habit center, and it also controls your appetite and metabolism. If you repeatedly tell yourself 'I'm fat' when you look in the mirror, then your subconscious will incorporate that belief and act on it. You will easily give in to that dessert or that extra serving if you already subconsciously see yourself as fat. Hypnosis is the key to learning how to silence your inner critic, and fill yourself with positive self-regard instead of junk food.

Is hypnosis medically approved?

Yes. In, 1958, the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association have approved hypnotherapy for use by professionally responsible individuals. The British Medical Association also adopted hypnosis as a viable therapeutic tool in 1958.

Why is hypnosis effective?

Hypnosis is effective because it works directly with the subconscious mind, aligning our subconscious minds with our conscious desires. When we get all parts of us - body, mind and spirit - working together, it becomes much easier to achieve our desires. With hypnosis, the subconscious mind views situations objectively, without any rationalizations or excuses from the conscious mind. Through objective and guided understanding, the subconscious mind is able to change and improve patterns of behavior.

Can I be hypnotized?

If you want to, you most likely can be. Most people are hypnotically susceptible. According to research performed at Stanford University, 93% of population has sufficient susceptibility to be able to create or change a behavioral pattern. Surgical hypnosis requires a deeper level to manage acute pain and is attainable by approximately 25% of population.

According to the World Health Organization, over 90% of the world population is hypnotically susceptible. But just because you are susceptible does not mean that you can be hypnotized against your will. Similarly, just because you can play tennis, you cannot be made to play unless you want to.

What is the age range of hypnotic susceptibility? Is hypnosis effective in children?

Hypnotic susceptibility does not change with age. You do not lose your susceptibility as you get older, nor are you less susceptible when you are younger. Children have the same level of susceptibility as adults. Most children past the age of 3 can be hypothesized. Most often nightmares, warts, thumb sucking, or bed wetting can be resolved in children through the use of hypnosis.

Disclaimer: The information presented here is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace the expert and professional advice of your physician, psychologist, or therapist. Always seek help from qualified professionals in the field of your interest.