What is Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy?

What is Hypnosis?

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Contrary to popular belief, hypnosis is not a state of deep sleep. It does involve the induction of a trance-like state, but when in it, the patient is actually in an enhanced state of awareness, in this state the conscious mind is suppressed and the unconscious mind is revealed.
Hypnosis is a natural state each and every one of us drifts in and out of several times a day, for example when we are day dreaming, concentrating, falling asleep or even watching the television. Hypnosis is a different state of consciousness, which you can naturally enter so that beneficial suggestions may be given directly to your unconscious mind.
Hypnosis is an effective way of making contact with our inner (unconscious) self, which is both a reservoir of unrecognised potential and knowledge as well as being the unwitting source of many of our problems. It is a fact that no one can be hypnotised against his or her will and even when hypnotised, a person can still reject any suggestion that they are uncomfortable with. Therapeutic hypnosis is a state of purposeful co-operation and deep relaxation.

What is Hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy aims to re-programme patterns of behaviour within the mind, enabling irrational fears, phobias, negative thoughts and suppressed emotions to be overcome.
As the body is released from conscious control during the relaxed trance-like state of hypnosis, breathing becomes slower and deeper, the pulse rate drops and the metabolic rate falls. Other changes enable the sensation of pain and the awareness of unpleasant symptoms to become less acute or alleviated.
Hypnotherapy involves the patient experiencing a sense of deep relaxation and wellbeing with their attention focused on appropriate suggestions made by the therapist. These suggestions help people make positive changes within themselves.
It is generally accepted that ALL hypnosis is ultimately self-hypnosis. A Hypnotherapist helps to facilitate your experience - hypnotherapy is not about being made to do things, in fact it is the opposite, it is about empowerment! A professionally trained Clinical Hypnotherapist will be able to use a wide variety of hypnotic techniques, so that therapy can be tailored to the individual patient.
Hypnotherapy can be applied to many psychological, emotional and physical disorders. It is used to relieve pain in minor surgery and dentistry and has proved to be of benefit in obstetrics. It can shorten the delivery stage of labour and can reduce the need for painkillers. It can ease the suffering of the disabled and those facing terminal illness, and it has been shown to help people to overcome addictions such as smoking and alcoholism, and to help with bulimia.
Children and Teenagers are generally easy to hypnotise and can be helped with a number of things such as confidence, blushing, stammering, bedwetting and phobias.
Hypnotherapy is one of the kindest ways to treat phobias, and anyone suffering from panic attacks or obsessional compulsive behaviour, and stress-related problems like insomnia, may also benefit. Conditions exacerbated by tension, such as irritable bowel syndrome, psoriasis and eczema, and excessive sweating respond well and even tinnitus and clicky jaws (tempero-mandibular joint dysfunction) can be helped by these techniques.

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Site content © Karen Riley & Paul Cullingworth 2004