Believe it or not, you have already experienced hypnosis. With New Yorkers, it happens on the subway. Have you ever been so focused on your phone or lost in your thoughts that you almost miss your stop (or actually do)? That is hypnosis: a state of mental absorption so heightened that you briefly stop paying attention to your surroundings. Daydreaming and movies are also examples. People who drive regularly might experience “highway hypnosis,” where they get lost in their thoughts momentarily, and then look up and see that they are at their exit.
When to Try Hypnotherapy and How it Helps
Hypnosis improves the communication between your conscious and unconscious mind. When these two parts are disconnected around a particular problem, it can feel like you are “blocked,” “stuck,” or like you have tried everything to change but nothing works. Not only is this enormously frustrating, but over time it contributes to a sense of powerlessness and helplessness that is further immobilizing.
Your mind has powerful resources (intuition, imagination, the capacity to learn from new experiences) that are just under the surface of your everyday awareness and can be accessed at any time. Hypnosis connects you with them and empowers you to use them intuitively and creatively. You start feeling lighter and more hopeful, and your problem begins to change.
What Hypnosis Feels Like
In hypnosis, your mind and body can unwind and release tension. Images, thoughts, sounds, and feelings flow freely. Most people report feeling deeply relaxed and some sleep more deeply the night after a hypnotherapy session. For many, the stress-relieving impact of a hypnotherapy session lasts 3-4 days, or even longer.
There are many stages of depth in hypnosis. Full alertness is characteristic of the lightest stages - you hear every word the therapist says. In moderate stages your mind wanders off and returns. Only in the deepest stages (usually only used as anesthesia for medical or dental preocedures) is there a sense of having missed what was said. Many clients are surprised how aware they are during hypnosis.
Why Hypnotherapy is Safe
You are always in control of yourself and your actions in hypnosis. You will only go as deep as you are comfortable with and your mind will only accept content that it finds helpful and positive. If you don’t feel genuinely safe, nothing will happen - no matter what the therapist does. This is why choosing the right therapist for you is essential.
How You Will Change
It’s common to notice increased energy and commitment to changing behavior and the ability to follow through with pre-planned goals after starting hypnotherapy. Some clients experience “aha!” moments in which a thought pops into their mind that helps them recognize what they need to do to change. Others will experience insights after hypnosis during the conversation with the therapist or between sessions. For others, they simply start feeling better and notice behavior changing.