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Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy

Hypnosis is NOT sleep
You will NOT lose your awareness
You will NOT be in someone else's power
You will NOT be out of control
You will NOT be in a trance
You CANNOT be made to do or say anything you don't want to

To hear Neil talking about hypnosis and hypnotherapy on Glen Campbell's Sunday Breakfast Show on Real Radio click Here

What then is hypnosis?

All hypnosis is self-hypnosis and no one can be hypnotised against their will. You allow yourself to be guided into hypnosis and you remain in control at all times. You always know what is happening and you are in full awareness at all times. You can stop the session at any time just by opening your eyes.

Everyone has experienced the place of hypnosis many, many times.  We go into light hypnosis every day of our lives - except we just wouldn't call it that.  Have you ever caught yourself daydreaming and not been aware of things happening around you?  Have you ever been so absorbed in a book or watching a film or TV that you haven't realised an hour or two has gone by? Drivers do it all the time - you leave home and drive to a familiar destination - what happened in between? Don't know, can't remember - and yet you were driving with absolute safety and would have responded to any emergency situation that arose.  These are all expressions of hypnosis.

The main difference between these expressions and purposeful self-hypnosis is the lack of specific motivations and suggestions towards a goal.   Hypnotherapy encourages the mind to achieve some desired result like pain or stress relief, positive self-image, freedom from a phobia, positive self-control (as in stopping smoking) etc.

The day-dreamy state is so familiar that it is common for people to disbelieve that they have been in the place of hypnosis the first or second time it occurs.  Hypnosis is a subtle phenomenon and we all experience it differently.

Will I lose control without knowing it?
Hypnotherapists do not possess the power to control other people's minds. They guide you into deep relaxation so that you can access your subconscious mind. In this deep relaxation you are not held back by the inhibitions which normally prevent you from accessing your inner thoughts and feelings. If you don't want to reveal things that are private, you won't. You are in control of everything you say.

Can I be made to do some thing against my will?
What about those performers on TV and stage?
NO. Pub and Club shows where people run around like chickens or dance with brooms thinking they are dancing with someone beautiful create a misunderstanding of what is really happening. The guinea-pigs in those situations could actually choose not to behave like that but they just don't know that. This is fully explained in your first session so that you have clear understanding of what is happening.

The stage hypnotist has contributed to the image of hypnosis as being a 'trance', 'sleep-like' or 'out-of -this-world' state. In fact the opposite is true: under hypnosis all your five senses are heightened.

Any suggestion contrary to your inner convictions will either be ignored by you, or you will come out of the hypnotic state. The subconscious mind will only accept suggestions that are beneficial to you.

How does hypnosis work?
Under hypnosis all outside distractions are eliminated and your attention is focused on the hypnotherapist's voice. It is this profound concentration that permits suggestions to guide you into your subconscious. The principal reason for its use is that under hypnosis you become aware of your present behavioural patterns which are usually of archaic origin, and you are guided to adopt new, desired and beneficial ones.

Can I be stuck in a hypnotic state?
No, since it is the person being hypnotised who actually induces himself through self-hypnosis. Just as anyone cannot be hypnotised against their own will, they can bring themselves out in a split second.
 

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