What is hypnosis? First, let me begin with what hypnosis is not. It isn’t magic. Hypnosis can’t make you do something you would not approve of. It isn’t mind control. Hypnosis is a state of consciousness that we all slip in and out of many times on our own. Our brains can go through many states of consciousness. When used appropriately, it can help many conditions, including anxiety.
Hypnosis is a state is called trance. A state of soft hyper focus. You might recall a time you were driving and you realized that you were almost at your destination, but you didn’t know how it happened so fast. In that case, you weren’t consciously thinking about pressing the gas pedal, while steering and noticing traffic. When used therapeutically, hypnosis lets the the unconscious mind take control and be an agent for change. A hypnotist uses specific language to help you achieve your goals in person or via audio or you can learn how to hypnotize yourself for results anytime.
Franz Mesmer was a German physician considered the father of hypnosis, although his method was called mesmerism. It was mistakenly believed to work by occult forces (which we know is untrue). Many other famous physicians like Sigmund Freud utilized hypnosis and the modern day marvels include Dave Elman and Dr. Milton Erickson.
I discovered hypnosis at age 20 after suffering with insomnia for years. I was searching for a drug free solution and happened to come across an audio file and gave it a try. It worked!. Thankfully, now, you can find digital versions of hypnosis everywhere! When I was in graduate school for counseling, I knew I had to use hypnosis. As a result, I decided to train on the topic and was fortunate enough to attend the Milton Erickson Foundation in Phoenix, Arizona.
One of my first clients was Heather. She was a working mom who had to travel often for her job. She had not only high anxiety from juggling a stressful job and two small children, but she was afraid of flying. Her doctor gave her a prescription for a popular benzodiazepine. It helped her anxiety, but she would be so groggy after flying, it was hard to concentrate on her work when she arrived and was supposed to go right to a meeting.
She was also worried about the long term effects of taking such medication. As a result, after a consultation, Heather decided she wanted to use hypnosis as a way to work on anxiety for flying and for social situations. I crafted a special recording just for her and in just a couple days, she had a MP3 all ready to try. We decided she would listen once a day for two weeks to start and anytime she was flying.
Here is exactly what she said after using the audio for 30 days:
“The great thing that hypnosis has given me is less anxiety. In my social areas, work areas and fears. I have issues on planes. When everyone is loading the plane and too many people in a in a small place, I get very anxious. I can’t breathe, shaking, etc. The last time I was on a plane, I popped in my ear buds and started listening to the hypnosis. It completely relaxed me and I did not have to take my meds to calm down as a result. WIN! I’m also finding myself more confident in social areas which I have had huge issues with. Small steps, but it’s working! I love listening to the sessions and really feel a huge difference.”
Hypnosis is a close cousin to meditation. There are just some linguistic differences and techniques used. Hypnosis has been successful for anxiety, insomnia, weight loss, smoking cessation, sports, imagination and many more. I have even had clients that use their Fitbit or smart watch to monitor their heart rate and watch it come down while listening.
Your mind is a powerful tool. Hypnosis can allow you to use it for your benefit. It can’t hurt you. Go ahead and try it sometime and see how you feel. My guess is, you will enjoy it.
Here is a free guided hypnotic meditation for Gratitude, Abundance and Prosperity. Do not listen while driving.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q91_A52D3Q4&t=1212s
Marina Sbrochi
MA Professional Counseling
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.