HYPNOSIS AND TRANCE
WHAT ARE HYPNOSIS AND TRANCE AND HOW DO THEY WORK?
A brief introduction to Hypnosis
Have you ever tried to give up something like smoking, eating junk food, sweets, or alcohol?
One day you decide you’ve had enough and are determined to finally nail it. Your mind is clear, you feel committed, strong and resolved, and then…well you and I know how it ended…
Likewise, you might have decided to improve your performance at work, sports or enhance your family life. Your mind is clear, you are full of power and good intentions and then…well, you and I know how it ended…
WHY IS THAT?
Why, if this powerful mind of yours decides something…does it meet so much resistance and often failure?
Turns out, there are two minds - at least - that are at work in our systems. One is referred to as the “conscious mind,” and the other is mostly referred to as the “unconscious mind.” The unconscious mind is actually uber-conscious, awake, aware and all-powerful. The word “unconscious” only refers to the fact that we are virtually never conscious of it.
And what is the unconscious mind’s job description, you ask….
For one thing, it does everything you never think about, are not conscious of.
Just stop for a moment and notice your breathing. Who – or what - does that? Who makes your blood flow? What regulates your digestion, elimination, and immune system? Who operates the blinking of your eyes, who coordinates your listening process, your balance etc.? All your life processes are taken care of/regulated by what is known as your ‘unconscious mind’.
And then there is your memory. Who receives all your input, categorises and stores all your memories and then brings them up at will when you need them?
And who is in charge of our emotions? The good ones as well as the ones that haunt you? Have you ever tried to ‘think’ your way out of depression with your conscious mind? Yes, exactly, good luck with that!
All of that and much much more is the responsibility of the “unconscious mind!”
So, if it is so all-powerful, how do we get access to it?
The conscious mind is the guardian of the unconscious mind. If it wasn’t so good at protecting the unconscious mind, everything we hear, see and experience would automatically be a direct suggestion to this most powerful part of you, the unconscious mind! If the conscious mind weren’t so exemplary in blocking access to the unconscious mind, life would literally be impossible to live.
Trance is a way to pry open the conscious mind’s protective grip on the unconscious mind and communicate with it directly, making helpful suggestions to it. It will action those suggestions far more efficiently than the conscious mind can. We can also learn and constantly improve to communicate with our unconscious mind ourselves for a better quality of life.
In a typical hypnosis session, I will get to know your history a bit and we’ll explore together what you would like me to layer into the hypnosis process, i.e., what would assist you to overcome/integrate/achieve what you have come for. We will create words, suggestions and/or commands together that will then become the centrepiece of our session. With your permission, I will then take you deeper and deeper into a trance (with you still being very conscious), layer in the suggestions we have worked on and rouse you from the trance at the other end. That’s it!
Here are a couple of common questions:
CAN ANYONE BE HYPNOTIZED?
Yes, anyone who wants to be hypnotized can be hypnotized. Hypnosis is not a ‘do to’ process but is a ‘do with’ process. If you agree to be hypnotized and can follow simple instructions, you can be hypnotized and go into a trance. If you don’t agree to be hypnotized, then you can’t be! The process of hypnosis is true cooperation between client and practitioner.
WILL I BE UNCONSCIOUS?
No, you will always be conscious and hear everything. Sometimes people nod off if they are extra comfortable or tired, but the hypnotherapist will always bring them back immediately to continue. Hypnosis, while you are asleep, is not very effective.
Often people will comment that they actually haven’t been in a trance, they could hear everything and were very aware. True, but it’s a trance nevertheless. A deep trance feels like deep relaxation like you can’t possibly lift your arms anymore or at least feel more relaxed than when you first came in. However, you are still very awake. That state is all it takes for the unconscious mind to be extremely receptive to suggestions and turn those suggestions into life-changing actions.
A brief introduction to Hypnosis
Have you ever tried to give up something like smoking, eating junk food, sweets, or alcohol?
One day you decide you’ve had enough and are determined to finally nail it. Your mind is clear, you feel committed, strong and resolved, and then…well you and I know how it ended…
Likewise, you might have decided to improve your performance at work, sports or enhance your family life. Your mind is clear, you are full of power and good intentions and then…well, you and I know how it ended…
WHY IS THAT?
Why, if this powerful mind of yours decides something…does it meet so much resistance and often failure?
Turns out, there are two minds - at least - that are at work in our systems. One is referred to as the “conscious mind,” and the other is mostly referred to as the “unconscious mind.” The unconscious mind is actually uber-conscious, awake, aware and all-powerful. The word “unconscious” only refers to the fact that we are virtually never conscious of it.
And what is the unconscious mind’s job description, you ask….
For one thing, it does everything you never think about, are not conscious of.
Just stop for a moment and notice your breathing. Who – or what - does that? Who makes your blood flow? What regulates your digestion, elimination, and immune system? Who operates the blinking of your eyes, who coordinates your listening process, your balance etc.? All your life processes are taken care of/regulated by what is known as your ‘unconscious mind’.
And then there is your memory. Who receives all your input, categorises and stores all your memories and then brings them up at will when you need them?
And who is in charge of our emotions? The good ones as well as the ones that haunt you? Have you ever tried to ‘think’ your way out of depression with your conscious mind? Yes, exactly, good luck with that!
All of that and much much more is the responsibility of the “unconscious mind!”
So, if it is so all-powerful, how do we get access to it?
The conscious mind is the guardian of the unconscious mind. If it wasn’t so good at protecting the unconscious mind, everything we hear, see and experience would automatically be a direct suggestion to this most powerful part of you, the unconscious mind! If the conscious mind weren’t so exemplary in blocking access to the unconscious mind, life would literally be impossible to live.
Trance is a way to pry open the conscious mind’s protective grip on the unconscious mind and communicate with it directly, making helpful suggestions to it. It will action those suggestions far more efficiently than the conscious mind can. We can also learn and constantly improve to communicate with our unconscious mind ourselves for a better quality of life.
In a typical hypnosis session, I will get to know your history a bit and we’ll explore together what you would like me to layer into the hypnosis process, i.e., what would assist you to overcome/integrate/achieve what you have come for. We will create words, suggestions and/or commands together that will then become the centrepiece of our session. With your permission, I will then take you deeper and deeper into a trance (with you still being very conscious), layer in the suggestions we have worked on and rouse you from the trance at the other end. That’s it!
Here are a couple of common questions:
CAN ANYONE BE HYPNOTIZED?
Yes, anyone who wants to be hypnotized can be hypnotized. Hypnosis is not a ‘do to’ process but is a ‘do with’ process. If you agree to be hypnotized and can follow simple instructions, you can be hypnotized and go into a trance. If you don’t agree to be hypnotized, then you can’t be! The process of hypnosis is true cooperation between client and practitioner.
WILL I BE UNCONSCIOUS?
No, you will always be conscious and hear everything. Sometimes people nod off if they are extra comfortable or tired, but the hypnotherapist will always bring them back immediately to continue. Hypnosis, while you are asleep, is not very effective.
Often people will comment that they actually haven’t been in a trance, they could hear everything and were very aware. True, but it’s a trance nevertheless. A deep trance feels like deep relaxation like you can’t possibly lift your arms anymore or at least feel more relaxed than when you first came in. However, you are still very awake. That state is all it takes for the unconscious mind to be extremely receptive to suggestions and turn those suggestions into life-changing actions.
