What is hypnosis and hypnotherapy
Hypnosis is a heightened state of awareness, similar to meditation, where the mind is focused on a single idea and tunes out everything else around. It is a naturally occuring state that we experience often in everyday life, like being engrossed in a book or a favourite movie. Our ability to enter this unique state of consciousness opens the door to countless possibilities for healing, self-exploration and change.
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Most of our thought processes are a result of years of subconscious conditioning from parents, teachers, friends, coworkers, news and our environment. The subconscious records everything presented to us without questioning it, and no amount of logical and rational thinking will change these inherent beliefs even if they starts to work against us. Problems that arise from this conflict (subconscious recording vs reality) are hard to fix unless the underlying thought is changed.
Hypnotherapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses hypnosis to reveal the subconscious cause of conflict and taking advantage of the neuro plasticity of our brains, employs various techniques to reprogramme those thoughts, behaviours, and feelings for the better.
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Hypnotherapy for everyday stress-
We all have an inbuilt freeze, fight and flight response which was once necessary for our survival and was triggered by fear, to fight the proverbial tiger.
When activated, the fight or flight response causes a sequence of quick internal processes- increased heart rate, fast breathing, release of sugar and fat into the bloodstream for energy, moving blood to the arms and legs, increased cholesterol for blood circulation etc.- that prepare the body to either fight back or run for it's life.
In today’s world our fear response is still the same, albeit to non-life threatening man made situations of just coping with daily modern life. Like being stuck in a traffic jam, being bullied by your boss or an argument with your spouse etc., and it's easy to imagine the stress it causes to our minds and bodies day in and day out.
Hypnotherapy can help you cope with these situations, by subconsciously modifying the response and changing your reaction to them and helping you relax. This could in time help cut down excessive reliance on medication.
Myths about hypnosis in relation to therapy
•You can be hypnotized against your will- All hypnosis is actually self hypnosis, the therapist is merely a guide. If you don’t want to you cannot be hypnotized, your logical brain (critical conscious) will reject it, because it will constantly be busy analyzing, mocking or critisizing the process to actually relax.
•The hypnotist controls your mind and can plant ideas in your head without your knowledge- The person in therapy is fully aware of everything being said and done, even in a dreamy state. Anything that’s not agreed upon or goes against your beliefs your subconscious will reject it and you are in a position to end the session anytime you want.
•Brings out your deep dark secrets- Since you are in charge, you won't reveal anything other than what you want to, for the sake of your therapy objective.
•It’s some kind of magic- It may appear so to people who don’t understand the process and to observers from the outside, especially if exposed to the stage hypnosis and hollywood theatrics. If anything it is a science of practicing positivity at a subconscious level which could result in spectacular life modifications for good. One could call that magical!
•It is for the weak minded- It needs a focused mind and an intelligent person to acknowledge that there is a shift that needs to happen in their life, be self reflecting and actively go out to make a change. A person that believes in the all powerful brain, and can acheive a self awareness that occurs in hypnosis can’t be ‘weak minded’ in the first place.