Powerful, Friendly, Healing Place
The unconscious creative imagination is a powerful friendly healing place. A healing reservoir of understanding that uses intuition; is spontaneous and creative. Hypnosis is a tool to help you access this deep medicine and teaches you to be your own master healer. Self-Hypnosis can augment hypnotherapy and/or psychotherapy sessions to reinforce messages of strength, resilience, calmness and peace: and allow you to let go of old patterns or unwanted messages or images.
During clinical hypnosis sessions, each individual goes into a trance level that is right for them - which is why some persons say that they ‘cannot be hypnotized.’ Each person experiences a different level of suggestibility or sometimes resists the induction into trance quite purposefully. While in trance, the client can bring themselves up to a more conscious level when needed, talk to the therapist during hypnosis, or respond to questions that the therapist asks to help access the client’s creative unconscious.
Classical and Clinical Hypnosis differences
Clinical hypnosis differs from Classical hypnosis used in television or at stage shows. Clinical hypnosis works with indirect and direct suggestions, is more permissive, individualized, and assists the client to use story and metaphor toward healing solutions. Hypnosis must be clinically appropriate for each client: those who have reached appropriate stages of readiness in therapy. This would apply especially to clients engaging in trauma therapy.
Myths
Clinical hypnosis focuses on helping you to access and heal parts of your mind or bring to consciousness new and better ways of interacting with yourself and the world. Error messages – often from childhood - can be healed and changed through new insights. You cannot be asked to do anything that your unconscious mind doesn't want to do.
- Myth: You lose control under hypnosis. You are always in control and cannot be made to do so anything against your will or moral judgment.
- Myth: It is a state of sleep or unconsciousness. You are fully aware and conscious of your surroundings and remember what happens during a session.
- Myth: It can recover forgotten memories. While sometimes used for this purpose, hypnosis can increase the risk of creating false memories, making it an unreliable method for memory retreat.
- Myth: You can get ‘stuck’ in a hypnotic state. This cannot happen. A person can exit a hypnotic state at any time and will naturally come out of it if the session is interrupted.
Typical Hypnosis Process
During trance, brain waves are slowed from beta, to alpha or alpha/theta. The client is led through a deepening relaxation in a conversational way and indirect or direct suggestions are tailor-made to their problem. Hypnosis sessions often use metaphor and story to work through issues. Post-hypnotic suggestions may also be given and homework to reinforce the issue that is being addressed. A specific number of sessions may be required to fully address a particular issue, solidify progress, and maintain reinforcement toward goals.
Contact me for a 15 minute consultation:
613-295-9987
Downtown Ottawa Office