Why Hypnosis

A question I am often asked is why would anyone use hypnosis to improve their life? How can it make any difference?

Most people set about to make changes in their life by attacking the behavior that needs changing. i.e. losing weight, being nicer to others, getting up earlier, going to bed earlier, studying harder, doing all the things one needs to do to get ahead in their career, etc. People are aware of their shortcomings and many strive to make those changes by doing things differently. Yet when all the effort is over people are still in the same place they always were. They may have moved some things around but the bottom line has not changed at all.

So what is the answer? As I see it, the process of attempting to directly make changes, is flawed and will not succeed. For example, a person sitting in a movie theater noticing that the picture and sound is progressively deteriorating, would be considered foolish, if that person went to the front of the theater and attempted to fix the problem by grabbing hold of the screen. Everyone understands that the problem could only be corrected at the source, i.e. in the projection booth. Yet people continue to attempt to make corrections in their life by struggling with the effect and not the cause.

Since all actions stem from thought, conscious or unconscious, it would follow then that changing the underlying cause could make lasting change. Since most of our behaviors are directed by deeply held beliefs and attitudes that are mostly hidden from our awareness, it would follow that by making changes in those limiting concepts, one could bring about the desired behaviors. That is what hypnosis does so well.

What is Hypnosis?
In many ways hypnosis is the art of securing a person's attention and then effectively communicating ideas that enhance motivation and change perceptions. Hypnosis can be called a highly focused state of attention. This ability to focus gives you access to all the levels of consciousness. It is a natural experience that allows you to use the resources of the deeper, unlimited parts of your mind. In hypnosis, you can discover and learn many things better, faster, and easier than is usually possible working from you conscious mind only. The results of this pleasant, and influential, state can often make a profound difference in a person's life.

When deciding to use hypnosis, one needs to realize that there are different approaches used by different practitioners. Most hypnosis today employs the concept that change comes about by "putting a person into a trance" and giving suggestions that "hopefully" will be accepted by the client. If the suggestions are accepted, all the better, If not, then the client is labeled resistant or non-hypnotizable.

A more advanced method is the utilization approach developed by M. Erickson, MD. This is the method that is employed here. "His utilization approaches achieve their results precisely because they activate and further develop what is already within the client, freeing unconscious potentials from the limitations of consciousness, rather than attempting to impose something from the outside that might be unsuitable for the person's individuality. This approach helps individuals outgrow learned limitations so that inner potentials can be realized to achieve the desired goals". (Hypnotic Realities, Erickson & Rossi & Rossi, 1976.)

(See Questions and Answers below for more information.)

Question & Answers to help you better understand hypnosis:

I've never been hypnotized before. What can I expect?
The trance (hypnosis) state is a natural phenomenon. People go into spontaneous trances every day. Musicians becomes so engrossed in their music that they lose track of time. Avid readers keep turning the pages despite distractions. Letting your mind drift out the window or watching TV intensely can be hypnotic states. So you can see that all hypnosis is really self-hypnosis. The therapist is only enhancing the patient's natural capacity to allow the conscious mind to drift off while the deeper mind becomes more active.

Will I be asleep or unconscious in hypnosis?
No, a trance is not sleep! People in a trance actually eel more alert than they ordinarily do. At the same time, they remain fully aware of their surroundings, and they will drift away to an idyllic, soothing place. Most people find the experience pleasurable.

Can everyone be hypnotized?
Anyone who is well motivated can reach a trance state and be helped by hypnosis. The ability to lose oneself in a book or a movie, or just to drift off is a good indicator of hypnotizability.

Can I be made to do something that I don't want to do?
You can't be made to do anything against your morals or your best interests. Your inner mind is always going to protect you.

Is hypnosis accepted by doctors?
Hypnosis is an accepted part of current medical practice, used to treat conditions ranging from angina to ulcers, from asthma to warts. Medical uses of hypnosis are based on the belief that the mind powerfully influences the body. Imagine the unconscious mind as a computer that regulates body functions. Hypnosis is a way of gaining access to this computer's files and editing them.

Will I reveal hidden secrets while I am in a hypnotic state?
No! Your unconscious mind is always protecting you. Nothing from your past will be revealed unless that is what you expressly want. You cannot be made to "tell the truth" in hypnosis. It is not a truth serum.

How will I know if I have been hypnotized?
There is no dramatic departure from your normal "waking" feelings. Frequently, people who have experienced hypnosis find it a much subtler process than they imagined. After a few experiences with hypnosis most people will notice the subtle differences, perhaps a dream, drowsy feeling or a tendency for the conscious mind to drift. The real proof is in being aware of all the positive changes you experience. Just as the proof of the pudding is in the eating, the proof of the hypnosis is in the changing. You may notice changes in behavior and thinking that are an indirect result of the suggestions given you in hypnosis. Clients frequently report feeling much calmer, experiencing a greatly improved attitude, enjoying a better quality of sleep and many other noticeable positive changes.

I've heard that only "weak minded" or weak willed people can be hypnotized. Is that true?
Not at all. Intelligence has very little to do with the hypnotic state. Will has much more to do with it. Since hypnosis is a natural state we all experience it every day. Milton Erickson, probably the world's foremost hypnotist, called it "the everyday trance." Being smart or not smart is not a factor. If you are willing to be hypnotized, you can be, providing you have good motivation. So strong willed individuals can will themselves to be hypnotized.

Is hypnosis caused by the "power" of the hypnotist?
Going into a state of hypnosis is not a power struggle between the client and the hypnotist. Rather the process of being hypnotized is a collaborative venture. The client and the hypnotherapist work together to achieve what the client wants.

Can I become dependent on the hypnotist?
Hypnosis is a therapeutic tool and does not foster dependencies of any kind. Rather than foster dependence by indirectly encouraging the client to view the therapist as the source of answers to all of life's woes, hypnosis used properly helps the person in distress to turn inwards to use the many experiences the person has acquired over a lifetime. Hypnosis can use these experience to bring about changes in very natural ways.

Can I get "stuck” in hypnosis?
Trance is a state of focused attention, either inwardly or outwardly directed. It is controlled by the client, who can initiate or terminate trance as the client chooses. It is impossible to become “stuck” in a state of concentration. Can you imagine getting “stuck” reading a book?

I have difficulty relaxing and so I wonder if I can be relaxed enough to be hypnotized.
Since hypnosis occurs while one’s attention is fixed, one can be anxious or in suspense and still be focused as in “glued to a mystery”. Thus, physical relaxation is not required for trance to occur. Your desire to be helped is all you need.

I have been told that self-hypnosis is a marvelous way to take charge of your life and to make meaningful changes. My question is how can I wake myself up when I want to come out?
You are not asleep, but rather using “self-talk” while in a meditative state. When you are finished with your self-hypnotic session, you simply instruct yourself to “wake up” refreshed and rested.

Are there different kinds of hypnosis?
There appears to be different kinds of hypnosis. Seeing a stage hypnotist working, and watching therapeutic hypnosis might seem at first, that they are different but actually the state of hypnosis is the same. What is different is the purpose. To the stage hypnotist the purpose is to entertain and to appear to the audience as having some sort of special power over those in hypnosis. However, with therapeutic hypnosis there is a cooperative relationship between the therapist and the patient. Working together they arrive at a solution the the patient possessed, but is yet unaware.

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Testimonial Written to Robert Baker

December 10, 2001

Dear Dr. Baker,

We were delighted with the professional coaching sessions that we have taken with you during the past year. My staff and I were pleased to get to know you and to work with you, and quite frankly, the results were amazing!

We have seen just tremendous financial gains from the work we did in the area of growth and business success, and the outcome is far beyond anything we expected. We also have seen professional gains in areas that we did not specifically work on, but all things seem to be quite connected.

Personally and professionally, we could not be more pleased and will recommend your service to everyone who will listen! Please continue the wonderful work you are doing. Seeing you was the single-most effective action that we have taken in twenty years of business.

Sincerely,

Alden L. Butcher, President
Dolphin Entertainment Company-
Providing Corporate Events, Film and Video