Hypnotherapy

Hypnosis has been around since the 18th century and was developed by Frank Mesmer. That is where we got the term mesmerized. Over the years the word was changed to hypnosis by James Braid. Many others utilized hypnosis through the years, including Sigmund Freud and Milton Erickson.

What I would like to emphasize is the importance of hypnosis and dispelling the myths that continue today. Hypnosis, like any other therapeutic modality requires agreement between the clinician and the client. Some people still ask me if I will control their minds, make them bark like a dog, cluck like a chicken, or say things they don’t want to say. The last question I get is “will I ever come out of hypnosis”. Under hypnosis no one does what they don’t want to do or say. You will always come out of hypnosis.

I have also been asked how does the stage hypnotist get people to do those things on stage. I love stage hypnosis and the hypnotists are trained professionals, but here is the difference.

The stage hypnotist knows who to pick from the audience. The participants are there for a good time and those that go onstage are usually people that may want attention or enjoy entertaining people. But even on stage when told they were going to be strippers, those that are shy, do not agree or are turned off will not participate. They will hide, look away, just sit in their chair or close their eyes tight.

In a therapeutic setting, the client wants a desired outcome. For example, smoking cessation, fear of flying, increased self esteem, past life regression, increase confidence.fear of heights and that’s just to name a few. This process includes a deep state of relaxation and in that state the mind is more open to suggestions that pertain to what the client and therapist decided upon during the assessment and planning. It is the power of language the hypnotherapist uses.

We do not realize how we talk to ourselves, how we have identified ourselves, labeled ourselves and then continued to play that role based on the language we say to ourselves.

We each have a story or narrative we may not even realize we are continuing to think is the real us, but it may not be. We have learned these stories through past trauma, if you believe, then past lives, attachment to family, grief, and the roles we have gotten, unbeknown to us that we continue to play out. For example, someone who is codependent thinks that saying yes, minimizing self, taking on more then they can handle, and needing control is what they are “supposed to do”. I would say that was the role you have always been in and it is exhausting. You will know because you may feel taken advantage of, not seen, feel overwhelmed, and overworked. You may also feel anxiety or depression. Lori will use hypnosis to make suggestions, in this case codependency, to increase sense of self, let go of past scripts or themes that are not serving you anymore and make room for positive change.