Are you considering hypnosis to help with a problem or just as a way of relaxing? Perhaps you are feeling stressed at work or are finding that you are not sleeping well.
Maybe you have pain or want to stop smoking and have tried everything else and now wonder about hypnosis.
Making decisions is always easier when you have some information.
This blog explains 5 good reasons why you should give hypnosis a go: They are:
- Hypnosis is relaxing and helps you to feel good
- Hypnosis has been practised for hundreds of years in all countries of the world
- Hypnosis is research and evidenced-based
- It gets results fast
- It is empowering and pleasant
Hypnosis is relaxing and helps to make you feel good
Hypnosis can be used for many things but it is a pleasant and relaxing experience. It helps you to relax muscles so you let go of tension. So it’s good if you have chronic backache or other forms of tight muscles.
Relaxation improves blood flow around the body. One reason for this is that the tight muscles relax and allow the blood to flow more freely. A better blood flow also means that you are better nourished with nutrients from the blood.
Other benefits of relaxation include lowering blood pressure, helping to improve our emotional well-being and stress.
It also helps your mind to relax because it’s a focused state of attention. During the session, you listen to the hypnotherapist and all the other noises about seem to melt into the background. It does actually slow down the brain waves.
Although many people think you go to sleep when hypnotised you do not. However, lots of people feel like they have had a good sleep when the hypnotist asks them to open their eyes at the end of the session.
Hypnosis has been practised for hundreds of years in all countries of the world
Hypnosis is not a new therapy.
Although there were sleep temples in ancient Egyptian times where hypnosis was practised, most people consider modern hypnosis started with Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815). At that time it was called Mesmerism or Magnetism. It was believed that there was a flow of magnetic fluid in the body that needs to be corrected. However, we now know that wasn’t correct but people still wanted the positive effects of hypnosis.
The reason why many people would want to experience hypnosis then was because there were few treatments to help disease and people felt better.
Over the years, hypnosis continued to be used a lot around the world. These techniques became known as hypnosis by Étienne Félix d’Henin de Cuvillers however James Braid, a surgeon popularised the term and often is called the ‘Father of Hypnosis’.
The term hypnosis comes from the Greek word meaning sleep.
In the early years it was only doctors who practised hypnosis but today there are non-medical hypnotists. In fact, hypnosis is also used for non-medical reasons such as public speaking and sports performance.
Yet for a long time, no one really knew what was happening to the body under hypnosis till PET scans and fMRI scans showed us that there were changes happening in the brain. But many research studies continue to develop.
Today there is lots of research that also shows us the effectiveness of hypnosis. Although mainly provided in private practice some NHS healthcare areas in the UK will provide hypnosis.
Hypnosis is research and evidenced-based
Unfortunately, there is a lot of scepticism towards hypnosis. This is because people see stage hypnosis and films such as the evil Svengali and believe that is what happens in hypnotherapy. People think that a hypnotised person has no control, that they are always in a deep state of trance and hypnotism is a bad thing. These are myths.
Hypnosis today is practised on the stage for the purpose of entertainment.
Hypnotherapy is also practised for the purpose of therapy and helping people.
Sometimes people think hypnotherapy is the same as stage hypnosis but it isn’t.
Research can be found on many topics. For example, there is lots of evidence that hypnotherapy helps anxiety problems, chronic pain management, depression, fears and phobias, skin problems, cancer care, weight management, psychosexual problems, insomnia, sports performance, and much more.
It helps you to get results fast
If you have a problem you want to find a solution fast.
Hypnosis helps you to deal with that problem through the power of your own mind. Although there is an assessment and discussion about the problem, generally people don’t need to take a long time telling the therapist about their past history.
A session is usually around one hour in duration. People require fewer sessions than with counselling.
Of course, every client is different and sometimes other therapies might be more suited. However, hypnosis can help a physical problem such as chronic pain, emotional problems such as anxiety, personal or work-related problems.
It is empowering and pleasant
People who visit a hypnotherapist choose to take control of their lives and make some changes with help. It’s empowering to stop habits such as quitting smoking or stopping biting nails. Furthermore, many people want to try to deal with a problem themselves rather than taking medication.
It’s also possible to learn to do self-hypnosis. So you can learn ways of dealing with problems in the future.
It feels pleasant. Some people describe a warm feeling or a floating feeling or even a heavy feeling. Others may notice beautiful colours. Some people can’t visualise or feel anything, that’s ok. As everyone is different the experience will be very different for different people and often different at different times. Most people just listen to the hypnotherapist and feel very relaxed. Hypnotised people don’t go unconscious.
So if you are considering hypnosis to help with a problem give it a go!
For more information please contact Linda at Awaken the Change for a complimentary initial consultation.
