Since I've began my journey of being a clinical hypnotherapist, I've came to realise how much stigma is tied to this word "hypnosis" - about 9 out of 10 of those who've I met asks me whether I swing pendulums and get some deepest darkest secrets out of my patients, or if they'd do stupid things like mimicking a chicken when they are in hypnosis. Well, to think about it now, those responses aren't that surprising, given how hypnosis is portrayed on TV; I myself didn't know what I was getting myself into when I started this journey!
So I decided to start my blog with the basics - what is hypnosis and hypnotherapy?
Hypnosis is a state of deep relaxation. It's a state that we naturally enter at least twice a day, before we sleep and when we just woke up. Some people do it more through meditation, a topic I'll cover in my next blog. It feels nice to be in this state - on top of relaxation, some people are able to have increased concentration, increased suggestibility and some research has found that learning in this state can be 30-50 times better than in a normal awake state.
Hypnotherapy is where a therapist guides you into the state of hypnosis, and adds in suggestions to help you reach your goals, whatever they may be. So let's take an example of a person who wishes to procrastinate less, and be more discipline in doing something - like exercising. In a normal state, the thought of exercising can be tiring, or painful, or boring, and most of us aren't willing to frequently do things that are 'unpleasant'. Hence we allow our excuses to come in our way: "my body needs extra sleep", "I haven't hung out with my friends in a while", "the gym is too far", "not enough time" etc. Now, imagine how would it be if your mind focuses on only the positive side of exercising? Like how satisfying it feels when sweat drops roll down your forehead and neck, and the excitement of standing on the scale seeing your weight drop or looking into the mirror seeing your body getting leaner and toner every day. It feels pretty good, doesn't it? In the hypnosis state, the therapist feeds you the right suggestions for your subconscious mind to learn and absorb the benefits of exercising so that your body works towards your end goal without interference of your conscious mind, i.e. the excuses.
Many people seek hypnotherapy to reach goals like: stop smoking, controlling fears and phobias, improve sleep quality, lose weight, change habits, increase confidence and self-esteem, better deal with depression, anxiety and so many more. You can check out the services we provide at https://www.yu-therapy.com/services and contact us for more details! :)
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