What is hypnosis?
Hypnosis is simply a state of relaxed focus. It is a natural state. In fact, each of us enters such a state – sometimes called a trance state – at least twice a day: once when we are falling asleep, and once when we are waking up. That kind of fuzzy, timeless state between dreaming and awake is a trance state. When a nine-minute snooze-button seems to give you enough time to have an-hour long dream, that’s a trance state.
There are many other times that people enter a natural state of trance. Driving, watching TV, listening to music, working on a favorite hobby or activity in the “flow” state. These are all “altered states of consciousness,” and all are various levels of trance. Trance is normal, natural and common.
Some people leave their first hypnotherapy session saying, “I wasn’t hypnotized – I knew what was going on the whole time!” Well of course you did! Hypnosis is not a state of amnesia or of no awareness. Just the opposite true, in fact: hypnosis is a state of very heightened awareness and focus.
Hollywood has perpetrated many myths about hypnosis, and not remembering anything from the hypnosis session is one of those myths. Only under special circumstances would a person forget everything from a session.
Much more can be accomplished when the person undergoing hypnosis remembers everything.
How does it work?
In simplistic terms, you can look at hypnosis as a highly relaxed mental state (also known as trance state) in which the mind becomes ready to learn with heightened imagination and extremely open to suggestion. Many people think they have to give up their free will or that they will be controlled in hypnosis. Not true! You’re not a zombie or under the control of anyone in some sort of sleep state – in fact, you’re actually hyper-attentive in hypnosis. You might compare it to daydreaming maybe. You’re fully conscious while you tune out the unwanted stimuli around you. You’re able to intently focus on the subject at hand allowing for greater engagement in the process. Most people use hypnosis to enable them to perceive something differently, such as blocking awareness of pain or how they feel about themselves. Hypnosis creates a special state for powerful change in individuals who wish to achieve positive transformation more than merely using affirmation because we are able to bypass something called the critical factor.
What is the critical factor?
I like to imagine the critical factor as the bouncer between the conscious and subconscious. It’s whole purpose is to keep out anything that is does not align with the current programming guidelines. The conscious mind is more limited than the subconscious mind in that processes at a much slower rate and can hold onto much less information at any given moment. Our subconscious mind has greater processing power, more memory capacity and stores everything we’ve ever experienced. While the subconscious mind is able to take in billions of pieces of data per second it has efficiently built a playlist of sorts to keep the conscious mind functioning. The critical factor judges information coming and has the power to accept or reject any suggestions from entering the subconscious space. The critical factor isn’t present in young children which is why they are so much more efficient at learning and taking in new information than adults. It is around the age of 7 in children that this “bouncer” begins to form and is usually closed by age 11. This means that whatever core beliefs we may have learned by the age of 7 have become largely a part of who we are, how we think and effect our capacity for success.
I’ve met numerous people who wanted to achieve a goal that would seem quite within their reach. Yet, for some unknown reason to them they kept running into an invisible wall. This wall as I call it is a belief system that is running on autopilot in your subconscious. Say for example you wish to break a financial ceiling in your life yet at each turn you are unable to break beyond your current financial barrier. More times than not it has nothing to do with your abilities or knowledge base. It almost always has to do with a deep internal belief that is not consciously known to you. People are amazed when they learn that they have been believing deep down that for them to be financially abundant it would mean they were selfish, less spiritual, greedy, ungrateful, or arrogant even. This brings me back to the critical factor… if your goal is to reach that next level in your life and somewhere in your belief system it conflicts with a currently held core belief you will be talking to a wall that simply isn’t listening.
Can I be hypnotized?
In short, YES! In fact, most of us enter into hypnosis many times a day. While there are different levels of hypnosis the lightest state known as Alpha is achieved when you’re watching TV, reading a good book, playing video games, and even driving. Ever get in your car after work and arrive home not remembering the drive? You’re not crazy but you were operating in a very safe, yet altered state of mind, allowing your subconscious mind to “autopilot” you home.
What are the benefits of hypnosis?
- Develop and express awareness and intuition
- Feel worthwhile, self-confident, zestful
- Gain a happier home life; become a happier and better spouse, parent, friend, etc.
- Acquire the ability to relax completely in any situation
- Make better decisions
- Improve concentration
- Overcome procrastination
- Increase the quality of your emotional expression
- Reduce conflict and stress
- Promote health and well-being
- Regain your natural ability to sleep easily
- Sell yourself, your ideas, and your services with confidence and enthusiasm
- Increase your income
- Attract and maintain worthwhile friendships
- Discover your negative mental patterns and how they affect you
- Free yourself from hostility, resentment, fear of rejection
- Select your goals in life; chart your course for their realization
- Program your mind with positive mental concepts and success attitudes
- Develop the ability to construct mental images easily
What can hypnosis help with?
Hypnosis can be a powerful tool for positive change for anything that the mind effects. While this list can be extensive I will say some of the most commonly seen issues are related to transforming habits, behaviors and limiting beliefs that are creating a barrier between the client and the version of life they wish to live. Some of these barriers show up as:
- Weight Management
- Addictions/Smoking Cessation
- Anxious Feelings
- Low Self-Esteem
- Grief/Loss
- Fears of People, Places and/or Things
- Pains/Aches
- Control Issues
- Forgiveness Work/Letting Go
- Thumb Sucking
- Bed Wetting
- Performance Enhancement
- Stage Fright/Public Speaking
- Concentration
- Study Habits/Test Anxiety
- Childbirth/HypnoBirthing
- Finding Lost Items/Memory Recall
- Improve Creativity
If you have been thinking about making changes in your life then I encourage you to go onto my calendar right now and schedule a Clarity Session. This time is free to you, offering 30 minutes to discuss your questions, areas of interest, and see if hypnosis is a good option for youthenm
Hypnosis, coaching and other services offered through and by Nina Saurer are intended to help create change in the client through the conscious and subconscious space. These services are not meant in any way as a substitute for medical, psychological or psychiatric treatment. The services provided are non-therapeutic and should not be considered a substitute for diagnosis or treatment of any condition. If you have a diagnosis for pain, mental or physical conditions please obtain a referral from a licensed physician and/or mental health professional. Furthermore, Nina Saurer makes no expressed or implied guarantees regarding results. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis and results are achieved through each clients personal effort by applying the techniques and must take personal responsibility for the desired outcome.
