woman blue eyesThe use of hypnosis in Sydney is very common indeed. Hypnosis is used to help with all kinds of issues that people might have. The experience of going to a hypnotherapist, a specialist in the use of hypnosis for therapeutic benefit, can be a somewhat daunting experience for someone who is unsure of what it means to be hypnotised and how a session might be like. The intention of this latest article in my weblog, today, is to address these concerns in a number of ways. The first is to position the use of hypnosis within the field of psychotherapy and counselling. The second way is to explain what a hypnotherapist does. Thirdly, I will describe what should happen in an initial session with a highly qualified Hypnotherapist. Finally, I will describe the experience of being hypnotised.

Hypnotherapy is the ideal state for real therapy to occur in. Not everyone who needs counselling needs therapy. But there are many people who seek assistance for a range of issues that find counselling insufficient in assisting to resolve their actual symptoms or complaint. Many people who come to my practice for assistance have had much counselling and seen little or no change at all. There is a reason for this. Talking about problems may create understanding, and for some people can help them to make changes in their lives with practical advice and exploration. However, for others the issues are deeper. The question is if the issues are deeper, and talking about them has not helped, then what can be done? This is where a Hypnotherapist comes in.

Many Hypnotherapists are also counsellors and have the skills to assist like a counsellor  with the very important additional benefit of being able to help at the root cause of the problem at a deeper level – the unconscious level. Not only can understanding be had of the problem, but healing, resolving, removing, deleting, confronting… whatever is required can occur to help the individual to actually do something about their symptoms and actually feel much better. That is why Hypnotherapists are so important and Hypnosis in Sydney is being used more and more. In fact, not only in Sydney, but throughout the world. It really is not surprising that Hypnotherapy is the fastest growing psychotherapy throughout the world today.

So, what actually happens an in initial Hypnotherapy Session?

1. The first thing that the therapist should do is take some time to help you feel settled and address any concerns you have about being there.

2. Next the therapist has to get a good insight into the actual problem or concern, which may not be the same as what is initially spoken about.

3. The therapist should give feedback and indicate how they can help and what is achievable.

4. The therapist should give a clear explanation of what Hypnotherapy is and what the experience will be like.

5. An initial therapy session should also give an experience of success of being hypnotised and go at least someway to addressing the client’s concerns.

The experience of being hypnotised is not what many people perceive it to be, however. Stage Hypnosis creates much mythology about what it is like to be hypnotised, not because it is not real because it is, but because the reality of it is not as it appears. When you see someone hypnotised, even in a therapy session, it looks like the person is asleep and under the control of the therapist. It also looks like they might even be unconscious and would probably not remember the event. It might also seem that they are unaware. None of how it looks from the outside is what it is like on the inside. When you are hypnotised it is a unique, subjective and personal experience. Some of the following describe what it might be like for you:

1. Sleep:  You might feel like you are wide awake, sleepy or asleep.

2. Awareness: You might feel more aware or less aware. Distorted awareness is also possible, like feeling as though you have big hands, or you cannot lift your arms due to heaviness. You might also find your arms feeling so light they begin to lift under suggestion from the hypnotherapist.

3. Consciousness: There is no option here. Everyone is conscious.

4. Control: Ultimately, everyone is in control, but suggestions from the hypnotherapist can be highly influential in how one feels or what one does. Only suggestions you are open to and want to have, though, will have this effect. However, ultimately, hypnosis will give you more control over your life not less.

5. Memory: Most people remember everything, but sometimes some people do not remember parts of the session, and occasionally some people don’t remember anything. Some people remember very little whenever they experience hypnosis. However, if you really want to remember you will.

There are an infinite number of potential experiences that people can have when hypnotised. Everyone experiences hypnosis regularly, but not for therapeutic purposes. An often quoted example is when you are on a drive and wonder off somewhere in your mind, yet somehow still arrive safely. Everyone who drives has an experience similar to this from time to time. Another example is reading a book and becoming totally absorbed, losing time in the process. These examples indicate what hypnosis is like, but the experience with your carefully chosen therapist is likely to be unique yet again.

The key thing to note is that there is no right experience. The role of the hypnotherapist is to help you find a comfortable experience for you. This is how a good Hypnotherapist hypnotises someone comfortably. Remember, you don’t have to experience any particular phenomenon to have been hypnotised. There have been many people who have felt very little if anything special during their hypnosis session yet have been very thankful for the hypnotherapist helping them to stop smoking, or with some other issue.

So, while you might have been pleasantly surprised to learn what hypnosis is really like, hypnotherapy can help you at a deep unconscious level to make the real changes that need to occur for your symptoms, addictions and habits to disappear. More people are seeking out a hypnotherapist in Sydney for this very purpose, as people share their stories with their friends of how hypnosis really actually helped them.