A. Forget everything negative you've ever heard about Hypnosis and what you have seen on television. To be hypnotised you have to already have the mindset you'll participate and are happy to do whatever the hypnotist tells you. These people have volunteered to be on stage to be turned into a chicken and they only use those people who are most susceptible to the trance state which is only 20% of the population. If it does work it's only very short term and you can snap yourself out of it whenever you want, you are never bound by the hypnotist. I'm not about turning you into a chicken, i doubt you would be one of the 20% anyway, I'm a registered professional Hypnotherapist who utilises the hypnosis techniques to provide you therapy, we have ethics and do not play around with hypnosis for short term results.
Q. Can I be controlled?
A. The whole point about Hypnotherapy is to give you back your power to control your life. You are in the driver's seat, I'm just the one letting you know to go left or right to get to the destination. You are completely aware of what is happening and can hear everything that I am saying. The difference is you are in a deep trance state where you've bypassed the conscious mind straight to the subconscious to release deeply ingrained negative patterns and habits.
Q. Couldn't I just hypnotise myself and get the same result?
A. Unfortunately you wouldn't get the same result, a Hypnotherapist needs to take you into trance first, help you into a very deep state then instill a trigger for you to put yourself in and out of Hypnosis. This lasts only short term generally anywhere between a few hours to a couple of days. The reason why you wouldn't be able to take yourself deeper is because hypnotherapy utilises your subconscious right brain, and bypasses the left brain. If you try to give yourself instructions you are using your left brain and therefore you naturally bring yourself out of trance which defeats the purpose of going deeper. This is why you need someone else to use their left brain giving you the instructions so you only use your right brain which will allow you to go as deep as you need to go where are those negative patterns have set themselves in.
Q. What about those hypnosis Cd's, can't I just use them to help me?
A. The Cd's are not tailored to suit the individual, the majority of the population have other issues connected with their depression or weight or anxiety and you'll find it is quite different with a Hypnotherapist. The Cd's may also not take you deep enough as there are many techniques that Hypnotherapists use to help take you deeper where all those deeply ingrained issues are and can be released. It takes your participation and it's hard to understand instructions if you need a visual understanding, Cd's can't give you that. Also from many people who have utilised the Cd's you have to listen to them everyday and it may take you weeks if not months before they start working, with a Hypnotherapist permanent results take between 3-5 sessions and usually you start seeing the change after the first session.
Q. What if I go too deep, can I be stuck in the trance state and never wake up?
A. No Hypnosis is not about putting you to 'sleep,' it is the state at which you are at just before sleep. We naturally sit in Beta in our day to day movements, when you watch television or 'zone out' your mind goes into alpha state, hypnotherapy works with the theta state, where you are at your most visual. You are able to come out of trance whenever you want but most people don't because once they realise what it is they simply let go. Think of it as a very deep meditative state and if you do sit in your mind for a while so what? It's peaceful and relaxing and within a few minutes you'll come to and can snap out of it anyway. No one has ever been stuck in trance.
Q. So if i was to go really deep, would I remember everything?
A. Perhaps not consciously, you may go in and out of awareness depending on how deep you are, but your subconscious is listening and that's what's most important. Remembering we use less than 10% of our brains, less than 6% of that is conscious thought, our subconscious mind's are more knowledgeable and powerful than our conscious could ever be and it can still reject unwanted processes. So even if I did give you an instruction and you weren't aware at the time because you were so deep in trance, your subconscious could still reject it if it was not in harmony with your values and attitudes, it does this automatically just like it automatically controls all your processes such as your breathing, your heart rate, your blood pressure and everything else.
Q. What about afterwards, would I remember it then?
A. Probably the majority of it, some people don't remember much but it doesn't matter whether you do or don't as you've always got your subconscious to protect you. It's actually better if you don't remember because what you want is an automatic response from your subconscious so you don't have to think about it. Naturally it all sorts itself out anyway but it is most profound when you normally do something automatically one way and have been doing it for so many years then you find the situation comes up again and you behave in a completely different manner, thanks to the power of your own mind.
Q. Can you make me forget things?
Q. I heard hypnosis is dangerous, is this true?
A. The worst things that could happen is that it doesn't work and that's extremely rare. It is never an issue with a trained Hypnotherapist, professionals will have their certificates clearly displayed and be registered with an association such as PHWA (Professional Hypnotists of Western Australia), there are many others out there, but this association is one of the best in Australia.
Q. Can you deal with more than one issue at a time such as if I want to get rid of my anxiety and depression?
A. Yes. The great thing about Hypnotherapists is that they will cater to the individual, usually anxiety and depression go hand in hand and will be dealt with simultaneously, even if you deal with one issue, you may not realise but the probability of it affecting another area of your life is high, so if you deal with one thing you'll notice naturally other issues will just come back to balance for you.
Q. Do I have to find out where my issues come from to release the negative patterns?
A. No. Actually it is preferred not to, why would anyone want to experience the same trauma all over again, there simply is no need. Sometimes it is needed depending on the person, they may not release something until it has been brought to light, perhaps it's a lesson that hasn't been learn yet, who knows except your subconscious. Your subconscious will naturally find a way to resolve whatever issues (and there can certainly be more than one that you may not know about) in a safe and sensible way. Many of my clients have mentioned that if they really think about where the issue came from after their sessions, it usually comes to them without much effort, others don't want to think about it again and that's understandable too.
Q. I have heard that you can be possessed by negative spirits when you are in trance, is that true?
A. No. If anything your true self and subconscious is more alert therefore able to protect itself better, no-one has ever been possessed in trance.
Q. Why do i need 3 -5 sessions? I have found other places that can help me quit smoking in one session.
A Yes you can quit smoking in 1 session, but how long do you think that will last? I personally don't agree with this because you may well walk away from this one sessions feeling cheated and believing hypnotherapy doesn't work when in actual fact it is a very powerful and natural holistic method. The mind is a maze it works in patterns and is very receptive to things that come in threes. For long term results you need a minimum of 3 sessions or more depending how receptive you are to the trance state.
Q. If I have private health insurance can I claim it back on that?
A. Depends which private health fund you are with, you'll have to contact your health fund to find out.
