Exploring Hypnosis and What It Can Help With

Hypnosis has sure gotten a bad name via pop culture. But rest assured that hypnotherapy does not involve anyone looking to manipulate you or asking you if you are feeling sleepy. When performed by a certified practitioner, hypnotherapy is an accepted and effective modality with the potential to help you in a wide range of ways. In the process, you’ll learn to block out much of the surrounding noise, but you’ll never lose control of your own behavior.

Unlike other forms of alternative therapies (and some mainstream therapies), hypnotherapy can accurately boast of being drug free, having no side effects, and owning a stellar track record.

Hypnosis: A Few Basics

At its root, hypnotherapy is a safe tool that can change a person’s subconscious programming. Under the guidance of a professional, you can increase your focus and strengthen your memory. As a result, it’s more possible that you can make internal shifts, such as taking different actions, being less reactive, regulating your emotions, and more.

A session might include visualization, breathing exercises, and guided imagery. Each of these has the potential to place someone in a state that is receptive to new perspectives. From there, it can be easier to identify self-sabotaging choices, the underlying causes, and some possible solutions.

Such an approach can be applied to many different issues.

6 Issues or Conditions That Hypnosis Can Help With

1. Anxiety

It’s the most common medical complaint in the world and hypnosis can help. Our bodies have a natural relaxation response. Anxiety is adept at overriding or even disabling this function. Enter hypnotherapy. With work, you can reclaim your ability to self-soothe. Often, this means using a verbal or nonverbal cue to signal your body to activate a response. This approach has been found particularly effective for people with specific phobias or those with anxiety that is triggered by a pre-existing physical illness.

2. Chronic Pain

Pain is a common symptom of many ailments. Left unchecked, it can become chronic and dramatically decrease your quality of life. Hypnosis is used to help patients cope with the presence of pain and gain long-term relief from its presence.

3. Sleep Disturbances

From insomnia to sleepwalking and beyond, there are many ways a person can struggle with sleep patterns. In turn, this heightens their anxiety levels to levels that warrant a diagnosis. Hypnotherapy has a long, well-documented record of helping us get more and better quality sleep. As with anxiety, the key could involve the use of cues.

4. Smoking Cessation

There’s no shame in needing some support when it comes to kicking the habit. Hypnosis can be an effective option in two ways:

• Your hypnotherapist can help you condition your mind to associate smoking with negative sensations

• Replacing the act of smiling with something far more healthy

5. Weight Loss

Typically, hypnosis is part of the protocol to lose weight. You’ll want to also change your eating and exercise habits as you for with your hypnotherapist to make yourself more receptive to the importance of sliming down and getting more fit.

6. Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

It’s not that hypnosis will directly “fix” the abdominal discomfort or dysfunctional bowl patterns. The role it plays best is helping the patients manage ongoing symptoms like bloating, constipation, nausea, diarrhea, and more. The most common hypnotic approach has the person guided through progressive relaxation. As IBS symptoms become more manageable, you may experience a higher quality of life and perhaps a lesser need for medications.

When it comes to your well-being, it’s best to rule out something until you’ve learned more from a trusted source. If you’re curious about hypnosis, I’d love to speak with you soon.