Hypnosis can be a difficult thing for some to wrap their head around. Making sense of the mechanics of hypnosis can be like playing Cat’s Cradle where you find yourself starting from the beginning a majority of the attempts. However, if there’s one thing to be certain about, it’s that hypnosis works. There is decades of research and clinical trials that have been tucked into the theoretical pockets of hypnotism, all of which conclude that it can be beneficial in several different regards.
From reducing headaches in children, to quitting smoking, behavior modification, and weight loss, hypnosis is the one way to tap into the subconscious mind and change the negative aspects of one’s life.
The Conscious and Unconscious Mind
These are really just specific terms that are used to describe the human mind. Our conscious mind is that little voice in our head that we hear while we’re in the moment. It’s the part of the brain where we’re viewing reality in real time, that’s all it is. The unconscious mind (our subconscious) handles everything else. Our unconscious mind does a ton of work; it even does all the thinking about that work. Your heart rate, tissue growth, immune system, blood pressure, all those things are operated by our unconscious mind. It’s where all our memories, thoughts, and past experiences reside.
Let’s look at using hypnosis as a tool for quitting smoking. When someone tells you that smoking is bad for you and you should quit, you know this. Your conscious mind can make logical sense over the fact that smoking is bad for you and that you need to stop, but that’s not where the habit resides. The habit is within your unconscious mind, because over time, you’ve convinced your brain that smoking is somehow vital to your life.
That’s when hypnosis comes into play. If your look at your unconscious mind as a computer, hypnosis is like reprogramming so for instance, hypnosis can help with persuading your subconscious that cigarettes are no longer “friends,” but rather toxic killers.
Stages of a Hypnosis Session
During a hypnosis session, your hypnotist will carry it out in two stages, the pacing stage and then the leading stage. The pacing stage is our time to establish ourselves as a trusted source within your subconscious mind. Through this stage, a hypnotist will list a series of truths that your mind can comprehend such as:
- “You’re lying comfortably in your chair with your eyes closed.”
- “You can only hear the sound of my voice.”
- After deep breathing, relaxation exercises, “You are relaxed.”
By providing your subconscious with these truths, you’re more willing to accept the “leading stage.” Due to the fact that our minds cannot differentiate between imagined experiences and real ones, if your hypnotist tells you that you’re walking in the woods, you’ll believe you’re walking in the woods. It’s once that level of trust is reached that the leading stage begins. Through the leading stage, that’s simply the time where your hypnotist will focus solely on your desired suggestion.
Why Choose Hypnosis?
Sometimes our subconscious minds are too overpowering for us to control and we need to turn to deeper measures. This often happens with those who struggle with any type of addiction, whether it’s food, drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes. We may want to break a habit horribly, but reaching that goal line may be nearly impossible if the habit is hiding deep enough in your unconscious mind. That’s how hypnosis helps. It’s that extra push that you need that you may not be able to achieve without a little help from a reliable and experienced hypnotist