Alternative Healing Center
Smoking Cessation Many medical professionals are even impressed with the results of single-session hypnosis. In the words of Dr. Robert T. London from 2003, "Smoking cessation is an area in which hypnosis has been particularly effective. A study by Dr. Joseph Barber of the University of Washington, Seattle, for example, found that hypnotic intervention can be integrated into a treatment protocol for smoking cessation. Of 43 patients who were undergoing the protocol, 39 reported staying abstinent at follow-up, which was 6 months to 3 years after the treatment ended."1 Here's some of the research: 
Hypnosis has been around for hundreds of years. Sigmund Freud used hypnotism in his attempts to understanding his patients hidden conflicts and trauma memories.
In modern times we have had the genius of Dr. Milton Erickson who taught a wide variety of verbal strategies and other powerful techniques that electrified the fields of medicine and psychotherapy with their potential. He demonstrated hypnosis could lead to fostering positive changes and emotional growth in patients, increased performance in athletes, the reduction and sometimes the elimination of physical and or emotional pain.
To understand how the process of hypnosis works, you first must understand the different components of the human brain. The brain is divided into two parts, the conscious/critical mind and the unconscious/subconscious mind. The conscious mind can only hold 8-10 bits of information compared to the unlimited potential of information in the subconscious. This of course means that most of our thoughts and behaviors stem from the unconscious and not the conscious portion of our brains. Interesting, huh?
The conscious portion of our brain does not always relay the correct information to us. In fact, it works from a pretty faulty position - for instance a smoker who says the he or she smokes because they are stressed out and this calms them down. Or an overweight person who binges because they are lonely, sad or angry. A cigarette cannot relax you, nor can food, yet the purpose of these "reasons" of negative behavior protects your ego and self-esteem. I have you by the seat of your pants now, don't I? Keep reading, because it gets more interesting!
The third function is temporary memory - that is the part of your brain that includes things like knowing where the keys are on your keyboard, telephone numbers and addresses, directions to different locations, etc.
The final function of the conscious mind is your willpower. How's yours? Mine is like the wind - strong sometimes and other times just isn't there. Now I understand why. Willpower isn't meant to last forever (which is why I have a diet coke sitting on the desk next to me) what willpower is though is an intense burst of mental energy, which enables you to get through January without eating poorly or keeps you going to the gym. Unfortunately willpower fades. For this reason, this particular function of the mind was never, ever intended to help people change behaviors forever but to just get them over the hump. Make sense? All of what you've read about the human mind consists of 10% of the gray matter we call a brain - the other untapped 90% is our subconscious mind.
The subconscious mind handles the controls for all our bodily functions - all without your even knowing its working to keep you alive.
Another function of the subconscious mind is our permanent memory bank. That memory bank holds all memories from earliest infancy to the last breath you take, along with any past lives memories stored beyond the infancy data. These memories are widely believed to be active and forming the personality you walk around with today.
To get to these memories hypnotherapists use regression hypnosis to help you review significant or remarkable events that occurred in your past with the guidance of the therapist.
Your subsconsious is also in charge of your emotions from anger to joy and sadness to enjoyment to love to hate.
Habits both good and bad are also stored in the subconscious mind. But it also stores what is called utilitarian habits, the neutral habits like answering the phone when it rings and all the things we do without ever thinking about them.
There is no computer on the face of the earth with ability of our mind.
Hypnosis is the communication process to the subconscious that enables accelerated or instaneous change to occur in a person.
During hypnosis the body and the conscious mind are in a relaxed neutral state while the subsconsious mind remains awake and is highly receptive to suggestion. Hypnosis is an eduction communication process to a persons mind that allows his or her conscious and subconscious mind to believe the same thing.
The National Guild of Hypnosits describes hypnotic suggestion as the artful of the imagination to increase a client's enthusiasm for self improvement. Hypnotic suggestions are permanent for some people, whole others will need to reinforce the suggestions.
The depth of hypnosis and the subjects wiliness to change will determine how long the suggestions will last. Some people will reach deep relaxation the first time while others will need more time. Nevertheless, it is widely believed that change can, and will occur at any level of relaxation. Subsequent sessions will make it easier to go deeper into relaxation.
All hypnosis is self hypnosis. The client simply responds to the suggestions of the hypnotist. The client allows the hypnotist to bring a state of relaxation because the client desires this mental state and the changes in their behavior. You never give up control to a hypnotist rather hypnosis lets you take it back and achieve the success you want. You are always in control.
When hypnotized, your mind and body are in a natural altered state of consciousness. When you daydream you are in the same state as hypnosis. The same thing could be said when you become involved in a great novel and you feel like your actually there while the story is being told.
Hypnosis is 100% safe and impossible to stay in a hypnotic state of mind. It is literally impossible for your mind to stay stuck in hypnosis.
Since 1958 and 75,000 medical studies validating its effectiveness, this can literally change your life in an instant.
How will you use this tool to improve your life?
Because multiple-session hypnotherapy has been shown to be BY FAR the most effective quitting strategy. Success rates of those using multiple-session hypnosis to quit are as much as 10 times the success rates of those who try to quit without any tools or resources.
References
It does not override personality, ethics or awareness.
Every one of us has untapped potential. The capacity or aptitude that lay dormant. Hypnosis can bring these potentials to the surface to greatly improve your life.
Weight Management - Hypnosis?
Bolocofsky, David N.; Spinler, Dwayne; Coulthard-Morris, Linda (1985).
Effectiveness of hypnosis as an adjunct to behavioral weight management.
Journal of Clinical Psychology, 41 (1), 35-41
109 17-67 year olds completed a behavioral treatment for weight management either with or without the addition of hypnosis. Results show that, at the end of the 9-week program, both interventions resulted in significant weight reduction. However, at 8-month and 2-year follow-ups, the hypnosis subjects showed significant additional weight loss, while those in the behavioral-treatment-only group exhibited little further change. More subjects who used hypnosis also achieved and maintained their personal weight goals.
Cochrane, Gordon; Friesen, J., (1986) Hypnotherapy in weight loss treatment
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. Volume: 54 489-492
Investigated the effects of hypnosis in weight loss for 60 females, at least 20% overweight and not involved in other treatment....hypnosis was more effective than a control group (17 vs. .5 pounds on follow-up).
Kirsch, Irving (1996).
Hypnotic enhancement of cognitive-behavioral weight loss treatments--Another meta-reanalysis.
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64 (3), 517-519.
Averaged across post treatment and follow-up assessment periods, the mean weight loss was 6.00 lbs. (2.72 kg) without hypnosis and 11.83 lbs. (5.37 kg) with hypnosis....At the last assessment period, the mean weight loss was 6.03 lbs. (2.74 kg) without hypnosis and 14.88 lbs. (6.75 kg) with hypnosis... Correlational analyses indicated that the benefits of hypnosis increased substantially over time
Child Birth
Mention Labor and Delivery to an expectant mom in her last trimester, and chances are good that her heart will begin to race, her mind floods with concern and in some cases, panic. She knows that the day is coming when a force much bigger than herself will take over and her body will govern itself completely. For some women, this is a very fearful event, but for hypno-moms, it is merely a challenge.
A wise woman will use hypnosis to eliminate pain and fear from the birthing experience. Even so, there are many misconceptions regarding hypnosis that can dissuade those contemplating this powerful tool. Here are a few FACTS:
- All hypnosis is self-hypnosis; the hypnotherapist is only the guide. A person chooses to enter into a hypnotic state, stay in and come out at will.
- Approximately 90-95% of the population can be hypnotized. Willingness, belief and motivation have great influence over hypnotizability.
- During hypnosis you are neither asleep nor unconscious, and will always "come out" when you wish.
- Stronger-minded and stronger-willed people are easier to hypnotize; not the other way around as is usually assumed.
- You cannot be made to divulge information or do anything against your will while in hypnosis.
- Hypnosis is not Satanic or religion-oriented at all, just a way to direct your inner mind toward the positive.
What about Hypnosis for Childbirth?
Hypnosis is used in medical and dental procedures with great success. In addition, with child birth, the more relaxation the mother experiences, the more comfort she will have, and the depth of relaxation necessary can easily be achieved with hypnosis, as physical relaxation is owlearned and practiced daily in preparation for birth using guided visualizations followed by positive hypnotic suggestions. When the critical conscious mind is by-passed with hypnosis, the inner mind can literally be reprogrammed to believe that birth will be comfortable, easy and joyous. Software for your mind! Fear and Expectation For many generations we have been told that delivering a baby is many hours of painfully agonizing work, to be faced with fear and trepidation. We’ve all seen the movies as well, We have heard stories from well-meaning friends and family that send shivers up our spines, and so the legacy continues. We experience pain in childbirth, in part because we very much expect to! The expectant couple is taught to surround themselves with only positive people and messages, to create a positive view of childbirth and the expectation that their birth will be the beautiful, peaceful experience that they want. Fear Clearing Sessions are integral to this process, as they allow each person to address fears they have, work through possible solutions and then release them. Fear in labor can create tension, which creates pain, then more fear, and the cycle continues. Fear and anxiety can also create adrenaline production in the body, causing the labor to become dysfunctional, a common reason for Cesarean Section surgery. Freedom from fear can make a huge difference in the birthing experience. Hypnosis for childbirth teaches a woman how to enter into self-hypnosis instantly, and create her n natural anesthesia whenever and wherever she needs it. She has total control over her body, and is an active participant in her birth process. As labor progresses, she relaxes even more, goes deeper inside herself, trusting in her body's natural ability to give birth with ease and comfort. Her mind is programmed to give her exactly what she needs.
Too good to be true?
Can women give birth without experiencing pain? They can, but there are many variables in labor and birth that can affect the outcome, and couples need to have a positive but realistic view of hypnosis for childbirth. Each pregnant woman and her partner must take responsibility for the choices they make while in labor and how they can affect the dynamics and outcome. Many a wonderful birth has been thwarted by not realizing how to make positive, informed choices, yet these issues are easily addressed and learned in a good consumer oriented childbirth class.
Without a doubt, women using hypnosis are much calmer and more relaxed during labor, which automatically creates more comfort, as well as having *powerful* post-hypnotic suggestions to actually eliminate pain and fear.
Benefits of using hypnosis for childbirth:
- Fewer drugs or no drugs at all means less risk of side effects on mother and baby.
- Shorter labors - resistance of the birthing muscles as a response to pain is minimized or eliminated.
- An awake, energized mother, due to total relaxation throughout the birthing process.
- A calm, peaceful birthing environment.
- Breech and posterior babies can be turned using hypnosis.
- Fewer interventions and complications during labor.
- Babies who are better sleepers and nursers due to fewer drugs in their systems.
It is well worth the time to look into hypnosis for childbirth as an option, both for yourself and for your baby. It is important to remember that most drugs are given in an adult dose to women in labor and will reach her baby in less than 5 minutes with effects ranging from respiratory depression to breastfeeding problems, and using hypnosis techniques can greatly help to avoid them. The deep relaxation learned in a our Childbirth Hypnosis classes has even helped many a nervous dad to cope as they prepare for their child's birth! In addition, the skills you will learn for relaxation and hypno-anesthesia will benefit you for the rest of your life.
