"Hypnotherapy" – a wonderful tool that can unlock your true mind power and entirely change your life; yet also a term that is shrouded in confusion and ambiguity for many people.
Well, by the simple fact that you are reading this right now, I am cheekily assuming that you are at least intrigued by hypnotherapy. So congratulations for already breaking down that first barrier, and taking a step into learning something new!
If you are curious about hypnotherapy in any way, including:
- what it is
- how it works (and it really does work!)
- what it can be used for
- and how it is carried out…
then this article is for you.
I’ll be covering all of these bases here today, so let’s get cracking!
What is Hypnotherapy (and Why Does it Matter?)
To begin with, I would like to distinguish the difference between the terms ‘hypnosis’ and ‘hypnotherapy’ – oh yes, there is a difference!
Many of the myths and misconceptions surrounding hypnotherapy actually stem from a lack of awareness – because a lot of people don’t really understand what it is and isn’t. Without this key understanding, you can be shut off and blocking yourself from even having the willingness to try something new… and it can have a big impact when that ‘something new’ is hypnotherapy, something that could entirely turn your life around, like it did for me.
When I was working long hours (exhausting 10/12 hour shifts) in a hospital during the beginning of the pandemic, I had no work-life balance whatsoever, and was experiencing extreme burn-out. I sought out a hypnotherapist, in the hope that they would throw me a ladder, to help me out of the dark hole that I had fallen into. But what I really got in return was so much more than I could have imagined.
I rediscovered my purpose and spark for life, reclaimed my personal time and recovered my power in who I truly am. It is what made me fall in love with hypnotherapy.
So, I have a question for you.
Have you ever gone to a nice restaurant without doing a little research first? Perhaps you looked on TripAdvisor’s top rated, browsed through some reviews, then had a look through the menu?
If you are investing your valuable time and money into going out for a top quality meal, the chances are that you hopped on Google beforehand, so that you could get a feel for the place. Also to decide what you are having and get excited about it (I know I do!)
Choosing someone to work with on your personal development, whether it be hypnotherapy, coaching or counselling, is no different. I’ve been on the client side of things too. You will gain the most benefit from your experience by researching your options, understanding what you’re in for, and getting pumped for it!
This is why I always work on setting client expectations, so that we can really engage fully with the process, and they can understand exactly what they are investing in.
So before we go any further, it is so important that I help you to understand what hypnotherapy truly is, as it sets solid foundations going forward.
Firstly, hypnosis simply refers to being in a hypnotic state, in which your attention is in fixed focus, on one singular thing. For example, have you ever been doing one task, like driving or reading, but staring off into space, thinking about something else altogether?
Well if you answered yes, then you were in hypnosis!
This is why hypnosis can also be used in many different ways, by stage or street performers, by getting subjects into the hypnotic state. Hypnosis is induced by giving hypnotic suggestions to your mind, which again, can be used in different ways for different purposes.
Therefore, all hypnosis alone is not a therapeutic intervention; but when matched with positive suggestions for growth and change, alongside a powerful internal experience, this becomes hypnosis with therapy… hypnotherapy!
Hypnotherapy is the use of that same focused hypnotic state, in order to carry out therapeutic work within the subconscious mind. A hypnotherapist can guide you into hypnosis in many different ways, but most importantly, it will be in a way that is personalised, and feels right for you, using those suggestions mentioned earlier. Once you are in a deeply relaxed and focused state of mind, the critical thinking conscious mind takes a backseat, therefore we are able to access the subconscious/unconscious (also known as your shadow self). It is in this space, particularly with the help of a fully qualified and registered practitioner, where the real change takes place.
If you would like to read in more detail how I address some of the most common myths and misconceptions, you can read my blog post here: About Hypnotherapy: Myths, Misconceptions & FAQ’s
So, I’ve mentioned a lot of ‘hypno’ jargon here, haven’t I?
Subconscious and unconscious mind, as well as the shadow self, are all terms that get thrown around a lot, without any real explanation of what they mean.
In this next section, we will dive deeper into all of this good stuff.
Explaining the Subconscious, Unconscious and Shadow self
To begin with, let us clarify the conscious mind, which is everything that you are actively aware of in this moment. Therefore, your subconscious (also known as the unconscious) is the part of your mind which contains everything that exists outside of your conscious awareness. For example, you are consciously aware that you are reading this article right now. If I prompted you to notice the seat that you are sitting in, you would become consciously aware of that too. Meanwhile, the subconscious/unconscious element of your mind is processing millions of bits of information that you aren’t even aware of. Before I told you to notice your seat, it was in your subconscious. But focused awareness has made it conscious again.
Sigmund Freud used the ‘Iceberg Model’ to better explain the different layers of our mind power. The conscious mind is merely a small portion that sits above the surface, yet the huge chunk of ice below the water is your unconscious mind.
Here is a Youtube video which outlines the Iceberg Model in simple terms:
Here’s the biggest bombshell that I learned...
It is estimated that a whopping 95% of your mind activity occurs unconsciously.
Actually, it makes sense doesn’t it? We live our lives so automatically. Reading, writing, typing, driving, eating, drinking, sleeping… we do all of these things so effortlessly, without even thinking twice. That’s because we have stored the information in our subconscious, so that we can effectively survive by running on auto-pilot.
The subconscious mind loves learning new things. It is always picking up new information, processing it and storing it to be used later on.
It sounds really useful, and most of the time, it is.
However, here is the catch.
Our subconscious can often learn and store information, particularly from the past, which doesn’t align with what we consciously desire. It is hard-wired with survival as our primary goal, therefore it will do whatever is necessary to keep you safe. It is easier for the subconscious mind to keep you in reoccurring patterns of limiting beliefs, because that way, it knows what to expect. There are no surprises, no risk of the unknown… therefore it is deemed “safe”.
This can often sound like:
I want to earn more money
(but money is only accessible for the rich and I’m poor, so I’ll never be wealthy)
I want a healthy relationship
(but I don’t feel deserving or worthy of a loving partner, so I’ll settle for what I can get)
I want to get that promotion
(but I’m not a good public speaker, so they will never pick me anyway).
And most of the time, those limiting beliefs that I’ve outlined in brackets, are held in the subconscious mind. You might be frustrated, wondering why you keep getting stuck with shitty money, shitty partners, shitty jobs. Trust me, I’ve been there too. It’s all because your subconscious beliefs aren’t in alignment with what you consciously desire.
When we are born, our mind is almost a clean slate, still yet to be moulded by the world around us. This is where we begin to soak everything up like a sponge, so that the subconscious can learn what it needs to keep us alive.
Yet throughout our childhood, as we grow, learn and develop, we are also faced with human challenges. We might witness our parents fighting, losing a family member, being bullied in school. All the while, our subconscious is internalising these experiences and taking responsibility for it.
“My parents are fighting and there’s nothing that I can do to stop them, so it must be my fault.”
Over time, this learned subconscious belief from childhood can spill out into many different aspects of life. In this example, one might end up believing that it is their responsibility to “fix” things, or they might develop people-pleasing tendencies, so that they don’t have to experience this hurt or pain again. This is because the subconscious has incorrectly learned that it was their responsibility, when in reality, it never was in the first place.
Now, it is trying to keep them safe, but consciously, we know that these negative beliefs are only causing more damage.
This is where I would like to introduce you to a real icon of mine – Carl Jung.
He coined the term “shadow self” – which encompasses all the parts of ourselves that we have repressed into our unconscious mind.
We usually repress these aspects of our personality due to fear: fear of rejection, fear of judgement, fear of change, to name a few. And we do it without even realising, so that we can ‘conform’ to society and fit in to our environment.
Basically, rather than embracing the parts of us that make us human, we pretend that they don’t exist. We try to push it away, shove it down into the darkness, hoping that it will never be seen again.
Yet, it always finds a way to rear its ugly head.
Have you ever felt triggered, and said or done something that you immediately regretted afterwards? Have you acted in a way that made you feel ashamed, embarrassed, out of alignment with who you thought you were?
That would be your shadow self, the unconscious parts of you, who are making their presence known.
Your shadow self and subconscious beliefs are stored out of sight, but they certainly aren’t out of mind. Actually, they dictate your life more than you can consciously realise.
This is why hypnotherapy is SO powerful – because we work directly with this part of you, and direct all of your unharnessed mind power into actually achieving what you want it to.
We gain access to the subconscious mind and communicate with it.
We shed light on the darkness that may be sabotaging your goals, getting to the root of why and how this is happening.
We can tell those parts of you that it is perfectly okay and safe now, there is no need to hide in the shadow any longer.
We can meet our triggers with kindness and compassion, so that we can reintegrate those parts back into the unity and wholeness of who we are.
We can choose how to respond, rather than to hastily react from wounded parts.
Ultimately, we take back our power, and get all the parts of ourselves on board, so that they are all working towards a common goal.
So how can all of this actually be applied to you?
What can hypnotherapy help with?
Hypnotherapy can be used to help with anything that is governed by the subconscious mind, which includes automatic thoughts, beliefs, patterns, behaviours and habits that you may wish to change.
Here are some of the most common issues that people seek hypnotherapy for:
Habits (eg. Smoking, nail biting)
Weight-loss
Phobias
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Pain management
Hypnobirthing (for pregnancy and childbirth)
Emotional trauma
Depression
Stress/Anxiety
Low confidence/self-esteem
Goal-setting
You may not even be aware of a specific ‘problem’ thought or behaviour, yet there could be something underlying in the mind that is sustaining your problem.
An example of this can be seen in many cases of pain management or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The physical symptoms are usually worse when the body is under stress – therefore we can use hypnosis to help better manage your thoughts and behaviours on stress.
If you feel as though there is something holding you back, but you aren’t quite sure what it might be, hypnotherapy can help to identify what that is. Because how can you solve a problem, if you aren’t aware that it exists in the first place?
Once you are consciously aware of what is holding you back, you can reclaim your power in breaking free from it.
I am also another example of this. When I first decided to have hypnotherapy a few years ago now, it wasn’t because I had a habit that I wanted to break. It was because I felt lost in life, lacking in purpose or direction, and generally just low. Hypnosis has a very good way of weeding out the limiting beliefs and underlying issues that are holding us back – as the subconscious mind will bring it to the surface for you.
However, I will make it clear that there are things which hypnotherapy cannot do. One of the most commonly asked questions I get is “can you make me forget a memory/event/vision in my mind?” – and the simple answer is no. Not only would this be dangerous, but it is seriously unethical for any practitioner to promise this. Alternatively, we would work on healing and reframing the subconscious thoughts that you are having about that trauma. The memory would still exist in your mind, yet you can change the way that you react to it.
That is what hypnotherapy is all about – using it as a productive tool to assist in your healing journey. Not to erase a part of your personal history, but to help you with acceptance and progression beyond that time.
What does a hypnotherapy session look like?
Each hypnotherapy session will be different for each individual, particularly with different hypnotherapist’s styles of work. There are also many different techniques and ways of doing things, so one session can be entirely different from the last. The important thing is that your hypnotherapist will adapt to what is right for you, and explain this along the way.
So here I will give a basic outline and explanation, but please do bear in mind that this is not exhaustive and can change between practitioners!
At the beginning of a session, you would get settled in at first and talk more about the issue that you want to address. We spend some time navigating any related issues, and other elements which could be sustaining the issue, such as:
History of the issue itself
Your personal history
Triggers or fixers for the issue
Potential underlying causes
Your desired outcome/goals
During this time, the hypnotherapist might also be making notes, so that they can include specific elements to focus on throughout the hypnosis itself. The more personalised it is, the better!
Before commencing any hypnosis, the hypnotherapist would usually seek to answer any further questions that you have, and reassure you if there is anything else that you wanted to know. They should ensure that you are comfortable and happy to proceed.
Once all of this has been established, you will be asked to get comfortable and relax, so that you can be guided into a hypnotic state, known as the induction. Hypnotic suggestions are given to create an experience in your mind, that will help to access the subconscious. For example, guided imagery, such as imagining a relaxing or safe place. The hypnotherapist will then include suggestions related to your personalised, individual circumstances. When you are in this deeply relaxed state, the subconscious mind is open to these suggestions, which it can then absorb for everyday going forward. This allows us to reframe and change any unwanted beliefs. After the hypnosis element is completed, you should be fully awake and alert, feeling relaxed and positive!
Take-home reminders
There has been a lot of new information here, so I wanted to sum up some of the key take-home points once more.
Hypnotherapy works by getting your body relaxed and your conscious mind focused, so that we can access the subconscious mind. The hypnotic state is a natural one which we all flow in and out of regularly.
The subconscious mind is the part of you which stores everything that you aren’t consciously aware of – including your thoughts, beliefs, patterns, behaviours and habits.
Once we have access to the subconscious, we can give hypnotic suggestions, in order to retrain your internal patterns, changing it for your desired outcome. This effectively rewires your thinking, so that your mind will work towards achieving what you want it to.
Hypnotherapy can be used to help with anything that is governed by the subconscious mind, including stress, anxiety, low confidence and low self-esteem to name a few.
Sometimes, it can be overwhelming and difficult to know where to start, particularly if you are now unlearning some of the negative beliefs that you held about hypnosis before. But I would like to thank you for reading this and expanding your understanding on hypnotherapy.
If you don’t take anything else from this article, then my main message is this:
The most important thing is to have an open mind, a willingness to explore and try out new possibilities, discovering something different to what you may have experienced before.
You might just be shocked at how amazing it is.
Last but not least, you can find out how hypnotherapy works for yourself, first hand. Trust me, it’s much better than just reading about it on the internet.
Contact me to book a free 30 minute consultation call today to get the ball rolling.
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