Hypnosis

What is hypnosis?

Hypnosis, also called hypnotherapy, is a state of deep relaxation and focused concentration. It’s a type of complementary therapy. These are therapies you may receive along with typical medical or psychological treatments to manage conditions or issues.

A trained, certified hypnotist or hypnotherapist will guide you. They’ll use verbal cues, repetition and imagery to put you under hypnosis. This intense level of concentration and focus can help you make healthy changes to your habits or behaviors.

What can hypnosis help treat?

Hypnosis can help you manage a wide range of conditions.

Some people use it to treat mental health conditions like:

• Depression
• Panic attacks
• Phobias
• PTSD
• Stress or anxiety (especially if you’re anxious before medical or dental appointments)

It can also help relieve symptoms of chronic conditions, including:

• Asthma
• Chronic pain
• Fibromyalgia
• Insomnia
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Migraine headaches

Other uses include:

• Encouraging weight loss to manage obesity and overweight
• Managing side effects from other treatments (like nausea and vomiting from cancer treatments)
• Quitting smoking
• Relieving hot flashes and other menopause symptoms

How does hypnosis work?

You might have an image in your mind of how hypnosis works from TV or a movie. In real life, there are no magicians waving watches in front of your eyes to put you under their spell. Instead, your hypnotherapist will guide you through a series of exercises and meditations that help you relax and focus your mind.

There are four stages of hypnosis:

1. Induction
2. Deepening
3. Suggestions
4. Emergence

It’s a common myth that you lose consciousness or go to sleep when you’re under hypnosis. Most people remember everything that happens during a session. In fact, hypnosis can be a very active process. You’ll be focusing on and thinking about making positive changes in your life, and you’ll always be in control of your mind and thoughts.

Induction

Induction means to begin. During induction, you’ll start relaxing. Your therapist will help you focus your attention and ignore distractions. There are a few ways they might encourage you to relax, including:

• Focusing your thoughts on a specific image or thought in your mind
• Slow, controlled breathing
• Tensing your muscles as you breathe in, then relaxing them as you breathe out (progressive muscle relaxation)

Deepening

Deepening is just what it sounds like — increasing your relaxation and focus. Think about induction like walking into the shallow end of a pool. Deepening is safely submerging your whole body under the water. In fact, your therapist might encourage you to think of images like slowly walking down a staircase or sinking into a comfortable bed. These first two stages will help you become more open to suggestions.

Suggestions

Suggestions are the actual changes in your behavior or experience you want to make. Your hypnotherapist will use imagery and carefully chosen language. They’ll gently suggest that you change how you think, act or respond to something. It can be a specific suggestion, like helping you quit smoking, or a more general one, like feeling less job stress.

Emergence

Your therapist will help you come out of hypnosis. If entering hypnosis is like sinking into a pool, emergence is floating back up to the surface. Your therapist will ask you to focus on reverse images of your deepeners. They’ll have you picture climbing back up the stairs or gently removing the covers and getting out of the comfortable bed.

How long does a hypnosis session last?

Hypnosis sessions usually last around an hour. You’ll probably need several sessions before you start seeing or feeling changes in how you think about your health or conditions you have.

What are the benefits of hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a safe, low-risk way to help you manage symptoms or some conditions. It’s becoming a more accepted and recognized form of therapy.

Many of the benefits people experience are anecdotal. This means we haven’t been able to prove exactly how or why hypnosis helped in a scientific study. But that doesn’t mean it’s fake or doesn’t work. The changes can be very real. In other words, if you feel better, it’s a helpful treatment.

Experts are still studying hypnotherapy to better understand it and how it helps people.

What are the risks of hypnotherapy?

It’s rare, but you might experience some side effects after a hypnotherapy session, including:

• Dizziness
• Drowsiness or feeling fatigue
• Headaches
• Increased anxiety
• Trouble sleeping

Tell your hypnotherapist if you experience any side effects or negative feelings.

Is hypnotherapy dangerous?

Hypnotherapy is safe when you work with a trained, certified therapist. Hypnosis isn’t mind control or brainwashing. And your hypnotherapist isn’t tricking your body or brain into changing. Any changes in your health or habits will come from you choosing to make them.

There’s always a chance hypnosis doesn’t help you. Be honest with yourself and your therapist. Your therapist wants to help you accomplish your goals. They won’t be offended if you find that hypnosis isn’t working well for you.

How long will I need hypnotherapy?

There’s not a set amount of time you’ll need hypnotherapy. Your therapist will monitor your progress. You might need only a few sessions to start seeing results, but it may take longer. Your therapist will develop a treatment plan for future sessions with your input and feedback.

How do I choose a hypnotherapist?

First, look for a healthcare professional who’s properly trained, licensed and credentialed in a healthcare field such as medicine, dentistry, psychiatry, psychology, social work or nursing. They should have additional training in hypnosis and hypnotherapy techniques.

The most important part of hypnosis is trusting your therapist. Like any healthcare provider or counselor, you should feel comfortable with them.

Your hypnotherapist will get to know you before you start your first session. You shouldn’t have to do any special preparation, just be yourself and be honest about what you hope to accomplish.

Your regular healthcare provider may be able to suggest a hypnotherapist. The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis or the American Association of Professional Hypnotherapists have information available about how to find a hypnotherapist near you.

When should I call my healthcare provider?

Complementary medicine like hypnosis works alongside traditional medical approaches. Talk to your regular primary care provider if you’re experiencing any new or different symptoms. You may need other treatments alongside hypnosis to help you make healthy changes or manage symptoms.