We’ve all had times in our lives where we haven’t fully felt ourselves. Sometimes it’s quite subtle like somethings not quite right and other times the symptoms come on strong like an anxiety that’s all encompassing or a depression that leaves everything seemingly hopeless. If you’ve been feeling a little off colour then hypnosis is a fantastic tool that can really help.
Actually, the great news about hypnosis is that it can be applied in so many ways and used to treat a wide range of conditions.
In psychotherapy, conditions that most hypnotherapists are able to successfully treat include anxiety and performance anxiety, depression and post-natal depression, low self-esteem, obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Hypnosis has also been extremely successful in the treatment of addictions, insomnia, phobias and weight issues. In fact, hypnosis has been so successful in treating smoking, according to the largest ever scientific comparison of ways of breaking the habit, it’s been found to be the single most successful treatment there is. More successful even than nicotine replacement therapies!
Hypnosis can even treat anger issues, social anxiety and your tendency to do procrastination! It really is one of the most flexible and successful modalities available. What’s even more impressive is that it can be used successfully in all of these cases in just a few sessions.
Not only can hypnosis be used to treat the range of issues listed above, hypnosis is used in many different fields as well. Sports hypnosis has been successfully used to give elite athletes an “edge” and is used for building concentration and physical control as well as a tool to manage stress and improve positive self-talk.
It’s also used with great success in the medical and dental fields as a way to eliminate associated anxiety by creating greater awareness of the mind/body connection. It also encourages healing and increasing awareness and control over physical processes. Hypnosis has been cited in many studies such as the ones in my previous blog as useful in helping patients to cope with pain and distress. In both cases its other great benefit is helping clients to take back control of their internal thoughts and take back responsibility for their own health. For use in dental procedures, hypnosis also helps reduce blood flow to the area being treated.
Interestingly, hypnosis has also successfully been used in education as a tool to improve the learning process by increasing concentration and creativity and eliminating education associated anxiety. Consider hypnosis as part of the classroom a little bit like meditation with an outcome.
If you’re thinking of giving hypnosis a go then you should get to know the different models of hypnosis available for you to try. The more traditional model of hypnosis is typically directive and authoritarian in style. A traditional practitioner will direct their clients to do something and their clients comply due to seeing the practitioner as an authority figure. Traditional hypnosis is what most people think of when they consider hypnosis and although successful, it can present various challenges. Some clients may not react well to an autocratic style, particularly if they feel that they are no longer in control. Another challenge is the perception of this style given its use in stage hypnosis.
Some practitioners use scripted hypnosis which is where they read a script designed for a certain issue. For example, if a client comes to quit smoking, they will put they client into trance and read a generic quit smoking script to them. This style does present some challenges with the most obvious one being that practitioners do not tailor their therapy to the needs of individual clients. This means that it is unlikely that the same script will work for all clients and therefore they are usually less successful in their results.
Another style that you may consider is a more modern and indirective style known as Ericksonian style of hypnosis. This particular style is the one I use and is much gentler in its approach as it uses suggestion rather than direction in trance. It’s a great way to assure my client that they always have a choice in whether to comply or not to the suggestion. Think of me as your guide. In this style of hypnosis, we’re a team and as the practitioner I help my client to connect with or discover the resources that they have. Once we’ve found it I help them focus in on the present ability or future possibilities.
It’s incredibly important for me to feel a connection with my clients and this particular style of hypnotherapy allows us to build great rapport and a high level of trust, therefore, achieve much better results.
By now you know that hypnosis is a fantastic, well proven tool with a wide range of successful applications. If something in particular is holding you back from being the best version of yourself then hypnosis may just be right for you.
If you’re looking for a partner on your journey, let’s chat about getting you back to your best.
Until next time,
Bx
If you’re finding it a little tricky to get back to the best you then hypnosis can really help. Want to work with me? Book your first session with me at the Lotus Centre in Brookvale today. Or contact me on 0437248134 or at Rebecca@thesharpmind.com.au to find out how I can help.
