If you’re reading the newspaper, watching the news regularly, or looking for work—then feeling relaxed and calm may not be a mainstay of your diet these days. During stressful times, like the ones many of us are experiencing, it is important to develop “self-care tools.”
One self-care tool that I personally would find difficult to get along without is self-hypnosis. When I’m unable to sleep, one of my most effective ways of relaxing is practicing self-hypnosis. I teach many of my clients how to use self-hypnosis to assist in relaxing and getting a good night’s sleep. In addition to sharing self-care techniques, I teach clients how to use self-hypnosis as a supportive tool for propelling them toward their personal and professional goals.
Now, let’s get real here. When many of you hear the term hypnosis, you think about the eerie mind-control scenarios from Hollywood’s depictions. Or, if you’ve seen stage hypnosis, then you probably think of a guy with a pendulum telling you to quack like a duck. So let me share with you that stage hypnosis is for entertainment, whereas hypnotherapy is a powerful toolÉfor personal growth and positive transformation.
What is Hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy is a way to relax and calm your mind, body, and emotions in order to enter a focused state where unhealthy habits and challenges can be explored. During hypnotherapy, you are given an opportunity to gain insights into your established patterns of behaviors, move through blocks, and head toward your personal and professional goals. Due to the imagination being activated, hypnotherapy is sometimes called “guided imagery.”
Think of your mind as consisting of two parts—the conscious and the unconscious. Your conscious mind operates within your awareness and on a surface level. By contrast, your unconscious mind operates outside of your conscious awareness and below the surface.
Hypnotherapy addresses your challenges and behaviors at a deep, unconscious level—below the surface—to address issues from the inside out. During the hypnotherapy process, I teach my clients how to relax into a trance state.
What Does a “Trance State” Feel Like?
Relaxed and focused states, sometimes referred to as trances, are natural occurrences that are often experienced in everyday life. For example, have you ever been on a highway and missed the exit? If so, you were probably experiencing a “highway trance.”
TV trances are also common occurrences when someone is focusing deeply on what he or she is watching. When children are in “TV trances,” they may not respond to hearing their names called because they are so focused and absorbed in whatever they’re watching.
Trance states in hypnotherapy vary in depth to fit my clients’ comfort and desire. I am trained in a method that is interactive and follows an Empowerment Model. Honoring this approach, I serve as a co-creative facilitator for empowering clients on their paths toward their goals—and they are always in control.
During a hypnotherapy session, clients are taught how to relax their minds and bodies deeply, without falling asleep. At times during hypnotherapy, some clients report that they feel as though they are in a daydream. Their concentration and awareness may become heightened, allowing them to notice sounds, scents, and visual images that are part of their experience.
And just so you know, many of my clients, after completing their first hypnotherapy sessions, express surprise at how poignant and inspiring their hypnotherapy experiences were (often with a grateful tear in their eye).
What is a Positive Suggestion?
A positive suggestion is a positive statement that relates to a goal. When someone is in a deeply relaxed state during hypnotherapy, his or her unconscious mind can become open and receptive to positive suggestions. A positive suggestion is often the opposite of the self-defeating behavior that the person wants to change.
For example, when clients come to see me with a goal to lose weight, they may want these positive suggestions (offered to their unconscious minds) after they are in a deeply relaxed state:
You savor the flavors of juicy fresh fruits and colorful vegetables.
- You feel satisfied after eating small portions during meals.
- You enjoy moving and exercising—and it feels great!
Finally, consider adding self-hypnosis to your “self-care toolkit.” Learn how self-hypnosis assists people in taking breaks from their hectic daily routines—to stop pushing, to let go, to become relaxed … hopefully…very, very relaxed and calm.
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Join Trina and attend her upcoming Walnut Creek workshop for women and men: Managing Emotional and Compulsive Eating—John Muir Women’s Health Center: Wednesday, June 6, 6:30-8:30 pm. Cost: $40 (Includes Weight Loss: 2-CD set). Seats are limited — register today for this inspiring workshop: (925) 941-7900 option 3. For more info, go to www.TrinaSwerdlow.com & click on “Private Sessions & Workshops.”
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Trina Swerdlow, BFA, CCHT, is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, an artist, and the author and illustrator of Stress Reduction Journal: Meditate and Journal Your Way to Better Health. Trina has a private practice in downtown Danville. She soulfully shares her creative approach to personal growth and passionately supports her clients in reaching their goals. You can reach her at: (925) 285.5759, or info@TrinaSwerdlow.com.
Certified Clinical Hypnotherapy services in California can be alternative or complementary to licensed healing arts, such as psychotherapy.
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