One of the first questions I ask when meeting a new client is what they think hypnosis is. So many answers come out from people that it is often common that they come out of a session saying something like I am not sure I was hypnotized. Often they think they had to be zonked through the floor or that they are like a puppet with me controlling all their strings.
What is hypnosis? It is a heightened state of awareness. It is being hyper-aware of everything. Why do we ask a person to close their eyes? By eliminating one of the senses the person becomes more aware of other things and does not have to compete with external stimulants such as a car going by or a cat entering the room. Last week I was driving and my wife started screaming at me about someone about to cross the street. (She claims she did not scream). I am sure I would have seen them since I was not driving fast and they had not yet left the curb but in the moment she startled me I freaked out. As I think back I had no idea how I got there. I was in a trans. My unconscious mind, that is aware of everything, was driving the car. I was totally aware of everything and yet not present.
A common concern is that in trans someone else can make you do something you do not want. The truth is that this myth comes a lot from stage hypnosis shows or TV. TV makes anything possible and on the other hand, on a stage show, people who volunteer either do so because they want to be up there or to prove that they can not be hypnotized. In either case they will get what they want. People also fear they will not wake up but this is not true and they never were asleep in the first place. I still get people who open their eyes during the session and yet they are completely under.
Why do people feel so relaxed after a session if they were not asleep. For the same reason that when you go for a nice massage, you often are so relaxed that you barely can walk. During a session people relax. The suggestion “relax” is given and a person just does. Furthermore if they were asleep they would not hear the suggestions. Instead they hear everything.
People come to see me for a few reasons. They want to fix something, change something or improve something. When they relax we ask the mind to find a way to do this for us. For example I am scared of dogs. I want to feel at ease around dogs. We then ask the mind to find the reason the person is scared and change the thought to one which will allow them to be at ease without putting them in any danger. Once the mind accepts the new reality we emerge them. Many things can be changed over time and sometimes with only one session. An interesting thing is using a ideomotor response to get an answer. This is generally asking the body to move a part such as hand or finger. A yes finger comes up or a no finger comes up. Towards the end of the session I can ask has all the work been done and accepted and then ask if more work needs to be done. If yes, you will know when to book. If no, then you are on your way.
While hypnosis can be, fun, used therapeutically a person can live fully and joyfully. In the Simpson Protocol which I studied and practiced intensively I now do content free hypnosis. We call your problem or what you wish to change “the issue” and from that point forward I do not need to know what it is. I do not impose any beliefs or judgements about you or what you have been through.
All the best for now
Allan