Hypnosis Information
What is Hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a state of concentration, focused attention, and inner absorption. This altered state of consciousness is similar to using a magnifying glass in the sun when the rays are most intense; in both instances the image becomes more powerful. Learning hypnosis is the ultimate in inner control, rather than a state of being out of control.
Everyone has experienced a trance, many times in their life, but don’t think of this as hypnosis. Examples of a trancelike state might include the following:
- Becoming absorbed in a television show or movie and not hearing the doorbell ring.
- Riding in a car, deep in thought, not noticing the scenery.
- A teenager, talking on the phone, not hearing mother’s call to dinner.
Misconceptions
Often people fear that hypnosis involves loss of control, surrender of will and or domination. Hypnosis is not gullibility or weak mindedness, and one is not under someone else’s control. During hypnosis, the competent clinician merely serves as guide.
Another myth about hypnosis is that there is a loss of consciousness and possible amnesia. A small number of subjects go to very deep levels of trance, but the majority of people, remember everything that occurs.
Hypnosis isn’t something that is done to a person. All hypnosis is really self-hypnosis. That is, it is not something this is imposed it is self initiated. One is never asked to do anything that one doesn’t want to, anything against one’s value’s, or reveal anything that one would prefer to keep hidden. One’s unconscious mind only explores or pursues whatever your conscious mind has agreed to explore or pursue. Hypnosis in the hands of a skilled clinician is a team effort, not a mental tug of war.
As a clinical psychologist and a certified hypnotherapist with more than twenty years of clinical experience, Dr. Davis has learned that hypnosis is an excellent tool to help you overcome a variety of problems.
Some of the Problems That May Be Addressed with Hypnosis
- Hypnosis for sexual concerns: Erection, ejaculation, and orgasmic issues can often be helped using hypnotic trance.
- Hypnosis for Pain Management : A variety of techniques can be utilized to increase pain tolerance, to alter pain, create anesthesia or decrease awareness of pain in conditions such as but not limited to migraine, arthritis, cancer. Close consultation and collaboration with physicians are the norm when appropriate.
- Hypnosis for Surgery: There are a variety of studies indicating that hypnosis, prior to surgery may reduce postoperative pain and complications and speed recovery.
- Hypnosis for enhancing self-esteem and confidence: Through rapid unconscious exploration of self-image problems and by obtaining unconscious commitments, direct and indirect suggestions can significantly impact on internal feelings about oneself.
- Hypnosis for Medical Disorders: Hypnosis can be an effective tool with psychosomatic and autoimmune diseases, sleep disorders, burns, cancer, and side effects of chemotherapy.
- Hypnosis for Academic Performance and Athletics: It is possible to enhance motivation for learning, concentration, study skills, and overcoming anxiety. We know that excessive anxiety lowers intellectual efficiency, and impairs performance. Self-hypnosis gives a person a self-management tool and can be used effectively by athletes and students alike.
- Hypnosis for Smoking and Habit Disorders: Hypnosis has been successfully used with variety of habit disorders including thumb sucking, nail biting, skin and acne picking. Although, smoking and other addictions are some of the most challenging problems for the health and mental health professional to treat, hypnosis is a very helpful tool.
- Hypnosis for Obesity and Eating Disorders: Hypnosis is of clear value with some obesity patients. In collaboration with dieticians and physicians, hypnosis is a helpful tool to address eating disorders.