Frequently Asked Questions
I help empaths and highly sensitive people navigate the emotional, psychological, and spiritual hurdles of everyday life so they can live in sovereignty, joy, and abundance.
What happens in a hypnotherapy appointment?
My 1:1 appointments are 1.5 hours long and are divided into two parts, mindful coaching and hypnosis. Mindful coaching takes between 30 and 45 minutes. It is a process where you and I sit together in the spirit of enquiry without judgment. We discuss your difficulties and your successes and allow ourselves to be open to whatever might come up for you in that moment.
Through questions and answers, we fine-tune our awareness of exactly what you are experiencing, including thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and current perceptions. Gradually, we discover the single most productive focus for hypnosis at that time.
The second part of the appointment is devoted to hypnosis around the theme that we uncover during coaching. You recline in a comfortable position, and through spoken words I lead you through a process of relaxation so you can enter trance. I then guide you through an experience of either suggestions tailored to your desired result, an examination of a particular time or event that is troubling you, or an imagined experience designed to resolve a specific issue.
Hypnosis takes 45 minutes to an hour, and is followed by a brief conversation about how you can integrate everything you have learned into your conscious mind.
What does it feel like to be in trance?
Trance is a relaxed state where your subconscious mind is dominant and your conscious mind is awake and watching, but not particularly active. Most people find being in trance very enjoyable. Your sense of time may be slightly altered, and your ability to remember certain experiences may be heightened.
The depth of hypnotic trance entered varies from person to person and from one experience to another. You may enter a very deep trance that feels like dreaming, or you may enter a light trance that feels like you are nicely relaxed and open to new experiences. For more information on trance, please see my blog on “Brain Waves and Trance.”
How can psycho-spiritual hypnotherapy help me?
Most emotional, psychological, and spiritual wounds are held in your subconscious mind. Psycho-spiritual hypnotherapy works directly with your subconscious to resolve the core problems that lie beneath the surface, so you can modify your unwanted habits, transform your pain into peace, and step into your most authentic self. I invite you to fill out my intake form so we can explore how psycho-spiritual hypnotherapy can help you reach your goals.
Is hypnotherapy safe?
Yes. Hypnosis feels very much like a deep, guided meditation. When it’s over, you will feel relaxed and awake, and very likely better than you’ve felt in quite some time.
Am I a good candidate for hypnosis?
Hypnosis will work for you if you want it to work. Your attitude is the vital factor determining how well you will do in hypnotherapy. People who have experienced hypnosis before, or who have a personal meditation practice, can usually go into trance with ease.
People who cannot relax enough to let their brains shift into a slower brain wave sometimes have difficulty with hypnosis, but extra relaxation work will usually accommodate that.
The subconscious mind speaks in pictures and metaphors. It is important to trust what your subconscious mind is showing you while you are in trance. There is plenty of time afterwards to analyze your experience with your rational, conscious mind.
Through questions and answers, we fine-tune our awareness of exactly what you are experiencing, including thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and current perceptions. Gradually, we discover the single most productive focus for hypnosis at that time.
The second part of the appointment is devoted to hypnosis around the theme that we uncover during coaching. You recline in a comfortable position, and through spoken words I lead you through a process of relaxation so you can enter trance. I then guide you through an experience of either suggestions tailored to your desired result, an examination of a particular time or event that is troubling you, or an imagined experience designed to resolve a specific issue.
Hypnosis takes 45 minutes to an hour, and is followed by a brief conversation about how you can integrate everything you have learned into your conscious mind.
Are you gonna make me bark like a dog?
No. Perhaps the greatest fear people have about hypnotherapy is based on their exposure to stage or parlor trick hypnosis. Clinical Hypnotherapy is radically different from stage hypnosis in both intent and procedure.
The foundation of clinical hypnotherapy in my practice is respect, permission, and patience. No one, including me, can make you do anything that violates your values. As Clifford N Lazarus Ph.D. notes in a 2013 article for Psychology Today, “The truth is that stage hypnotism is essentially a theatrical performance and has about as much in common with bona fide clinical hypnosis as many Hollywood movies have with real life.”
Will I lose sovereignty over my mind during hypnosis?
No. Another common fear expressed about hypnosis is the loss of mind control. Dr. David Spiegel, medical director of the Stanford Center for Integrative Medicine, also answers that question with an emphatic “No.” He states, “People think hypnosis is about giving up control. But it’s actually giving control back to the patients.”
It is helpful to understand that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. The therapist is there to facilitate and guide, but the therapist is not doing anything to the client. The client allows the therapist to guide them into a deeply relaxed state of trance so that together they can work on the identified problem. While in this relaxed state the patient’s conscious mind hears and observes everything. When brought out of the relaxed trance state, the client will be able to discuss what happened and consciously process the gained insights.
If you have more questions and would like to discuss whether hypnotherapy is the right fit, I invite you to fill out my intake form.
An Invitation
If you have more questions and would like to discuss whether hypnotherapy is the right fit, I invite you to fill out my intake form.
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