What Is Hypnosis?

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Hypnosis is a focused state of awareness where the body is fully relaxed, but the mind is awake. This state allows the hypnotherapist to access your subconscious mind where the positive change and transformation you desire for yourself can start to take place through the use of hypnotic suggestions.

 

Hypnosis is a completely natural state. In fact, we all go in and out of hypnosis throughout the day. Have you ever been driving and missed your exit on the freeway? Or, been deeply absorbed in a movie and forgot you are actually in a room full of strangers watching a projected image of actors on screen? Perhaps you've zoned out and daydreamed while someone was talking to you.  All of these are all examples of being in a state of hypnosis.

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What Hypnosis is NOT

When most people hear the word "hypnosis"  they think of swinging watches and the hypnotists telling someone to bark like a dog or cluck like a chicken on command. While that kind of hypnosis does exist, it is for the sole purposes of entertainment that you would find on the stages of a Las Vegas show.

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This is very different from clinical hypnotherapy.  You are completely alert and in full control of your mind and body while in the hypnotic state. You can hear, speak, and even walk around. Your body is relaxed and comfortable. You will never be asked to disclose any secrets or do anything you do not want to do. At Westside Hypnotherapy, hypnosis is strictly used as a healing tool.

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FAQ 

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• Does Hypnosis really work?

Absolutely. In recent years hypnosis has become an accepted medical therapy to address a variety of conditions. Researchers and professors in universities such as Stanford, Harvard, and Penn State, just to name a few, have conducted clinical studies in hypnosis and found that hypnosis does in fact alter the brain and can be used for a multitude of conditions. 

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• What does it feel like?

Hypnosis is a very comfortable, peaceful and pleasant feeling. Your body is extremely relaxed but your mind is aware. You will feel a sense of rejuvenation and feel refreshed after a hypnotherapy session.  

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• Will I lose control of myself? 

Absolutely not! Hypnosis is a way of giving you more control, not less. You cannot be hypnotized unwillingly, and you cannot be prompted to do something that is outside of your moral code or say or reveal anything you do not want to. 

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• Can I get stuck in hypnosis?

No, you are able to come out of hypnosis any time you wish. You can no more get "stuck" in hypnosis than you can get "stuck" awake or "stuck" asleep. ... For practical reasons, as hypnotherapists we do explicitly end our clients' trances, but if we didn't the clients would naturally either return to full alertness or fall asleep.

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• How does hypnosis work?

When you are in a hypnotic state, your conscious mind has been relaxed. This allows the hypnotherapist to work directly with your subconscious mind. The subconscious mind holds all of our "programming", much like a computer. You can "know" in your conscious mind that you want to make a change and be determined to make that change, but if your"computer is programmed" to keep doing what you are doing it will be nearly impossible to make lasting change unless you change the programming. That's precisely what hypnotherapy will accomplish.​

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• Does insurance cover it?

Although we do not accept insurance, there are some insurance companies that will reimburse you for a portion of your sessions. We can provide you with a receipt for you to submit to your insurance company if they do cover hypnotherapy.

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• What happens in the first session?

In the first session, you will fill out an intake form and we will discuss the issue or issues you want to focus on and what your goals are. We will then have a brief conversation about hypnosis and how the mind works. I will then conduct some simple tests that will help me determine your suggestibility; which is how you learn and accept suggestions. .After that I  will put you into a very relaxed hypnotic state and make suggestions to your subconscious mind based upon your goals and the issues you want to focus on. I will then awaken you to a fully awake and aware state feeling refreshed and relaxed.