FAQs
Q. What is hypnosis?
A. Hypnosis is a natural state of relaxation in which your subconscious mind is very alert and your everyday ‘chattering’ conscious mind is resting.
When you're in this relaxed frame of mind, your brain wave frequency slows down to between seven and fourteen cycles per second. This makes you more susceptible to suggestion. But don't worry - you'll only carry out those suggestions that you wish to. You can't be made to do anything against your wishes.
Hypnosis is often described as using the power of your imagination in a certain way. Despite its apparent simplicity hypnosis has long been viewed as a valuable method for changing unwanted habits and behaviours.
Q. What is hypnotherapy?
A. Hypnotherapy is simply the use of hypnosis in a therapeutic setting. By guiding you into a state of relaxation, hypnotherapy can help you access your subconscious mind to bring about positive change. It can help you reach your personal goals that were previously out of your reach. The effectiveness of hypnotherapy is in direct proportion to your wish to change
Q. Is hypnotherapy the same or similar to stage hypnosis?
A. In some ways, yes. Both hypnotherapy and stage hypnosis use the power of suggestion, but with very different outcomes! The aim of hypnotherapy is to help you overcome your problems, whereas stage hypnosis is done solely for entertainment purposes. In this respect stage hypnosis is very different from hypnotherapy.
Hypnotherapy is hypnosis which is carried out by a therapist in a private, safe environment, and it's aim is to help you deal with your difficulties, find solutions to your problems and gain a better understanding of yourself. The sole purpose of stage hypnosis is to amuse and entertain.
A stage hypnotist often uses some of the tricks and stunts employed by stage magicians. This creates the impression that he or she is in control of the volunteers taking part in the show. This simply isn't true! All the volunteers are willing participants who are simply following suggestions, not commands. They carry out the hypnotist's suggestions because they choose to, not because they have to. Many of them tend to be extroverts who would behave in a similar fashion after a couple of drinks!
Q. How do I know that I have been hypnotised?
A. Hypnosis and hypnotherapy are very normal states similar to relaxing or daydreaming and so some people wonder if they have been hypnotised at all. You don't have to 'feel' hypnotised for your therapy to work.
There are people who say that they feel very positive and very relaxed at the end of their hypnotherapy session, and yet they wonder if they've actually been hypnotised. It’s simply that their expectation of what hypnosis should feel like was different from they actually experienced during hypnosis.
