The Process of Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy is a combination of therapy and hypnosis.  Of all the therapies, it produces the most immediate results.

What is Hypnosis?

Hypnosis is state of deep relaxation within your body and a state of increased and heightened awareness within your mind.

How Does it Work?

Hypnosis will assist you experience a state of mind known as “Alpha.” When in Alpha, you are up to 200 times more open to suggestion and more able to receive messages that influence positive change. Your mind can focus on the things you wish to change and on the best ways to do so, free from critical or anxious thoughts.

In this state, your conscious mind has a rest from everyday cares and concerns and allows the unconscious part of your mind to take care of things for you.

Normal awakening consciousness is called Beta. In Beta, you are paying attention to and processing a multitude of stimuli from the outside world. In Alpha, you allow yourself to slow down and really focus on the changes you wish to bring about in your life.

Deleting Habits you Don’t Want Anymore

Because hypnosis is a state of focused attention and heightened awareness, it allows you to bypass all of those unhelpful memories, thoughts and impulses stored in your unconscious. You replace them with new and healthy patterns of behaviour.

You are not asleep nor are you unconscious. You simply allow your unconscious mind to accept suggestions for positive change rather than ‘trying’ to make them happen with your conscious mind.

Hypnosis allows you to access your creative potential.   Unwanted long held thoughts, beliefs and patterns of behaviour can be deleted and rewritten.  It is simply the power of your own mind.

But Am I Still in Control?

A common misconception about Hypnotherapy is that clients under hypnosis cannot react, and therefore the Hypnotherapist has ultimate control over the patient. This is not the case.  In Alpha, the patient is always in control and is fully capable of reacting and making decisions.

Hypnosis resembles the state you are in as you enter sleep: you are not fully asleep but you are not fully awake either, just very deeply relaxed.  Your mind will only accept the suggestions from the Hypnotherapist you wish to accept. For example, if you wish to break free from the past and become stress free, your unconscious mind will happily accept any suggestions to do so.

Because you are relaxed or otherwise occupied mentally, the suggestions given to you by the Hypnotherapist will be acted upon more easily by the unconscious.  Clients who attend for hypnotherapy spend most of their session sitting or reclining comfortably, experiencing deep relaxation.  The most frequent reaction is relief at just how simple and effective the process actually is.  This is especially the case where a client has tried to change long standing patterns of unwanted behaviour where will power alone just hasn’t been enough.

Post hypnotic suggestions are those that will be carried out by you when you come out of the hypnotic state. The best example of this is having no desire to engage in unwanted behaviours anymore, feeling an absence of stress and a sense of comfort.

The Unconscious Mind

Most people are unaware they use a form of hypnosis in everyday life called ‘self-suggestion’. Thoughts such as “I cannot stop smoking, no matter how hard I try”, or “I’ll never be able to do this” are powerful negative self suggestions and are a form of self hypnosis. In a Hypnotherapy session, these unhelpful thoughts can be deleted and rewritten with new healthy thoughts that support you.

The unconscious mind takes care of approximately 95% of mind function. It is the most powerful computer ever devised and is capable of running multiple tasks simultaneously. It does not judge, criticise, analyse or reject. It acts quickly but in many cases, not appropriately. It is emotional and unaware. It does not understand nor have a sense of humor and takes everything literally.

Our unconscious mind also seems to be innocent and naïve, possessing the intelligence level equivalent to a four year old child.  It wants to help us as much as possible and tries to help in the best way it knows how.

Many times however, it does not help us in the most appropriate way and needs to be given direction.

How the Mind Works : Think of a Bodyguard

Picture if you will, a doorway beside you and allow yourself to imagine that this doorway is the entry to your unconscious mind. Now imagine there is a big burly bodyguard in front of the doorway guarding it.

This ‘bodyguard’ represents your conscious mind and will stop and examine anything that is said to the unconscious mind before it enters. One of the main problems with the conscious mind is that it is geared very critically and negatively and does not like change.

The conscious mind is a creature of habit. It tends to keep the status quo rather than make any drastic changes. So even if something may be bad for it, the conscious mind tends to keep things the same way because it is comfortable or familiar with the way it is.

For example, when it comes habits like smoking, the conscious mind can be told to stop smoking over and over again but that conscious ‘guard’ will put up its defenses fighting off suggestions to quit smoking. It will find any number of rationalisations to keep things the way they are.  Have you ever heard a smoker tell you how much a cigarette relaxes them or helps with stress whilst admitting on the other hand how much they hate the habit?

It seems like no matter how many good reasons you have for change, that bodyguard it will continue to fight them off. This is why it is so hard to make a positive change such as smoking cessation or weight loss or other behavioural changes with most non hypnotic programs.

Reprogramming the Unconscious Mind

Going past the conscious ‘guard’ into that room, you will find the unconscious mind. The unconscious mind is the most perfect computer ever made. Every sight, sound, smell and taste you have experienced since you were born is logged in perfect clarity in your unconscious mind.

Now here‘s the problem. Your unconscious mind is being operated by that four year old child. The child is innocent and naïve. They want to help you but they just don’t know the best way to do it. They therefore try to help you the best way they know how.

A good example would be someone who has experienced a very bad car accident. Wishing to protect that person, the unconscious mind may think it best to cause a panic attack so they will never leave the house again to get in a car. To a child this may seem like the best solution.

Another example would be someone who has a serious problem with gambling. A four year old child may think it best that they lose their job so there is no money to spend.

You can see where the unconscious mind really wants to help but may be completely missing the boat. For example, many cigarette smokers report they took up the habit to “Look Cool”. Of course the naïve four year old wants to be accepted and has kept them in the habit. When Hypnosis is applied, the four year old begins to realise it is better to “Look Cool” in other, healthier ways and become a non smoker.

Hypnosis and Resolving Issues

In Hypnosis, the unconscious mind is given detailed instructions on how to resolve whatever issues you are facing. Once the unconscious mind has these instructions and realises the error of its ways, it quickly changes course and uses the proper solutions.  The four year old child wants to help you as much as it can.

The unconscious mind wants to protect you, help you solve your problems and help you be a functional member of society. Once the appropriate suggestions have been given and accepted by your unconscious mind, you have another 95% of your mind working for you in comparison to the mere 5% of the conscious mind you had on side with you before.

Habits are regulated by the unconscious mind.  The good news is if you learned to do something, you can unlearn it. When you have 100% of your mind working for you to change your habits you can begin to live your full potential without unnecessary resistance.

For all enquires, contact: Mind over Matter Hypnotherapy:

0414 649 088.

Jeanette Buzolic 

BA Psychology. GDIR. Dip Clinical Hypnosis

Clinical Member Australian Hypnotherapist’s Association

CM 0310389