A brief overview of hypnosis

What exactly is Hypnosis

When i speak to clients for the first time i need to explain to them what hypnosis is and what it’s not. Some people believe I can click my fingers and take control of their minds because what they have seen on television. When others believe it works on the slow of mind which when you think about it what does that say about their own self-belief.

If you drive a car, do you repeat the same journey again and again? If so, have you ever become aware you weren’t consciously aware or the last 5 mins or more of travel? You weren’t distracted or driving dangerously, you did what was needed to be done. That state is similar to the standard hypnotic trance. Hypnosis is 100% safe as i can’t make you do something you wouldn’t already do. when we give you suggestions, they are something you want and like but we are working with the subconscious mind.

Hypnosis is state of mind where an individual is subjected to controlled thoughts and behaviour. Hypnosis involves two persons – the persons being treated to experiment is called subject while the one conducting the experiment is called hypnotist.

Hypnotist takes the subject into the mental state, often termed hypnotized, and tries to get response from her. Hypnosis is possibly one of the most debated disciplines in the world. There are so many theories associated with this stream of studies. The basic debate hovers around the state aspect – one school of thoughts suggests that hypnosis is a state of mind while the other school asserts it to be a non-state.

Practitioners of state theory suggest that the mind can be transformed into an altered setting. In other words, mind of the subject can be taken to another plane and controlled by the practitioner. Those from non-state theory claim that hypnosis as a phenomenon can be observed as a culmination of focus or attention and doesn’t necessarily lead to transformation of mind to another state. However, it is enough for us to know that hypnosis is a process of induction and observing effects of the same.

There are many myths and misconceptions associated with hypnosis. Some people opine that hypnosis cannot be affected on persons with strong will power. Champions of hypnosis feel otherwise – they claim that people with strong will power make up good subjects. This can be attributed to their higher level of intelligence.

Lot of research has been done on hypnosis. This research on a scientific basis stems from Psychological research. Hypnosis is often treated as a part of peripherals of psychology. Scientists have been trying to find the most ideal way of hypnotizing a person.

Some have been successfully doing it with words, some others with the help of triggers like clock or a pendulum.
Hypnosis is finding its way in many applications to treat patients. Hypnotherapy is one such discipline. Some practitioners use this technique to solve psychological disorders of the patients. Clinical hypnosis is another application area of hypnosis.

According to practitioners of clinical hypnosis, physical as well as mental illnesses can be treated and cured with the help of clinical hypnosis. Mass hypnosis is used for prayers or magic shows. Hypnosis applied to forensic science is called forensic hypnosis. It is not only employed in the procedures, but also accepted in the legal perspective.

If you have any questions about What exactly is Hypnosis is please call for more information or see our home page, Dublin Hypnosis Dun Laoghaire.

If you would be interested but unsure why not try our Guided Relaxation through Hypnosis session so you can experience hypnosis without telling us any personal information. It’s a great way to start and everyone could benefit from some relaxation.

Hypnosis FAQ Answered

In hypnosis we often encounter the same few questions

What is hypnosis and is it right for me?

The definition of hypnosis is a relaxed, focused state of concentration. To some, the concept of being relaxed and focused at the same time seems an oxymoron, but hypnosis allows you to enter such a state of mind. It was presumed until recently that it was a sleep-like state, or that the mind was unconscious.

It has been discovered on scans during hypnosis that in this state, the mind is highly receptive to suggestion. It is not an unusual or unpleasant state of mind as most people simply feel relaxed. There is an alteration in brain wave activity, called the alpha state. This is a very pleasant and relaxing state. During which the mind is alert, responsive, and open to a rich sensory experience.

Is hypnosis dangerous? The answer is NO!

In the hands of a properly trained individual, hypnosis is not dangerous. There may be some circumstances which would be undesirable with an untrained hypnotist, but nothing serious could happen. You would see no change and waste your money and possibly lose faith.

If you are seeking hypnotherapy, always ensure that the practitioner is registered with a professional body with a code of conduct that you can review.

Can hypnosis make me do something against my will? The simple answer is no!

This is one of the biggest myths surrounding hypnosis. Stage hypnotists choose their subjects carefully so that they will have participants who would be willing to act outrageously. You will never do anything or accept any suggestion that violates your morals or values.

If that was possible, hypnotists could make you rob banks and bring back the money. The hypnotists would be rich and rule the world. Clearly, this is not the case. If you visit a hypnotherapist wanting to seek help with a phobia and approach your session with an open mind and a willingness for the therapy to work, these is a good chance that your session will have a positive outcome.

Can anybody be hypnotised?

Almost everyone can be hypnotised. There are a few exceptions, however. Some examples are educationally subnormal individuals, people suffering from senility, very young children, hard drug addicts and individuals under the influence of alcohol.

If you have any questions please call or for more information on hypnosis see our home page, Dublin Hypnosis Dun Laoghaire.

If you would be interested but unsure why not try our Guided Relaxation through Hypnosis session so you can experience hypnosis without telling us any personal information. It’s a great way to start and everyone could benefit from some relaxation.

A short History of Hypnosis

Where does hypnosis come from? Discover the roots of hypnosis and what it can do for you.

Evidence of hypnotic-like phenomena appears in many ancient cultures. The writer of Genesis seems familiar with the anaesthetic power of hypnosis when he reports that God put Adam “into a deep sleep” to take his rib to form Eve.

Other ancient records suggest hypnosis was used by the oracle at Delphi and in rites in ancient Egypt (Hughes and Rothovius, 1996). The modern history of hypnosis begins in the late 1700s, when a French physician, Anton Mesmer, revived an interest in hypnosis.

1734-1815 Franz Anton Mesmer was born in Vienna. Mesmer is considered the father of hypnosis. He is remembered for the term mesmerism which described a process of inducing trance through a series of passes he made with his hands and/or magnets over people. He worked with a person’s animal magnetism (psychic and electromagnetic energies).

The medical community eventually discredited him despite his considerable success treating a variety of ailments. His successes offended the medical establishment of the time, who arranged for an official French government investigating committee.

This committee included Benjamin Franklin, then the American ambassador to France, and Joseph Guillotine, a French physician who introduced a never-fail device for physically separating the mind from the rest of the body.

1795-1860 James Braid, an English physician, originally opposed to mesmerism (as it had become known) who subsequently became interested. He said that cures were not due to animal magnetism however, they were due to suggestion. He developed the eye fixation technique (also known as Braidism) of inducing relaxation and called it hypnosis (after Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep) as he thought the phenomena was a form of sleep.

Later, realising his error, he tried to change the name to monoideism (meaning influence of a single idea) however, the original name stuck. 1825-1893 Jean Marie Charcot a French neurologist disagreed with the Nancy School of Hypnotism and contended that hypnosis was simply a manifestation of hysteria.

There was bitter rivalry between Charcot and the Nancy group (Liebault and Bernheim). He revived Mesmer’s theory of Animal Magnetism and identified the three stages of trance, lethargy, catalepsy and somnambulism.

1845-1947 Pierre Janet was a French neurologist and psychologist who was initially opposed to the use of hypnosis until he discovered its relaxing effects and promotion of healing. Janet was one of the few people who continued to show an interest in hypnosis during the psychoanalytical rage.

1849-1936 Ivan Petrovich Pavlov – Russian psychologist who was more focused on the study of the digestive process. He is known primarily for his development of the concept of the conditioned reflex (or Stimulus Response Theory).

In his classic experiment, he trained hungry dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell, which was previously associated with the sight of food. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology in 1904 for his work on digestive secretions.

Though he had nothing to do with hypnosis, his Stimulus Response Theory is a cornerstone in linking and anchoring behaviours, particularly in NLP.

1857-1926 Emile Coue, a physician who formulated the Laws of Suggestion. He is also known for encouraging his patients to say to themselves 20-30 times a night before going to sleep; “Everyday in every way, I am getting better and better.” He also discovered that delivering positive suggestions when prescribing medication proved to be a more effective cure than prescribing medications alone. He eventually abandoned the concept of hypnosis in favour of just using suggestion, feeling hypnosis and the hypnotic state impaired the efficiency of the suggestion.

Coue’s Laws of Suggestion

The Law of Concentrated Attention

” Whenever attention is concentrated on an idea over and over again, it spontaneously tends to realise itself”

The Law of Reverse Action

“The harder one tries to do something, the less chance one has of success”

The Law of Dominant Effect

“A stronger emotion tends to replace a weaker one”

1856-1939 Sigmund Freud travelled to Nancy and studied with Liebault and Bernheim, and then did additional study with Charcot. Freud did not incorporate hypnosis in his therapeutic work however because he felt he could not hypnotise patients to a sufficient depth, felt that the cures were temporary, and that hypnosis stripped patients of their defences.

Freud was considered a poor hypnotist given his paternal manner. However, his clients often went into trance and he often, unknowingly, performed non-verbal inductions when he would place his hand on his patient’s head to signify the Doctor dominant, patient submissive roles. Because of his early dismissal of hypnosis in favour of psychoanalysis, hypnosis was almost totally ignored.

1875-1961 Carl Jung, a student and colleague of Freud’s, rejected Freud’s psychoanalytical approach and developed his own interests. He developed the concept of the collective unconscious and archetypes. Though he did not actively use hypnosis, he encouraged his patients to use active imagination to change old memories.

He often used the concept of the inner guide, in the healing work. He believed that the inner mind could be accessed through tools like the I Ching and astrology. He was rejected by the conservative medical community as a mystic. However, many of his ideas and theories are actively embraced by healers to this day.

1932-1974 Milton Erickson, a psychologist and psychiatrist pioneered the art of indirect suggestion in hypnosis. He’s considered to be the father of modern hypnosis. His methods bypassed the conscious mind using both verbal and nonverbal pacing techniques including metaphor, confusion, and many others.

He was a colourful character and has immensely influenced the practice of contemporary hypnotherapy, and its official acceptance by the AMA. His work, combined with the work of Satir and Perls, was the basis for Bandler and Grinder’s Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP).

I have found using hypnosis highly affective from a personal and professional point of view. suggestions and changes can be made when they are in line with what you want. in other words, if you want it and like the suggestion the you can see profound changes. We are now offering a Guided Relaxation Session to reduce and relieve stress.

Can’t Cope Anymore

More and more I am hearing statements like this and I’m not talking about general comments, I mean I’m losing my mind, I can’t cope anymore statements.

There are believers out there who say we need to feel secure in somethings but not secure in others so we keep learning and moving forward. While there are merits for this it’s hard to say how much you need of each as we perceive the same events differently.

For the next few minutes try to detach your emotions and think on this. What exactly can you not cope with? If it’s more than one thing make a list, using facts not emotions. It sounds easy, well then do it. Your losing control but making a list is not worth trying?

Ok, statistically I could tell you what percentage has made a list but it wouldn’t help. When you have made your list using facts not emotion you may be surprised on at least some of them. Humans have a habit of looking at the worst possible outcome then just for the hell of it we add our problems together and make new horrible images in our minds and we say this is my life.

Unfortunately this can lead into other problems or trigger them, like panic attack, depression and anxiety. Our brains can’t distinguish between a vivid fantasy and reality. So male or female, if you work yourself into a state and see and feel this hell scenario your mind can believe that it’s true.

See all or nothing thinking.

Think back over the years of the horrors we thought were coming and for the fast majority of us they didn’t come to pass. For some we have lost children, been given terminal diagnosis so we know how bad it can get.

For most of us we can see what we fantasised about didn’t come true. Now imagine an individual, male or female, always smiling, knowing the world will provide. They see a great future, great job, great relationship and a great life full of adventure and fun. What name would you call them in your own head?

Most of what they dream about probably won’t come true but there happy. Most of what the negative thinker thinks about probably won’t come true and there out of control and miserable.

Both are unrealistic views of life but with different side effects. Look at your list and take each point separately and see can you do something to improve it. Move to make the change and keep notes of it. This helps when you have bad days. Next make a list of things in your life you do control and then things that put a smile on your face.

When you start taking action on some items you will find they move to the other list. You may not like them but you do control them.

Take small steps, one item at a time and you will see what a few weeks can do to changing your life. Have a look at the other posts on this website and if you have a question feel free to ask.

Feeling Down all the Time

As humans we have emotions and if we look at periods of our lives we can see we have good and bad patches. Now if you examine any patch good or bad and to use the expression “put it under a microscope” you will find you had good and bad things happen to you.

In other words our emotions are going to rise and fall and sometimes it’s like a rollercoaster, climbing – climbing – climbing to be followed by a white knuckle plummet and this is normal. If we are wise we learn from our mistakes and bad luck as well as from our successes and good luck.

Unfortunately we can get stuck in a pattern where we perceive that it’s all negative or bad. This can just be a negative pattern of thinking, not only is my glass half empty but it also has a crack.

Just for a moment think back to your childhood, was one or both of your parents or guardians a negative thinker? Did they put you down “for your on good” to motivate you? Maybe, maybe not!

Did you have or still have an over powering friend or relationship? For more see, Can’t let go of a relationship. You get the idea of where to look in your past or maybe did you do something you’re not proud off? You would be amazed how many people’s lives can be affected and destroyed over some of these things.

In hypnotherapy we help people forgive themselves all the time and this just unloads so much pressure and weight from their shoulders. We also help people change by desensitising past events and help you change the meaning of them which changes the emotion which comes from the memory.

You have the right to be happy and have a great live, yes there will be falls and knocks but that’s life. I’m going to quote a film, Batman begins – Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up!

I love that way of thinking and I think a great lesson for children.

Look around at children, they fall and get back up. They might cry and act as if there dying and then they are of running again. So maybe it’s time to follow suit, leave the past where it is, if you need help then we can help you. Call to book an appointment!

If you could start afresh tomorrow morning and just see the world differently, what would it be like? Feeling good inside, looking forward to something. If you felt that way would your future look brighter, of course it would. So you need to figure out how to get from where you are to where you want to be.

If you think my life is bad but if I try to change it might get worse, flip it around and think if I don’t change what it will cost me. Think about prolonged unhappiness, worry, feeling down, could this lead to anxiety and depression. You are too special too important for that type of life. There is only one of you among billions, that’s unique! There are ways to change, find one that works for you and live the life you want.

How to Relieve Stress – Relaxation Offer

50% off Relaxation Session

We are running a half price offer at the moment on a full hour relaxation session. Call Now to make an appointment! This is a full hypnotherapy session, not a taster or some fluff.

When you come in we will have a quick chat where I will answer any and all questions to remove any worries you may have on hypnosis. I will then gently bring you into a lovely state of hypnosis where you will feel so relaxed and at peace.

While you’re feeling relaxed and at peace we start the therapy and help you to reduce your stress and increase your relaxation. We help you to see the challenges in the world somewhat differently so they don’t affect you as much or if all depending on what they are.

Have you ever wondered why something affects you while others aren’t even aware of any difficultly? Maybe the reverse is true for you as well?

Stress is normal and natural but when we allow it to take over it can have catastrophic effects on our mental and physical health. Isn’t it time to let go of some of it and move on with your life without that weight on your shoulders?

Maybe you have thought of hypnosis before but you had some doubts or listened to people who in all truth probably have no idea what their talking about. Wouldn’t this be a great way to see if this would suit you with a 50% off offer on a relaxation session?

Even if your problems are more series this would be a great way to find out what hypnosis is and if it is right for you.

Clinical Hypnotherapy is 100% safe! It’s about giving you back control and you will not be asleep! You will be in control of what you do and what you say and with a simple thought you can bring yourself out of hypnosis. Call Now for an appointment.

Have you ever gone for a massage to be told you hold your holding stress in certain muscles? It has been proven many times that when we have a thought it has a corresponding physical affect. So if you’re feeling stressed it will have a physical affect so with that in mind wouldn’t it be better to learn to deal with stress so it has a minimum affect.

If you have regular massages or practice yoga or any other similar program just think of the level you could reach if you went without the level of stress you have now? Life is to be lived and enjoyed but for far too many of us, it’s just endured.

End Stress and feel Happy

Its not hard to think that we have to strive for something to make us happy. Wheather its a new relaxation technique or enlightenment course but the truth is very simple. Maybe that’s the problem, in this life we seem to like the hidden, the mysterious.

If I was to tell you about this 2 thousand year old technique that helped bring enlightenment to an ancient and wise people but the information was only for the elite and that’s how it was lost over time but now it has been rediscovered. The good news its only bla bla bla and you too can find happiness.

Id know id make sales because I’m marketing in a way that would give you hope but only if you buy the product. You want something, I can supply it for a price.

I want you to think about a time that you were really happy. Maybe with your parents or your own children. Maybe out with your friends when you were distracted by them or the fun you were having. Did you need anything to be happy?

No, when all the baggage we carry was forgotten we were happy. So maybe we shouldn’t spend our lives looking outwards but inwards. What is making you unhappy? Well if you get rid of what makes you unhappy what would that leave you feeling?

If your one of those people that will say but what makes me unhappy is something I have to do then maybe you need to take a closer look at that or choose to look at it from a different angle. Our emotions are perceived reactions to stimulus.

If your late and the car in front of you is going to slow then their an idiot, to them your the mad person up their bumper. There are many examples of how people see the same situation differently from their own perspectives. In other words, when you see it differently you feel different.

Sometimes this can be difficult to workout by yourself if the pain is from a long time ago but with hypnosis its not hard and if you want the change and will work with the therapist then is relatively quick.

Even for something like depression its only around six sessions so if its only something small but has you going in circles it may only be one or two sessions. For more see our home page Dun Laoghaire Hypnosis.

All or nothing thinking

As you can see in the other post the way we think or perceive things affects what we do, how we do it and when we interact with other people the outcome from that. So if you know someone who is an all or nothing person or black and white thinker or maybe it’s you, what does this cost you?

For more see our home page Dun Laoghaire Hypnosis.

Well let’s take a simple relationship, if you think this way, well when you put forward an idea your idea is right. You wouldn’t waste your time putting forward an idea that’s wrong so the simple intelligent thing for others to do is to do it your way. Anyone one with have a brain could see that, it’s not complicated.

Now how would you feel if you or someone who thought that way was told no, I know I much better way of doing it. Can you imagine the challenge that person feels now? What if it’s a loved one? When you see life in black and white or absolutes a simple discussion about directions can lead into a major augment. They may get angry or hurt and the other person is just taken aback at something they place no importance on looking at what can look like a hissy fit.

You just embarrassed me in front of our friends, how dare you try to make me look foolish in front of them. The common reply is, you don’t need me to make you look like that. It can be very difficult to live with someone who is like this but it can also be hard to live with others when you feel this way. But the question always comes back to why do I feel this way. Why does it have to be black or white, this way or the highway.

There can be a few answers but if you examine it, why is it so bad to be wrong? If you’re wrong why are you always wrong? Why get angry or hurt when someone wants to do it a different way?

What happened in your life, early childhood that would cause these feelings? Where you made to feel wrong or stupid? Was this the way it was between your parents so what you became used to. If not keep asking until you find some answers.

In hypnosis we can help with many of these feelings and it not only helps you but those around you and your relationships can improve which make you feel better from a different angle. If you’re interested in learning more see Irish Hypnosis Dun Laoghaire.

Can’t let go of a relationship

This is quite a common problem with people and it affects us differently. This depends of how the relationship ended but also on what type of personality you have.  This has such a wide spectrum from feeling sad to murder in the extreme cases.

So what is it for you? Do you feel hard done by, after all that work you put into it and now he or she has ended it? You have wasted so many years and if they think they can just walk away without any consequences then they have another thing coming. They are just confused because we are soul mates and they just need to be reminded of that. Feeling angry all the time, If I can’t have them then nobody will.

Obviously that’s just a few but it covers the spectrum. Before we look at that in more detail lets imagine a scenario where the relationship was ended by the other party. There was no cheating with a third party they just didn’t see a future in it but you did.

How would this make you feel? Depending on where you appear on that spectrum it will range from hurt, let down, rejected and angry. I’m not asking you to excuse any behaviour but just think about how they react to things. Have you ever had one of those moments where you said to yourself oh now I know why he reacts like that? Maybe after seeing their parents do something or a story from their childhood.

They are who they are based on their programme and that programme will run from their birth to the day they die. Depending on the information we accept or reject the new information and the programme changes or stays the same. The difficulty of accepting new information will be a different post.

Now you may be able to see your ex a little differently but the main point of this is the reverse is also true! What is in your programme that would make you feel as if you can’t live without them? For most of us we go and get drunk with our friends or pig out.

For others it’s like a never ending cycle of question’s which you can’t answer with any certainty. In hypnosis we can help you to see it differently and to show you how to dump/let go and give all the negative stuff back. This is done in your mind so you can really let go in a safe environment. This is fantastic and I would recommend everyone should get this done for different issues.

If you are feeling rejected and it starts to affect you badly like depression we may need to go back further and see if you have had other experiences of it, possibly you may have felt or perceived you were rejected a parent or loved one. In a case like this we may use regression to desensitise past events and then use anger release and forgiveness.

If you feel as if you can’t go on or if violence is on your mind you need to see someone before it gets out of hand. The same applies to you, why do I feel this way? The answer is probably a lot deeper and at a much younger age than you imagine. For more information see our home page, Dun Laoghaire Hypnosis.

Suicide how to

The title may shock some people but it shouldn’t. If you are feeling suicidal then you may be looking for safe and certain ways to do it. If you are one of these people looking for a way then you need to ask why. Why do I feel this way?

Before I continue let me say you are not alone and with the right help you can put this behind you.

Even If you’re worried you’re psychotic or going through psychosis and the odds are that you’re not as the worldwide incidence of schizophrenia is 1%. Even if you were there is help available that can make your life better long term. There is a big difference between voices telling you to do things and the self-dialog we have in our own minds but in heightened emotional states we can wonder and if we are depressed this can warp our thinking. If you are worried seek help and that will be your first step to a better life.

If you’re depressed you may not want to die but you may want it to end. The end result is the same but the way you think about it is different. You may wake up in the morning and feel pain because it is all too much. Another day in what seems like an endless repetition in pain. For others is just a feeling of hopelessness and for others no feeling at all.

Depression is something we see a lot of in hypnotherapy and we have a high success rate in helping people. If you’re thinking “I have too many things wrong with me nobody can help” then that is something we hear a lot off. If we use a mental image or metaphor of an onion, let’s say the onion is your problems. We work with the biggest shell first and work inwards tackling one thing at a time.

If you would be interested in talking then you can ring for an appointment here or with a therapist nearby. If you call here our first meeting will be a consultation where we can talk and work out how best to help you. This is usually within 4-6 sessions. It’s a safe bet we have heard a similar story and we do not judge we only help. For more information on hypnosis see our home page Dun Laoghaire Hypnosis.

If your still think that the people in my life would be better off if you were no longer around, that it would be a shock but they will get over it and I won’t be a burden to anyone anymore. You’re wrong! We treat people who are so torn apart by guilt at what has happened, why didn’t they see it coming, what if I had done something differently. If I only listened, maybe it’s my fault; I must be a bad person. The list goes on!

One more time, lean on them and be clear in what you tell them. For example “I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused, I can’t go on much longer I need help. Will you help me finding the help I need”. Change this but be clear and if you need to say I’m sorry say it, as it has an effect on the listener.

If you have nobody to lean on then don’t wait, search for a certified therapist in your area and make the earliest appointment. We see the changes in people all the time; unfortunately this is all too common in our practices. There is hope and there are people who care and I can guarantee you that because I’m one of them.