Intuitive Hypnosis FAQs
Absolutely! As I remind my clients, the changes you’re making happen in your head, not in my office. The session structure I use when doing Zoom sessions is about 95% identical to what I do when working with clients in person.
The main difference is that in person, the first time you hear your hypnosis recording is while you’re in my office as I’m making the recording. During a Zoom session, I make the recording after we are done talking and I have gathered all the details I need to make your recording. We sign off from Zoom and I make your recording right then and there, and then I email it to you.
Everything else is the same. I ask the same questions, and after I make the recording, I send it to you as an MP3 file.
I started doing Zoom hypnosis sessions long before COVID since many of my clients live out of state. When COVID became a reality, it was a no-brainer to shift my entire practice to Zoom. Rest assured that Zoom hypnosis sessions are every bit as effective as in-person sessions.
Because all my sessions are remote via Zoom now, my sessions always start with us connecting and saying hello! Clients are asked to have submitted some paperwork before the session. The forms I need to have will differ depending on the reason you’re seeking hypnosis.
Once I have the forms and we have connected on Zoom we’re ready to go. Together you and I will choreograph the words I say back to you in hypnosis. I’ll spend between 15-30 minutes going over paperwork with you, asking lots of questions, teaching along the way. At this point I will have learned enough about you and your situation to recommend a series of 4 or 6 sessions, or maybe even just one. We’ll make a plan together.
The next and most important part of the interview is when I fill out your Personal Change Blueprint. Again, I will be asking a LOT of questions. This is where I’ll construct and organize most of the suggestions that will be in your hypnosis recording.
Once I have completed filling out the Personal Change Blueprint, we’ll be done with the Zoom session. Before we sign off, I’ll get you scheduled for your next appointment. After we’ve signed off, I make your hypnosis recording based on the information from our conversation.
I will email your recording as an MP3 file with instructions for daily listening and invite you to email me with any questions or concerns. Easy!
No. Hypnosis is not effective for those under the influence of drugs or alcohol, those with severe mental illness or a mental handicap, or those who do not want to be hypnotized.
The majority of people can be hypnotized, some more easily than others. Our ability to go into a hypnotic state can be represented with a bell-curve, with most of us falling somewhere in the middle. A small percentage of people fall on either end of the bell-curve, meaning they going to into hypnosis more or less easily than the average person. Hypnosis is a natural state, one that we go in and out of at least twice daily, sometimes more.
The concern that one cannot be hypnotized comes from a complete misunderstanding of what hypnosis is and what it means to be in hypnosis. Thank you, Hollywood!
Yes, hypnosis is a natural state. You cannot get stuck in hypnosis. You do not lose control when in hypnosis. You cannot be hypnotized against your will, and you cannot be made to do anything against your nature while in hypnosis.
There are no negative side effects from being hypnotized. It is not mind control. In fact, because you have access to the vast warehouse of the subconscious mind while in the hypnotic state, you are in a greater state of control when you are IN hypnosis than when you are not.
Have you ever been in a class, or a lecture, bored out of your mind and you found yourself staring at something, your eyes are locked on it and it just feels comfortable to remain in that state? You’re still aware of where you are and what’s going on but you’re in the “zone” of trance and you don’t want to snap out of it? That’s hypnosis.
Have you ever been reading a book or watching a show that has you so absolutely captivated that you forget where you are or who you’re with? That’s hypnosis.
Have you ever been driving your car on a familiar route and all of the sudden you’re pulling up in your driveway and you don’t remember the last 10 minutes? That’s hypnosis.
Hypnosis is relaxation, it’s stillness, it’s peaceful. You are still YOU when you’re in hypnosis, you’re just very calm and relaxed, not a care in the world.
It depends. When we talk about going “deep” into hypnosis we are referring to trance depth. There are many different depth scales that have been created over the years. The one I subscribe to is called the Arons depth scale. There are six levels to this scale. The top three are the lighter stages and really the only ones we need to get clients in to address things like weight loss, to quit smoking, and so on. Clients in these stages remain aware of and remember everything the hypnotist is saying.
The bottom three levels are called the amnesic stages. Clients who reach these depths often think they fell asleep and cannot remember a thing. These are the stages we want clients to get to for things like minor surgery, dental procedures, or childbirth.
It is not uncommon for my clients to descend into the amnesic stage on their very first session with me. It’s important to keep in mind that even if your conscious mind can’t remember what was said, you can bet your subconscious mind does!
Most likely yes. When a client comes to me for hypnosis, they are coming to have their brain rewired so they create new habits and behaviors for themselves. They already have the wiring for the unwanted habits and behaviors. After hypnosis, they have two sets of wiring that contradict each other. The one that gets the most attention will be the one to dominate.
On occasion, someone will rationalize slipping back into old habits like smoking or overeating because they successfully gave it up before, and they are certain they can do it again. Little do they know they are reawakening old wiring in the form of old habits that may become dominant.
I teach my clients how to avoid the possibility of regressing back to their old habits. I also drop in the suggestion that the changes they are making are permanent.
One more thing, we have to consider the impact of “secondary gains.” Secondary gains can be understood as the “advantage” one experiences from maintaining or reviving an old habit. For example, I had a client suffering from a lifetime of chronic depression. Because of her depression her husband had taken over all the shopping, cooking, and cleaning. Giving up her depression meant giving up all the advantages of being depressed. At least in her mind.
Not at all. Many peoples’ first experience of hypnosis is watching a hypnosis stage show at the fair or on a cruise ship. It’s easy to understand why they would think the hypnotist has some kind of special power over those people. After all, the hypnotist is “making” those people do all kinds of crazy things.
Here’s the thing, those people volunteered to be up on the stage for entertainment purposes, they knew they would be asked to do silly things, and remember, you cannot be made to do anything against your nature while in hypnosis. Those volunteers are aware of what’s going on, but they are in a trance state and do not want to snap out of it. However, if there was an emergency of some kind they would snap back to normal right away and be able to function appropriately.
When you are in hypnosis, you have greater access to your subconscious mind. That means you have greater control. When you are not hypnotized you are consciously using your conscious mind which only gives you control over one to five percent of what you’re doing at that time.
No. Hypnosis is NOT a truth serum. Think about it, if you could make people tell the truth using hypnosis law enforcement would use it on a regular basis. Again, you cannot be made to do anything against your nature while in hypnosis. If you do not want to divulge certain facts to certain people, hypnosis is not going to change that.
I love answering questions about how hypnosis works and how you can make it work for you. I’m sure you have more questions for me that I have not answered here. Let’s talk about it! Click below to schedule a consultation with me today!
