What Is Hypnosis?
Understanding How Hypnotherapy Works and Its Benefits
Hypnosis is a natural state of heightened focus and relaxation, often described as being similar to daydreaming or becoming deeply engrossed in a book. In this state, your mind is more receptive to suggestions, allowing deeper access to the subconscious—the part of your brain that influences habits, emotions, and automatic responses.
How Hypnosis Works
Despite the myths, hypnosis doesn’t mean you lose control or fall asleep. It’s a collaborative process where the hypnotherapist guides you into a deeply relaxed and focused state. In this state, you’re able to turn your heightened focus inwards, and the conscious mind—the critical, analytical part—steps aside, allowing you to communicate directly with the the subconscious. Your subconscious mind is the seat of your emotions, habits, patterns, and autonomic nervous system (bodily functions). Basically, it controls everything going on behind the scenes of your day-to-day.
Hypnotherapy uses this process as a tool for therapeutic transformation. By working directly with the subconscious, your hypnotherapist can help you address fears, overcome bad habits, reduce stress, and achieve goals.
How can Pat help?
The Science Behind Hypnosis
Hypnosis has been studied extensively, with research showing its benefits for pain management, anxiety, IBS, and more. Brain imaging studies reveal that under hypnosis, certain areas of the brain associated with focus and coachability become more active. This explains why people can change deeply rooted behaviors or beliefs during hypnotherapy.
Unlike other therapies, like traditional talk therapy and coaching, that rely solely on conscious analysis, hypnotherapy works directly with the subconscious mind, which is often more influential in driving behavior.
Think of your mind like a tree. Everything above ground like the trunk, branches, leaves and fruit are your conscious mind. The roots that run deep below ground are your subconscious mind. Meaning, no matter how much you water, trim, and take care of the tree above ground, if the roots are sick, unhealthy, or damaged, the tree won’t grow properly and flourish.
The same goes for our minds - you can set goals and even take steps towards achieving them, but if you don’t address the underlying cause of why you' keep falling into the same unwanted habits and patterns, you will continue to do so no matter how many goals you set.
What Happens During a Hypnotherapy Session?
A typical hypnotherapy session involves the following steps:
Induction: The hypnotherapist helps you relax using techniques like guided breathing, visualization, or calming language. This eases you into a focused, trance-like state.
Exploration and Suggestion: In this relaxed state, the hypnotherapist helps you explore the root causes of your challenges. Transformative processes of letting go, positive suggestions, parts work and guided imagery are all used to reframe negative thought patterns or introduce healthier behaviors.
Closure: You’re gently brought back to a fully conscious state, feeling calm, focused, and empowered.
During the session, you remain fully aware and in control. Hypnosis feels like a familiar, deep relaxation—not something mystical or magical.
What Can Hypnotherapy Help With?
Hypnotherapy is a versatile tool that can address a wide range of challenges, including:
Stress and Anxiety: Rewiring automatic responses to stress and promoting calm.
Breaking Habits: Helping people quit smoking, stop nail-biting, or overcome procrastination.
Sleep Issues: Treating insomnia and improving overall sleep quality.
Fears and Phobias: Alleviating fears like public speaking or flying.
Weight Loss: Reframing relationships with food and encouraging healthier habits.
Research shows that hypnotherapy is particularly effective when paired with other therapeutic methods, as it accelerates breakthroughs and builds long-lasting changes.
Why Choose Hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy is a safe, non-invasive way to address challenges that feel difficult to resolve with conscious effort alone. By working with a skilled hypnotherapist, you can make meaningful progress in just a few sessions.
If you’re curious about hypnosis, it’s worth exploring how this powerful tool can help you reprogram limiting beliefs, reduce stress, and create lasting positive change.
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