To those of us who have been involved in hypnotherapy, health and fitness, the martial arts, and/or any ancient or modern healing art, know how incredibly powerful the mind is. A person's perception, mental attitude, faith, and confidence often mean the difference between victory and defeat, health and sickness, and sometimes, life and death. We have all heard about, "the Will to Live". An "I can" attitude can be the deciding factor between achieving success or succumbing to failure. You see this occurring everyday. People with the confidence and faith in themselves, a willingness to test their limits, are the ones that accomplish great things. The most successful people are usually those who have a positive self-image and who view mistakes, obstacles, and setbacks as learning experiences rather than as failures. Everything is a positive if you choose to perceive it in that way. Likewise, negative thoughts will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Look at it this way... If they can sell fertilizer made from horse crap, something of positive value can be made out of anything. It’s all about perception.

Hypnosis is a very powerful tool to unlock your mind's great abilities and potential. While in hypnosis, we use up to four times as much of our mind's potential than we do in a normal waking state. Generally, however, many people still have a skewed perception of what hypnosis is. If not a skewed perception, at least a very limited one.

Some people view hypnosis as hocus pocus, equating it with the movie image of Dracula commanding his victims to go out like zombies and drink blood. As well, they may equate all hypnosis with the antics of the stage hypnotist. Both perceptions are a far cry from the reality of therapeutic hypnosis. There are truly incredible benefits available through the use of hypnosis.

When hypnosis is mentioned in a clinical context, many people associate it only with things like, hypnosis for smoke cessation and for weight loss, but these benefits only scratch the surface. Hypnosis can be used to modify perception and behavior in a multitude of areas. As a practicing hypnotherapist, I have listed below some of the areas in which I have been able to help clients and patients.

In my practice, I help people to stop smoking, lose weight, manage stress, manage pain, achieve goals (athletic, school grades, professional, etc), overcome sexual dysfunction, overcome anxiety, tap into inner creativity, develop intuitive powers, improve relationships, overcome fears, improve memory, gain greater self-esteem and appreciation, break negative habits, modify behaviors, enhance performance, regression therapy, and much more. There are ways too numerous to mention through which hypnotherapy can benefit you. The benefits and possibilities are simply limitless.

Hypnosis is a wonderful and powerful tool in the hands of a skilled hypnotherapist. Basically, here is how it works. Our mind essentially operates at two levels. These are the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. Hypnosis is simply a method to get the conscious mind to step aside (temporarily) so that we can speak directly to the subconscious mind. When this is accomplished, a heightened state of suggestibility is created.

Your conscious mind has four primary functions.

1. It is the analytical part of your mind (In other words, a task oriented problem solver).
2. It is the rational part of your mind (It tries to attach a reason to why things happen).
0. You draw "Will Power" from your conscious mind. (Will power, however, only provides a short burst of determination, not a permanent solution.)
1. It holds your temporary or short-term memory.

Your Subconscious Mind

Your Subconscious Mind represents who and what you are. It houses…

(1) Habits - (Good, bad, and utility)

Good Habits - Are those that are productive in your life.

Bad Habits - Are those that are destructive (smoking, compulsive eating,

etc.)

Utility Habits (closing the door behind you automatically, covering your

mouth when you sneeze, etc.)

(2) Emotions

(3) Long term or Permanent memory

For effective long-term change to take place, it is important to address the subconscious mind and implement change there.

Hypnosis is probably one of the most misunderstood professions in the world. The movie image and the reality are far different. When hypnotized, people often think it will be as if they are asleep. They are often surprised to find out that they may hear everything that the hypnotherapist says as well as other things that are going on around them (dog barking, noise in another room etc.).

Another common misconception about hypnosis is that a person can be made to do things that you would not willingly do while in hypnosis. Although this is pure fiction, it is a common fear of new clients. The fact is, that when in hypnosis you cannot be made to do anything that violates your moral, religious or personal convictions.

Clients and new students often ask me how stage hypnotists get people to do silly things. I tell them quite simply it is because they want to! These people want to be part of the entertainment.

Picture a crowd in a nightclub or theatre watching a stage hypnotist. Often many of the people have had a few drinks, and even if this is not so, all are in a festive mood. The stage hypnotist does not select subjects, he or she will ask for volunteers. Those people that raise their hands and "volunteer" are "agreeing" to be part of the entertainment (even if it makes them look silly). The people who most often volunteer are usually the same people who are the "Life of the Party", or a "class clown", even when not in hypnosis. They enjoy being part of the entertainment. The hypnotist will then test the volunteers for susceptibility and compliance under the pretext of being part of the show. The most compliant subjects will be kept on stage. The others will be dismissed. The result is that only those people who have the desire to cooperate with the stage hypnotist and to be part of the show are left on stage. If a person who acted silly, while in hypnosis as part of a stage the night before came to a hypnotherapist for behavior modification etc., the therapist would, in all probability, have no success in getting that client to do something silly during his or her session. It simply would not fit what that person had come for on that visit.

In western culture, we have been taught to label our mind, body, and spirit, as if they were three separate creatures. The fact is that when we are centered, they are one, working in harmony. This is easy to see. When you are dressed up and looking good, you generally feel better and have a better attitude and self image. The condition of your body is directly reflected in your mental state. People who are generally depresses or otherwise negative in their outlook on life, usually have a greater incident of illness. The body responds directly to our state of mind. When you have a strong and healthy, and centered spirit, you also feel great pride (mind), and you may actually carry yourself more upright and proud (your body). These three elements are not separate. They, in fact, form the whole. They are all properties of one single entity. Together, they are what and who we are. For this reason I incorporate all aspects of mind, body, and spirit, into my sessions.

When we understand the interrelationship between these elements it becomes easy to see the benefit of viewing them as individual properties of one entity. Hypnotherapy can help in opening those channels of communication between these properties. Your powerful subconscious mind has the ability to improve learning and retention, improve focus and enhance coordination. It can increase your confidence. It can reduce pain from injuries and help to expedite the healing of injuries.

Anyone with a true desire to make positive change in their life can benefit from hypnosis/hypnotherapy. The added advantage is that changes made at the subconscious level are more durable and long lasting than those made on a conscious level.

Hypnosis is an exceptionally good modality for helping athletes, business people, and artists, overcome barriers and maximize their potential. Hypnosis can be used to weed out distracting thoughts and to eliminate fears. It can help you to gain focus.

Since learning is a property of the mind, what you can clearly visualize, you have a greater chance of achieving. Hypnosis can help you to more clearly visualize what you want to accomplish. While physical activity trains reflexes and adds muscle tone, it is the mental aspect of our being that will enable one to achieve perfection of form. It is the mind that will determine when, where, and how to use the attributes that we have gained physically. It is the spirit that gives us the determination to do so.

Often people create our own walls and barriers. Through hypnotherapy, those barriers, anxieties and fears can be brought down. When we are unsure that we can, often we can't. When a person can tear down self imposed barriers they can put all of their energy and focus into accomplishing their goals. When they do this, their chance of success is dramatically increased.

What the mind perceives as real is real to the mind. Hypnotherapy is a proud profession that can serve by helping people to tear down mental barriers to success, increase confidence and self esteem and maximize their potential. The mind has incredible power. You need only tap into that power to realize dramatic growth and positive change.