Hypnotherapy

[GreenFingeredNell15]

Can anyone explain to me what happens during sessions and whether through fear the patient can stop the hypnotherapy working?

My daughters best friend is so worried about this (she is going to start hypnotherapy for anxiety and insomnia)

I've googled but I haven't found any real answers for her.

I have had hypnotherapy quite a few times over the years for the same reasons.

I had the same worries about it. Even though I was sat there eyes closed trying not to worry I did! When it was over and I opened my eyes every time I felt like I had been in a deep sleep or something even though I felt totally awake at the time.

I actually didn’t work for me, I think it depends how good the therapist is....

I'm a hypnotherapist. Tell your friend not to worry at all. Basically hypnosis is only focused concentration. It is the same as you concentrating when driving or reading a book. The only difference is that you are lying/sitting down and have your eyes closed. You are aware of what's going on at all times and listen to what the hypnotherapist is saying.

I treat a lot of people for anxiety and insomnia. When we use hypnosis with our clients , they listen to our voice and enter a deep state of relaxation. We have one brain but 2 minds - One is the conscious part (the talking/rational part) and the other is what we call the emotional brain,. This is the part that only exists to protect you - so your fight, flight and freeze part of the brain that reacts if it senses you are in a crisis etc. It cannot think for itself. This part of the brain also stores your behavioural patterns.

As hypnotherapists when a person is in a relaxed state under hypnosis we can access patterns that are stored in their hippocampus(part of the emotional brain) and change them to healthier ones. It is perfectly safe and very effective.

When you go to sleep and enter REM sleep your brain moves your experiences of the today from your emotional brain to your filing cabinet, but it only has a capacity of 20%. If your stress bucket is too full , once it reaches 20% your brain will wake you up. This is why people wake up constantly in the early hours of the morning.

As hypnotherapists we reduce the amount in people's stress buckets so they sleep better. People automatically think of hypnosis and stage acts - clinical hypnotherapists don't do that. The NHS is increasingly using hypnotherapy nowadays. It is recognised as one of the most effective treatments for IBS for example.

I hope this helps. Tell your friend not to worry.

It's been excellent for insomnia in my experience.

I have found hypnotherapy very helpful. But you do have to allow the therapist to work. If you are completely resistant to the process, then it is unlikely to be effective. A good hypnotherapist, however, can work with whatever you give her, and gradually help the patient to relax into the therapy.

And the therapy really is relaxing. At the end of the session you feel like you've had a good rest, maybe even a nap.

I've had hypnotherapy several times, one-offs or courses, over the years. There were a couple of occasions when the therapist asked me to do something like address an issue I wasn't ready to address. I simply said "No" and came out of trance. The therapist accepted it and moved on to something else. One time I went straight back into trance, the other time not so well, and we ended up completing the session with me 'awake'. Overall the therapy was still effective.

It's about 10y since I last had a session, but IIRC they generally went something like this:

Comfy chairs in a peaceful room.
Relaxed chat about what you want from the therapy (first session) or about how you've been getting on (subsequent sessions).
Therapist starts talking you into trance. There may be quiet background music of the random, non-repeating sort. Might talk about you visualising a stroll through a place you love or they might suggest a location. Might talk about things that engage your senses. Might take you through a focused muscle relaxation. Might take you through a breathing relaxation.
At some point you might find your eyes shutting quite naturally.
Then you'll just hear the therapist's voice murmuring on, while your thoughts drift. You might respond, or you might not.
Then you will become aware of the therapist's voice again as they bring you out of trance.
You realise you've been resting in the comfy chair and the session is over.
Arrange for next week and say goodbye.
Go out, wondering whether anything has changed, or you've just paid for a nap.

I can't say I ever noticed any immediate changes. I noticed the effect after a couple of sessions, and it increased with the subsequent sessions.

Hope it works for your dd's friend.

Thank you all so much. I'll pass the information on! I think she's mostly bothered about being out of control, if that makes sense

Although you relax control, ultimately you are still in control. If you don't like what's happening you have full capacity to stop it.

Hypnotists can't make you do something you don't want to, that's just movie nonsense.