Meet Shirley Geer
Counseling and Weddings
Funeral Services
Contact Shirley
Articles by Rev. Geer
| What is Hypnosis? |
| How long has hypnosis been around? Hypnosis is a natural phenomenon and has been around forever, but its discovery is credited to Frederick A. Mesmer in 1773. The term "mesmerize" was coined from his name. Although hypnosis has been around forever, many people still do not know much about it. What about the things I've seen on TV? Some people think that if they are in a hypnotic state, they will be controlled by the hypnotist and do foolish things, much to their embarrassment. Stage hypnotists want their subjects to "perform" for an audience, and they choose people who are eager to come up on stage. The ability to get people to do foolish things in front of an audience is magnified by the group's energy, and of course, the stage hypnotist only uses extremely good subjects who respond easily. Is hypnotherapy like that? No. Hypnotherapy is not done publicly, and it is not for entertainment. It is done privately in an office for purposes of clearing destructive habits, overcoming worries, and putting the client back in control of his or her life. How does hypnosis work? Hypnosis is a state of deep relaxation, where the unconscious mind is "listening" and the conscious mind is "resting." The hypnotist can then talk directly to the client's unconscious mind, thereby making suggestions, which are accepted without critique. A client in hypnosis is conscious the whole time and usually is able to recall everything that happened while in hypnosis. Memory is enhanced and events, forgotten in the normal waking state, can be remembered much more easily in hypnosis. What exactly will happen in a session? A client is asked to sit or lie down in a comfortable position, and is guided through mental exercises, where she or he is asked to visualize pleasant scenes and restful places to induce a state of hypnosis. When a deep state of hypnotic rest is achieved, the chosen suggestions are given to the client's unconscious mind to change the unwanted behavior, and a positive behavior is "planted" to replace the undesirable one. Hypnosis produces a very relaxed state and clients "wake up" fully refreshed, revitalized, and feeling wonderful. How long will all this take? The first session lasts two hours, because it includes an in-depth interview. Subsequent sessions usually last an hour or so. How many sessions will be involved? Getting rid of unwanted behaviors usually takes three or more sessions; after all, it likely took years of practice to create an unwanted behavior. It will likely take several hours of talking to an unconscious mind to replace those long-standing behaviors. Some behaviors are easily changed. Some are more deeply rooted, and the path to them may be "blocked" with unknown pockets of resistance; it takes time to find and remove those blockages. Since the hypnotherapist talks directly to the unconscious mind, this form of therapy often takes far less time than other forms of therapy. What can hypnosis be used for? Hypnosis can be used to help a person stop addictive habits, overcome worries, relieve discomfort, reduce stress, improve sales or sports motivation, and increase concentration. Another use of hypnosis is exploring the idea of "past lives." Whether we believe in the concept or not, research has proven that past-life-regression therapy works and can quickly help people get rid of unexplained problems in their life today. |