What Does a Hypnosis Session Look Like?

Hypnosis may seem intimidating to many who don’t understand what a therapeutic hypnosis session looks like. After all most people’s first exposure to hypnosis is usually watching a hypnotist perform on stage using an audience looking to be entertained.

Get that image right out of your mind before we go any further. While fun and entertaining stage hypnosis is poles apart from therapeutic hypnosis used to help people stop smoking, lose weight, and overcome other life challenges. Its not about entertainment but outcomes.

However that doesn’t mean a therapeutic session is necessarily dour and all serious. The fact is it’s likely to be one of the most relaxing experiences you’ll ever have. Here I’m going to explain what a typical session would look like. While this is mostly based on my own practice and how I conduct a session, I get to speak and liaise with many other hypnotists and most follow a similar pattern.

The First Session:

The hypnotist will start by gathering some information from you to build a brief case history. This helps in customizing the session to achieve the outcome you desire. Therapeutic hypnotists are professionals and maintain strict code of conduct and privacy standards and patient confidentiality. The more information about your medical and personal history you’re willing to divulge the more the therapist will be able to determine if hypnosis will help you,  and how to tailor the session for your challenges and particular circumstances.

This is where I part ways with many other hypnotists in that I spend time explaining to the client what is going on that may be impacting their ability to quit smoking or lose weight.

I personally think it important to explain what is going on as for most it helps in getting comfortable with using hypnosis to overcome a bad habit. For example understanding that struggling to lose weight is rarely about eating too many calories… but why you eat too many calories. And it rarely has anything to do with loving the taste of food!

The hypnotist will then take time to explain what you can expect to feel and experience during the hypnotic component. This will make it possible for the client to feel safe, comfortable and at ease. At this time the client will also be assured  they’re in control of themselves during every step in the hypnosis process.

The Hypnotic Component:

The preparation activities completed the hypnotist then gets to work performing the actual session. This involves taking you into a hypnotic state.

There is a lot of mumbo -jumbo talked and written about taking somebody into a hypnotic trance. First, I don’t like the word “trance” as it conjures up power over somebody or worse glazed eyes with a zoombie-like look. This is not where you go. It’s also not the aim of the hypnotist to get you to sleep. The best work is done when you’re awake but in more a dream-like state.

For most sessions it’s not necessary for a hypnotist to take a client into deep hypnosis so getting you into the desired state is usually achieved with just a few relaxation exercises that’s common to most hypnotists.

The relaxation exercises are used to allow the client to relax their body and their mind and to prepare for what is to come. Complete relaxation will serve to heighten the focus and awareness of the client. Most therapists use a technique called progressive muscle relaxation for this purpose.

The hypnotist can learn much about the way in which a client thinks and perceives by way of using specially chosen words that work as triggers. These words lay the groundwork for post-hypnotic suggestions to do their work. Hypnotists pick an appropriate script to run through during the hypnotic component but customizing it for your particular circumstances. Much like a Doctor will follow an accepted course of treatment to tackle a medical problem, then the real work of a hypnotist is in determining the appropriate script to use for your issue and substituting specifics for your circumstances.

Taking you out of the hypnotic state is as easy as reversing the process that took you into it. Most clients report feeling very relaxed and peaceful following hypnosis, and are usually amazed at how quickly the time has flown by.

Erika Slater, CH
Director
Free At Last Hypnosis
http://www.freeatlasthypnosis.com
http://www.smoke-free-at-last.com