Hypnosis and Relaxation

What is Hypnosis?

I’m sure we’ve all seen pop entertainment “hypnotists” who often start off with the tag line: “You’re Getting SLEEPY, SLEEEEPY”…. while waving a pocket watch in front of your face.. This is not hypnosis. It might me be entertainment, but it is not hypnosis.

In layperson’s terms, hypnosis or being in an hypnotic trance can best be described by the following two examples. Have you ever been in a boring classroom lecture and began “tuning out” the lecturer by either staring out of a window or beginning to daydream? This tuning out process is actually a form of self- trance or hypnosis. If someone offered you a million dollars you probably couldn’t repeat what the lecturer was saying yet presumably your aural senses were functioning properly and most likely didn’t have your hands over your ears while the lecture was taking place.

Another example is for people who drive, take the same route to work every day, pull in to the same parking spot, but have basically no recollection of the drive, getting off their exit, etc. You were presumably driving safely or else you would have banged up your car along the way. So you were aware, but not fully aware, you just tuned out. This is another example of being in a trance or hypnotic state. It’s the state between the conscious and the subconscious, the state between the twilight zone of being awake and being asleep just before we drift off in to golden slumber.

How Can Hypnosis be Helpful?

In his practices in New York City and Irvington, NY, Joel will utilize hypnotic techniques with many of his clients. The process can’t be easily summed up in a few paragraphs, but essentially Joel will employ a myriad of techniques to help clients reach a trance state, not unlike the type of state described in my earlier examples. He will then employ a variety of techniques to deepen the trance and help people tap into their subconscious mind. Remember, at no time is the client asleep, you should be aware of everything that’s happening around you. Once in that deepened state of trance and relaxation, Joel will help guide the client on a journey through their own subconscious. During this mind state, clients tend to be less guarded, more relaxed and very open to the suggestions of the therapist. That being said, all hypnosis is really self hypnosis in that you, the client, control the process. The therapist is merely a guide. Your own thoughts and mind processes are what makes hypnosis successful and can help with such areas as stress reduction, performance anxiety, weight loss and smoking cessation among other issues.

Joel believes that hypnosis is not for everyone, but again, the best way to understand this type of therapy is to actually experience it. You might be pleasantly surprised.