I have recently had an interesting conversation with someone that had some questions (and doubts) about the way that hypnosis can help when it is time for us to break old habits such as : stop smoking, getting over fears, phobias, gaining self-confidence and respect, improving our relationships or communication skills or simply deal with stress on a daily basis. Hypnosis helped me to get over difficult times in my life and to recover after a long process of mourning and grief, being a widow before the age of 30. Hypnotherapy helped me when nothing else worked in getting over my car phobia and my asthma (breathing problems) due to: travelling, changing climates and countries, becoming allergic to dust, smoke and cigarettes and even to house cleaning products. Ericksonian Hypnosis was a revelation to me and it motivated me to share it with others, as its benefits were tremendous and changed my life in so many ways.
So, how does hypnosis work when deciding that it is time to break our old habits?
Hypnosis is a natural state of mind that we all experience many times a day (such as the automatism when driving a car and thinking of something else or when we are watching a movie, a beautiful landscape or playing a game that we like). It is getting in touch with our unconscious mind that is a limitless resource capable to guide us in changing old habits and undesired behavior and replace them with new healthier and positive ones.
Under hypnosis, you are awake, you cannot be manipulated to do anything that you do not agree with. In fact, the success of this whole therapy based on hypnosis requires your contribution, your complete awareness of your objectives, your willingness to reach your objectives and a trust based relationship with your therapist…Of course, another important aspect is the professional conduct and therapist’s knowledge and skills (active listening, specific hypnosis techniques that need a signal or a physical response – nodding head or moving a finger to agree about a mental process or a suggestion).
The session and the whole process (even the posthypnotic suggestions) need client’s cooperation and a professional relationship based on trust in order to increase its chances of success for anyone willing to embrace change into his/her own benefit! Ericksonian Hypnosis (with the help of your unconscious mind) will guide you to find your inner resources in order to change your belief system or values where that change is necessary. It will help you learn faster and on a long term new, more positive habits, patterns or methods to cope with your issues. Thanks to hypnosis’ techniques, you’ll be able to learn how to relax and instantly identify some old unhealthy patterns: values, beliefs, emotions or reactions and to replace them with new, healthy ones that will improve many aspects of your life.
Hypnosis works every time when your own will fails. You can learn this way to love yourself, to increase your self-esteem, to accept your failures and your shortcomings; you can find your inner healing resources and accept yourself; hypnosis will even guide you to that path of making peace with your past or forgive whatever you might need to forgive in order to move on with your life.
Generally, hypnosis will help you deal with any kind of problem that you might face in interacting with others, self-perception, phobias, fears or complexes, adjusting to environment and changes in your life such as loss, grief, unemployment, codependency, stress, negative emotions (resentment, anger, anxiety etc).
Ericksonian Hypnosis is soft and based on suggestions, on specific techniques; it is like a short trip to a nice place and getting back ‘recharged’, full of resources and solutions that were waiting for you to be found all this time, right there, where you expected less: inside yourself.