Does Hypnotherapy Really Work? And can it help resolve my problem?
Yes, if you let it.
Most people do not understand what hypnosis is and have a warped/confused sense of what it may actually be due to Hollywood movies and comedy hypnotherapists. When I ask my clients what do they know about hypnotherapy, they often recall a scene from a movie or from a stage hypnotherapist show. Hollywood movies are not factual, I know shock horror. They take a tiny snippet of the truth and dramatize it. Such as the great movie ‘Get Out’…where the person goes into hypnosis and is then sucked into a black hole they can’t get out of. The sound of a spoon be stirred in a tea cup, is set as a trigger and then whenever that person here’s the sound they instantly go back into hypnosis and then into the black hole…very scary indeed! However, this is complete nonsense and would never work. Yes, a sound can be used to induce hypnosis, but the person must want to go into hypnosis. Hypnosis is collaborative, meaning the client and the hypnotherapist have to both want this to work. You can’t be forced into it.Contact
As for stage hypnotherapy, the people used are the ones who have already demonstrated they are great hypnotic subjects and are prepared to do silly things. Generally, the hypnotherapist does some tests first and then selects the most appropriate people. The vast majority of those on stage know what they are doing, but feel compelled to do it anyway. As long as the suggestions do not go against, they’re moral convictions.
When a client comes to see me, I will explain that hypnotherapy is perfectly safe & that hypnotherapy really does work! You can’t be made to do anything you don’t morally agree with. If I said to a person who wants to lose weight that as of today, they will start running marathons and they hate running, then they will reject that suggestion and it will possibly ruin the whole session. I often say to a client, that if I do make a suggestion that you don’t agree with, your unconscious mind can easily dismiss it…however, if I make a suggestion that you do agree with, then your unconscious mind will accept this and integrate this into your beliefs and values. This is why it is very important to understand what suggestions the client does and doesn’t want
So how exactly does hypnotherapy really work?
Well, we have a conscious mind and an unconscious mind. In-between these two minds are a filter known as the ‘critical faculty’ (CF). This acts as a firewall or a bouncer, analysing and rationalising new information and only once compared with what we already know.
Only then can it be deemed as true or false. The CF is formed when we are about 7 years old, before this age if I say to a young child, that some pigs can actually fly, they will most likely believe this. The CF is not up and running yet…but once it is, then flying pigs will be rejected. The CF is vital for humans to function in the world, otherwise we’d be totally gullible, believing everything we hear. The Conscious Critical Faculty – How Does it Work? (selfhypnosis.com)
The problem is, that many of our beliefs are completely wrong. Many of these stored beliefs were put there by a child and have never been fully questioned. Most people have several limiting beliefs stored in their unconscious mind and are totally oblivious to this fact…I’m still finding mine! When challenged, they will often make bizarre excuses for their behaviour, normally unaware that they are deluding themselves.
Smokers believe cigarettes relax them…give a cigarette to a non-smoker and they won’t feel relaxed! Overweight clients often believe they can’t lose weight permanently, due to genetics. Well, have you ever seen the terrible pictures of a famine? India has had the most in the last 100 years. You never see one person amongst all those who have been starved who is still overweight…’oh yes, that’s the big boned one…that’s the low thyroid person…that’s the one who etc etc…’
When you come for a hypnotherapy session with me, you will be taken into hypnosis. Once you are in hypnosis the CF moves out of the way, allowing the suggestions to go straight into your unconscious mind. (This is how hypnotherapy really works)
That is the magic of hypnotherapy right there! By bypassing the CF we can talk directly to your unconscious mind. The unconscious mind is a super power, it really is. But it is also a child. It believes everything, no matter if true or false…whether you are a lovable person, whether you will succeed in life, whether you will always have this anxiety, whether the world is a scary place or a beautiful place. The unconscious mind believes what it does because most of the programmes/beliefs we have are there from early childhood (0-7). This is why people so often repeat bad habits, bad behaviour because they cant easily change they’re programmes/beliefs.
Repetition and authority can get through the CF. If a doctor tells someone to quit smoking/alcohol or die, this can sometimes work. If you tell yourself constantly that YES you can achieve whatever it is you want to achieve, guess what, you may just go ahead and do it.
There are other ways to bypass the CF, but hypnosis is by far the quickest and most successful. Partly as you don’t have to wait until an authority figure scares you into changing (that’s if it works), or spend months working on your self-talk. Yes, do the positive self-talk (I do), but when you really want to change a behavior or get better or free from something, find a reputable hypnotherapist, sit down and explain exactly what beliefs/programmes you want in your unconscious mind…remember hypnotherapy really works… Don’t be shy either, every person on earth is a spark of divinity, just temporarily covered up…reach for the stars and you may just end up ‘over the moon’!
My name is Danny Start (below) and I’m a clinical hypnotherapist, who’s passion and purpose is to help people. I was previously a paramedic and I am also a qualified physiotherapist.
Please feel free to call me when you are ready to live the life you want!