Our newest hypno-counselor Lisa Kilburg RPh,CCP,CH. is doing a series of posts about hypnosis, trance and hypno-counseling. We hope you enjoy her answers and that you’ll write in with questions of your own.
She will have openings in her schedule for new clients in September. Please send your questions to our email by clicking here. Questions can be about panic, fear, grief, anger or anything else on your mind. She will also post about techniques she will be teaching to her clients.
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The first question Lisa is answering is “What is Hypnosis?”
Question: What is Hypnosis?
Lisa answers: To me hypnosis is a deep state of relaxation, almost like a dream or sleep state. It is a very natural state and feels like you are day dreaming. You can have your eyes opened or closed. When you are working with me you will find you will be in control of what you do and say. When I teach you to go into a hypnotic state you can be sure you will never do anything you don’t want to do while under hypnosis. The examples of people you see on stage barking like a dog or clucking like a chicken is not what we do in clinical hypnosis counseling. These people cannot be made to do something they wouldn’t want to do. They are always in control. Stage hypnosis is very different than clinical hypnosis.
There are many ways to explain how powerful our minds are. The mind can work in ways that empower us or in ways that are disabling. Did you ever get sick to your stomach because you had to speak in front of a crowd or get a headache because you are feeling stressed about meeting a deadline at work? This is your mind at work, just thinking about something creates a feeling. If you think about a food you like you can almost taste it and sometimes you can even smell it. You can make your mouth water if you think about a lemon. Or how about the anxiety or stress you feel when you are waiting for the results of a big test you took.
The power of suggestion can be very strong. Have you ever heard of the placebo effect. This is when someone is given a pill to treat something they have but the pill has no active ingredient, it is made up of something like sugar. It is a “fake” treatment but because the pill is expected to work people experience benefits. For some just by thinking it will make them feel better it does.
The power of positive thinking should never be underestimated. It is like when a young child gets a cut or a scratch and just by putting a band-aid on the cut or scratch the child automatically feels better.
To me the mind is a very powerful organ. It has been said that within our mind we have all the tools we need to heal ourselves of illness but we do not know how to harness that skill. You may ask what can be achieved through hypnosis. Many life changing things can occur such as quitting smoking, getting rid of panic and anxiety, release of anger and negative emotions, etc. The list can go on and on. When someone is under hypnosis it is a very relaxed state with heightened suggestibility. Suggestible means that you are more open to ideas and using hypnosis you are able to reach high levels of suggestibility. While under hypnosis suggestions that are in alignment with our values are received and acted upon by the subconscious mind. In this way the conscious mind is able to communicate with the subconscious to achieve positive changes.
I know this works because I used to have panic attacks and through hypnotherapy I no longer have to deal with the anxiety, stress and panic attacks that I had in the past. Looking forward to your questions. Lisa Kilburg RPh,CCP,CH.