What is hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a natural state of mind which we enter into and out of every single day! It is the same basic state you enter into when you daydream, get lost in an interesting task or lose yourself in a vigourous workout. While you are in this state, the conscious mind is occupied or distracted and you run on auto pilot, often not paying attention to the activities going on around you. Curiously while you are in this altered state, your suggestability significantly increases, and time can appear to slow down or speed up, the same as when undergoing hypnosis. What we do in Hypnotherapy is induce this altered state and use it to make positive suggestions to improve your life.

Hypnosis is safe and you are completly safe when you are in the hands of a properly trained Hypnotherapist. You cannot 'get stuck in trance', a popular myth that has no founding. If for whatever reason your Hypnotherapist had to suddenly discontinue your session, you would simply come out of trance. Hypnosis cannot be maintained without the input from the person hypnotising. That said, as with any other form of therapy, you are advised to stay away from people who have not been properly trained in the art of hypnosis. Your feelings and emotions will always be respected by a professional, and members of the I.H.A. are accountable to that body.

Before any Hypnotherapy work is done, a thorough consultation is carried out to find out about both you and the problem. This is essential to client based therapy, and any questions or concerns you may have can be addressed in this time. After the consultation, then the best course of therapy can be determined. Only this way can we do our best to ensure that the experience is both enjoyable and rewarding, and that you leave glad you have tried Hypnotherapy. The aim is provide you with an experience you can look upon as benefitial and enjoyable and can honestly recommend to anyone who asks you how you achieved whatever you goal is.

There has been a lot of misinformation about hypnosis, fueled in part by the stage show hypnotist's tricks. Hypnosis is not therapy. Hypnotherapy however is a very powerful form of theraputic intervention, which can be safely applied to a wide range of problems. A Hypnotherapist will not make you cluck like a chicken and will never play with your feelings. Your Hypnotherapist's only concern is to help you with whatever problem or ailment you have presented. That said it can be described as a naturally pleasant and entertaining experience.

Hypnosis is not sleep. During Hypnotherapy, you will be conscious and on occasion may be interacting with your Hypnotherapist. You do not go into a comatose state and your Hypnotherapist will not allow you to drift off to sleep. Neither would you reveal your bank account details or anything of a private inappropriate nature, if someone attempted to ask you something like this you simply would not answer or would wake up (and walk out I hope!). In other words you cannot be made to do anything that goes against your values or belief system.

The applications of Hypnotherapy include stop smoking, weight loss, infertility treatment, fears and phobias, sports/performance enhancement, nail biting, bed wetting, stress, confidence building (actually at the heart of all Hypnotherapy treatments), blushing, surgical anaesthesia, public speaking, sexual issues, addictions, rashes, warts, IBS, age/past life regression, anger, willpower, meeting your Guardian Angel and too many others to list.

Wikipedia defiition of Hypnotherapy.