What is a Consulting Hypnotist?
Consulting Hypnotist is the title designated by the National Guild of Hypnotists to replace Certified Hypnotherapist. This was done to distance the field from the ranks of professional counseling professionals such as psychotherapists, psychologists and psychiatrists who deal more with pathology and clinical issues of the mind. Hypnotists do not involve themselves in treatment of pathology as defined in the Diagnostic Service Manual-IV developed by the American Psychiatric Association. Our profession addresses itself to improvement of living style emotionally, spiritually and physically. Consulting Hypnotists do not “cure” illness but we can help to increase comfort with illness and pain through stress management and post hypnotic suggestion.
What is Hypnosis?
Hypnosis is merely an altered state of mind achieved by the relaxation of the body and conscious mind. Once the mind is no longer preoccupied with the need to actively manage the body and rational intelligence, that energy is then channeled into creating a heightened state of awareness and permission is given to free the power of imagination which is housed in the Subconscious. Think of the Subconscious part of the Mind as a huge repository of memory. Almost all those memories are “processed”, meaning that they have been cleansed of the emotions that were a part of the experiences. What remains is the story of the memory and the emotions that were in play at the time. So it is possible to relate a story of a near miss accident in which terrible fear was experienced without having to relive that experience. When asked how one felt, it is possible to recall and relate the answer without going through all that terror again. The proviso is that while the Subconscious is able to record all data, the memory of the situation will only contain the perspective of the person which may be incomplete in detail. Hypnosis and hypnotherapy allows us to visit all the files to get the complete and objective story. In that way, clients are able to make modifications to their choices, in effect, to choose again or to better understand how the choice came about. The increased knowledge alone can be therapeutic.
While hypnosis has been around mankind for many ages, it is only in the past 200 years or so that it has been being studied and researched. Just about every culture has some form of hypnosis as part of its healing systems. In Africa, Australia, Asia and many of the “primitive cultures” of the Pacific Ocean, forms of healing and pain control have been practiced that rely on trance and post-hypnotic suggestion. In many cases these practices are integrated in the religious practices of the tribes via priests, shamans and healers. Perhaps the most prevalent practices of “covert hypnosis” in Western cultures are found in advertising and political campaigning.
What are the techniques offered in Andy’s practice of hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy is the application of hypnosis to assist people to improve various facets of their lives. It is not a substitute for psychotherapy or medical care. In general those are skills that are applied after some form of insult or trauma has occurred to or within the body in the form of disease.
Hypnotherapy is offered to functioning people who are seeking to improve or heal some aspect of their life that could be more functional. Athletes, artistic performers, salespeople and ordinary people who wish to improve the use of their creativity and skills but feel blocked from full access to their power are candidates. People who smoke and others with certain behavioral issues such as overeating, intrusive habits and fears are good candidates. People with certain types of blocks and fears: e.g. flying, driving over bridges and tunnels, riding in elevators, fear of heights, etc. are also good candidates. The one factor that is essential on the client’s part is that permission must be given to the self to accept the post hypnotic suggestions. Permission is integral to success with hypnosis. No Hypnotist can “make” anyone do anything against their will. This is especially true if one is asked to violate one’s own intrinsic moral code. Hypnotherapy is a process of partnership between the client and the Consulting Hypnotist.
The Rules Inventory is a technique that is integral to almost all of Andy’s work. Here we assume that the person receiving hypnosis arrived on Earth knowing nothing in their conscious mind. Everything, including breathing, had to be learned after birth. There is some anecdotal evidence that we start learning and recording feelings in the womb. None-the-less, the infant has no independent ability to act on its learning. The body doesn’t begin to work well for some time after birth. The child is therefore, dependent on the “giants” around to teach and provide shelter and sustenance. They, in the form of parents, relatives and friends will teach the child what it needs to know in order to survive in the group/tribe. This will go on until the child reaches maturity of body and can survive on its own. Many opportunities exist for the transfer of incomplete or misinformation to the child that can affect its future. Through different forms of regression hypnosis, clients get the opportunity to revisit the learning situation and correct the information or retire it.
Forgiveness is probably the most significant goal of hypnotherapy in Andy’s practice of hypnosis. So much of the limited amount of a person’s energy can be frozen from use when anger is in play in fueling grudges, old hurts and erroneous beliefs about one’s self. Permission is required to participate in negative behaviors in order to allocate one’s limited emotional energy to a persistent thought of revenge, retribution or self loathing and hatred. In cases seen in this practice, forgiveness has led to the release into active energy of as much as 80% of a person’s limited energy. They were living their life on 20% of their energy while the rest was being used to keep a grudge going, an activity that would ultimately lead to health issues and a shorter life. Forgiveness simply means that one is no longer willing to allocate energy and space in their life to maintain something that never belonged to them to begin with. Such is the case with matters of abuse, both physical and emotional where the victim is made to feel responsible for their demise. In fact it is the assaulter who has made a choice to act and who must own the responsibility for his/her actions and consequences that will follow. Hypnosis allows the client to see the whole truth of the event and correct history so the liability becomes the asset.
Smoking Cessation is obtained by teaching the client the reality that there is no reason to believe that they are a “smoker”. They are simply a person who has chosen to smoke and now are in position to choose not to smoke… ever again. This is accomplished by placing suggestions while the person is in trance that will activate upon return to conscious thinking. In addition, we look at the pattern of thinking that had to be in place for the person to have chosen to perform an act that is dangerous to self preservation. Often that principle is in place in other decisions the person has made and can be corrected across the board. So, while nothing has been said directly about other “habits” linked to that erroneous rule, they will be resolved as the rule is amended or retired.
Overeating is a particularly convoluted behavior. People do not necessarily overeat due to compulsion or lack of control. Unfinished business, in the form of old hurts or fears can drive a person to camouflage themselves or come to believe that they must be repulsive in order to survive. Often people will seek hypnosis for weight control that eat a balanced diet and get plenty of exercise. The reason for their obesity may lie hidden in their subconscious. This is assuming that no organic reason, e.g. disease or hormonal disorder, is contributing to the condition.