Hypnosis – huh – what is it good for? Absolutely anything including addictions.
That might be a slight exaggeration, but the truth is that hypnosis is being used more and more regularly to treat a wide range of conditions and even addictions. Apart from its well-known benefits to help people quit smoking, lose weight, gain confidence, and a host of other self-help issues, the practice is gaining wider acceptance in the treatment of illness and disease.
One of the problems with hypnosis is the word itself. It’s been hyped to the max in Hollywood movies and the like, when in reality hypnosis is nothing like that. Hypnotizing someone by asking them to look into your eyes as you swing a pocket watch back and forth will be about as effective – and as successful – as asking your bank manager for a loan you don’t have to pay back.
Hypnosis Makes You Receptive to Change
People fear the idea of hypnosis more than hypnosis itself, because they simply don’t really understand what it is. They wonder if they’ll go into a trance from which they won’t be able to wake up, or if the hypnotherapist will implant some wicked command in their mind as part of an evil scheme. But neither of these things could ever happen to anyone.
When you allow yourself to be hypnotized, the so-called “trance-like state” you enter is simply a state of focused attention. Your mind is relaxed, which makes it easier for you to accept suggestions and imagine possibilities. But you have to want to be hypnotized; you have to want to make changes in your life, or there isn’t a person on earth who can force you.
So what can you use hypnosis for? The practical applications are growing in number all the time and they include, among other things, the treatment of:
- Addictions
- Asthma
- Chronic pain
- Pain during labor
- Cystic fibrosis
- Headaches and migraines
- Snoring
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- ADHD
- Warts and psoriasis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
Hypnosis has also been successfully used to facilitate dental and surgical procedures without the need for anesthesia. When used to help people kick bad habits and addictive substances, such as quitting smoking or losing weight, hypnotherapy is effective in at least fifty per cent of cases. It can even be employed to lower a person’s blood pressure.
Hypnosis is a Natural State
Don’t let the idea of hypnosis keep you from experiencing it. In fact, you’ve already experienced it without even realizing! If you’ve ever found yourself daydreaming while reading a book or watching a movie, that’s exactly what hypnosis is like. You lose yourself in what you’re doing, and your attention is focused entirely on the act you’re performing to the exclusion of everything else.
During hypnotherapy, you achieve this daydream-like state on purpose. You shut out all external stimuli and direct your attention to a single thought, helping fire up your imagination and switch off your logical conscious mind. And that’s when you are most susceptible to suggestions (this is used in recovery and rehab all the time).
If there’s an issue in your life you need to resolve, mental or physical, then maybe it’s time you thought about hypnosis as a possible solution. These days you can find a qualified hypnotherapist in any city, or you might prefer to tackle the problem in the comfort of your own home using hypnosis audio MP3s. Whichever route you decide to take, hypnosis could turn out to be your new best friend.
