Frequently Asked Questions

Our conscious minds can be very reluctant to change, but the subconscious mind is very receptive to
implementing positive changes. Hypnosis can bypass the conscious mind and allow communication
directly with the subconscious mind.

They are purely fictional. Hypnosis is 100% safe and is a relaxing experience. You can’t get stuck in
hypnosis and you can’t be made to do something you wouldn’t want to do. The only dramatic thing
about real hypnosis is the positive results that are possible!

No. It is a naturally occurring state of deep relaxation and focused awareness in which you can still
hear the hypnotist’s voice and even surrounding sounds (although probably to a lesser extent). It is very
relaxing and enjoyable. You may hear a hypnotist say “Sleep!” to help induce the hypnotic state, but
this is because that word is so associated with hypnosis (hypnos is the Greek word for sleep) and it just
works really well.

Some people try to help the hypnotist by making a conscious effort to go into hypnosis. Unfortunately,
this is similar to deliberately trying to go to sleep on one of those sleepless nights. The harder you try,
the more sleep eludes you. A good way to think about hypnosis is that it’s like goosebumps or a hiccup.
You can’t cause those to happen, but you notice it when they do. The best way to go into trance is just
relax, follow the hypnotist’s instructions and let your conscious mind wander wherever it wants to. If
you do this, hypnosis will naturally occur.

After your in-the-office or Zoom sessions, you will have things to do on a daily basis to reinforce and
amplify the work done in the office. An example would be listening to a recorded hypnosis session or
perhaps repeating positive affirmations. Your “hypnosis homework” is an important part of feeling
better.

Absolutely not. In fact, the more intelligent and imaginative you are, the easier it will be for you to be
hypnotized.

Yes. Some people worry that they may get stuck in a trance (like the guy in the movie ‘Office Space’),
but even if a hypnotist left you in a trance by walking out of the room, you would snap back into
normal conscious awareness in a minute or two or just drift off into regular sleep. In more than 200
years of recorded hypnosis history, there has never been a documented case of anyone being harmed by
hypnosis. Hypnosis has been recognized by the American Medical Association, the American Dental
Association and The National Institute of Health Technology Assessment Panel confirmed in 1995 that
hypnosis is an effective adjunct in alleviating pain.

It’s a wonderful, relaxing feeling. As you become more and more physically relaxed, it is easier to relax
mentally as well, and as you listen to the hypnotist’s soothing voice, you wil find your focus turning
inward. Some people describe it as a feeling of floating gently or feeling a pleasant kind of “melting”
sensation. You will still hear the hypnotist’s voice, and you might hear some other sounds around you,
but your focus on the hypnotist’s voice will the be the most important thing. Your thoughts may drift
and that is perfectly natural.

You may not remember everything that was said during a hypnotic trance, but that’s okay. The most
important thing is that your subconscious mind heard and absorbed the suggestions while you were in
the trance state

No. Some people think a hypnotist could make them rob a bank or something like that, but if such a
suggestion were made, your core values, morals and ethics would cause it to be rejected. Likewise you
cannot be made to reveal any deep, personal secrets about yourself unless you want to.

Almost everyone is capable of being hypnotized, even the skeptic and even the “control freak.” It’s a
natural process of the human mind and we would not be able to learn without it. This is not to say being
hypnotized is a bit more difficult for some people–it can be. But a skilled hypnotist can quickly work
past these difficulties and achieve good results.

Some people think this is true and purposely try to resist the hypnotic process. But the truth is that all
hypnosis is really self-hypnosis, and the hypnotist is more of a guide to help the process along and give
positive suggestions. It’s a cooperative process between you and the hypnotist. If you are really
resistant to the idea, no one is going to try to force you to go into hypnosis. But you are missing out on
some amazing benefits if this is the case.

One of the first things a hypnotist learns is that in the battle between the subconscious and willpower, t
the subconscious always wins. We resolve not to eat that candy bar, but then our subconscious kicks in
and we start thinking about the delicious chocolate melting in your mouth and then, well, you know the
rest. It’s a very similar situation for smoking. We have all sorts of ways of sabotaging our willpower
with rationalizations (“It’s just a piece of chocolate.” or “I will stop smoking tomorrow.”) that make the
process of changing our habits even more difficult. The good news is that hypnosis uses that same
power of the subconscious in positive ways to circumvent the need for willpower, creating change
much more quickly and effectively.

Quite a bit. Both are very relaxing and enjoyable states of focused awareness. But hypnosis is much
more specific and goal-oriented than meditation. If you are good at “getting into the zone” with
meditation, it’s very likely you will be good at hypnosis.