Debbie Waller, Yorkshire Hypnotherapy
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Debbie Waller
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What is Hypnosis?
Hypnosis allows you to use your underlying (or sub-conscious) knowledge and resources to resolve your problems. In very broad terms, it is a way of bypassing the critical part of your mind - the part which limits your abilities or undermines your confidence by saying "I'd like to but I can't".
Hypnosis is also sometimes called the Alpha state, or trance. It is not the same as relaxation - after all, anyone on stage dancing around as Elvis or Tina Turner is hardly relaxed! However, in a therapeutic setting, people often experience hypnosis as a feeling of deep relaxation; some say their body also feels heavier (or lighter) than usual.
You pass through the alpha state quite naturally at least twice every day - as you fall asleep and as you wake up. This is why you can never be ‘lost’ in trance: if you were to drift deeper you would simply be asleep and would wake up naturally.
That said, hypnosis is not the same as sleep. If you are asleep, you don't know what's going on around you. Anything obvious enough for you to notice it, wakes you up. If you were this unaware in a hypnotic trance, it could not be used to offer you any effective therapy.
During hypnosis, you are generally aware of your surroundings. Many people feel their hearing is better than usual, but background noises will not cause you to come out of trance. You hear my voice, and when you come out of trance you often remember what has been said.
Therapeutic hypnosis should not involve anything that you feel is inappropriate or ridiculous. Even in trance, you will not be asked to do or say anything contrary to your conscious wishes, behaviour or morality. (There is more about this on the "chickens, safety and ethics" page, or for a more light-hearted take on the subject see my "hypnosis as a magic wand" article.)
Some people will go more deeply into trance than others, and most find it gets easier with practice. Despite these variations, most people find hypnotherapy an effective way to treat their problems.