Hypnosis

Have you ever daydreamed, or found  yourself on a car journey, not remembering how you had covered the last 10 miles? Or been watching a film and totally lost track of the time? These are all examples of trance. Trance is a naturally occurring state in which your focus is limited to what's important. Your conscious mind gets out of the way temporarily, letting you tap the resources of your unconscious.

You can think of your conscious mind as being like a ship on the ocean, heading in the direction you steer it, while your unconscious mind is the ocean itself. Your conscious mind is actually quite a narrow band of awareness, letting you "smell the roses" and enjoy life to the full, while your unconscious handles everything else - all your bodily functions, problem solving while you sleep, all your memories and so on. 

The benefit of going into a trance is being able to talk directly to your unconscious, activating its enormous capability to process information and learn new behaviours without interference from your conscious mind.

What is Hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy uses trance to enable you to engage the support of your unconscious mind in solving problems or changing unwanted behaviours. The beauty of this process is that you can benefit without making any conscious effort - the unconscious does the work in the background, often surprising you in the most delightful ways!

Why You Might Want to Trust Your Unconscious Mind

To give you some idea of why it might be a good idea to go into trance more often, here are a few of the more important differences between your conscious and unconscious minds. 

Conscious Mind	Unconscious Mind
Handles 7+ 2 bits of info	Handles everything else
Thinks sequentially	Thinks simultaneously
Logical	Intuitive
Asks "Why?"	Knows Why
Limited focus	Unlimited, expansive
Deliberate	Automatic
Verbal	Non-verbal

FAQs about Hypnosis

• How do I know if I can be hypnotised? As trance is a naturally occurring event,  anybody can experience and enjoy hypnosis unless they are unwilling to do so. Ernest Rossi, for example, discovered that people have "ultradian rhythms", going into trance every 90 minutes or so during their waking as well as sleeping states.
  
• Will I lose Control? The hypnotherapist has no special powers, nor can he or she control the subject in any way that goes against their values. Ericksonian hypnosis is an entirely "permissive" approach, facilitating the client's own ability to go into trance rather than directing them in an authoritarian way.
  
• Could I get stuck in a trance? It's impossible to become stuck in a trance, simply because trance is part of the natural rhythm of life.
  
• Will I say things that I don't wish to in Hypnosis? Generally, the unconscious mind is very protective and will allow only as much communication in a trance as necessary. The aim of the hypnotherapist is to facilitate what the client wants. 
• If my unconsious mind is so clever, how come I still do things that I don't like? Interesting question! Your unconscious acts on your existing beliefs and values to support you the best it can. If those beliefs or values are not supportive of the kind of life you want to lead, you may (unconsciously) repeat certain behaviours over and over again. The answer is to ask your unconscious (in trance) to come up with better ways of behaving that support you in new and enjoyable ways.
• Do I need to trust my hypnotherapist? Yes you do. Because the hypnotherapist is working alongside you to help you access your unconscious, it's important that you feel totally relaxed and comfortable with him or her. You can trust your unconscious at the time to know whether it can do that.