Holistic Counseling in Saratoga Springs, NY • healing@nycap.rr.com

Hypnotherapy

Freeing the Subconscious with Hypnosis

First documented over 1,000 years ago in ancient Persia, and closely related to certain types of meditative practices, hypnosis is an altered state of human consciousness that involves focused attention and, at the same time, reduced peripheral awareness, with an enhanced capacity for imagination, relaxation, and response to suggestion.

How Does Hypnotherapy Work?

Therapeutic hypnosis is not the same as sleep, because you remain alert throughout the process. It is often compared to daydreaming or the feeling of “just losing yourself” in a book or TV program. You’re fully conscious; yet simultaneously you’ll tune out most of the stimulation around you. By eliminating other thoughts, you are able to zero in on the issue at hand.

Think of the subconscious as a kind of mental storehouse, where a vast reservoir of information resides that allows you to solve problems, construct sentences — and even locate your keys!

Rarely can you access all that useful information directly, however. Rather, the subconscious mind — working behind the scenes and quite out of sight  — organizes experiences and memories, puts together plans and ideas, and then filters them through to your conscious mind. This is not a perfect system, unfortunately, because many times some of the most important signals from the subconscious get lost in the jumble of outward, everyday distractions.

Hypnotherapy has the ability to change behaviors and patterns effectively through hypnosis, because it unshackles the subconscious mind and brings it to the fore. This new state is evoked intentionally, with exercises that both relax and focus you, putting you in a frame of mind much like the relaxed mental state that occurs between wakefulness and sleep.

In this hypnotic state you are always aware of what’s going on around you; but your conscious mind withdraws into the background, allowing your subconscious mind to take center stage, where it becomes more accessible and suggestible.

Now that you know how hypnotherapy works, you can experience a free, mini-hypnosis session with my 11-Minute Rapid Relaxer. This recording (in MP3 format) will take you into a medium state of relaxation, so that you can get a brief feeling for the process.
IMPORTANT: Do not play this recording while driving or operating machinery, as it may induce a state of drowsiness.

How Can Hypnotherapy Help You?

In hypnosis, clients are taught to use their inner resources creatively in approaching their problems in life by concentrating on potential answers and resources that lie within.

We create a lot of our own experience by the specific ways we see, hear, and feel things in our mind and body. This is usually collected together like a map, which we call “thinking.” This “thinking map” makes it possible for one individual to feel terrorized by simple tasks like public speaking or flying in an airplane; while someone else will feel energized or excited by them. By exploring the thinking map and one’s revealed feelings under hypnosis, keys are discovered to find new solutions to goals we wish to achieve.

Thus, hypnotheraphy can help you…

• Control tobacco addictions and eating obsessions
• Eliminate phobias and anxieties
• Remove emotional blocks
• Improve work and sports performance
• Achieve mental/emotional health
• Control habits and stressors
• Boost creativity
• Manage discomfort and pain
• Gain self-confidence
• Learn self-hypnosis as a medium to change
• Balance and control your life
• Reach your full potential

In addition, Donna offers individualized Quit Smoking and Tobacco programs designed for your unique situation, which includes two private hypnosis sessions, a supportive hypnosis CD (also available in MP3 format), stress reduction tools, and four support phone calls. These programs are very reasonable in cost. Call Donna at (518) 584-0698 or email her for details.

Donna Bird’s Credentials and Experience

In 1999 Donna became certified as a Hypnotherapist through the American Hypnosis Training Academy, Inc. In 2005 she took training in neuro-linguisting programming (or NLP) and subsequently also became certified through the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH). In 2005 she received additional training and became certified in the 5-PATH Method of Hypnosis (5-PATH stands for 5 Phase Abreactive Therapeutic Hypnosis).

Donna is also a certified Teacher of 7th Path Self-Hypnosis (a form of self-improvement that combines the effectiveness of self-hypnosis, meditation, and prayer).

Overview of a Hypnotherapeutic Session

Hypnosis, in its many forms and identified by a number of names, is a universal way for reaching the subconscious mind and listening clearly to its messages. Whatever personal change you need or want for yourself, hypnosis can work as a basic method. Essentially, it involves a process of persuading yourself that you can change and achieve your desired goals by freeing yourself of distraction or doubt.

In a nutshell, hypnosis is a life-transforming relaxation and stress-reduction technique as well as a learning and discovery technique. It is the ultimate self-motivator.

Actually, most forms of meditation, biofeedback, deep prayer, Yoga, Ti Chi, Zen, and other meditative practices all teach hypnosis in one form or another. The sensation experienced by clients differs. However, most say it is like a daydream. They remember everything they did, but knew they were in a very relaxed state of mind.

The process of hypnosis unfolds within a simple, natural flow, as follows:

• The goal is set by the client.
• The client agrees to experience hypnosis with the therapist.
• It is agreed that the total permission of the client will be achieved prior to making any changes in any goals.
• The therapist discusses past positive emotional resources that can be used in the session to achieve the client’s goal.
• The therapist leads the client into a relaxed state where the eyes are closed, and breathing and heart rate slow down at the client’s own pace.
• When the client is sufficiently relaxed, the therapist brings in the situation associated with the goal that the client wants to change.
• The positive past emotional resources that were previously identified by the client are then transferred into the present and anchored into future situations, where they can be utilized by the client. Thus, the old pattern is changed and in its place a new resource map is installed to achieve the goal.
• The resource anchor is then tested to confirm that the old pattern is broken and the goal has been achieved — i.e., that a change has been made in the unconscious mind map.
• A future rehearsal is completed and an ecology check is made to test for agreement with all parts of the self.
• Under the therapist’s direction, the client is slowly led back into a fully awake state of consciousness.

The ultimate benefit of this process is that hypnosis enables you to access the power of your subconscious to achieve better internal balance and take fuller control of your life.

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Hypnosis enables you to access the power of your subconscious to achieve better internal balance and take fuller control of your life.