Hypnosis

Serendipity Specialists and Supporters:
Brian Bennett, CHt,

What is hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a very relaxed, focused state of being. That is the technical definition. But the actual state of hypnosis is a little harder to define. Until recently, it was assumed that it was similar to sleep, or that the mind was somehow unconscious. In reality, there is a specific state that the brain enters into when it is receptive to suggestion. This has been discovered on scans during hypnosis. It is not an unusual state of mind, and it may even feel like you are not in a trance, or in hypnosis.

For most people, they simply feel relaxed. There is a change in the brain wave activity, similar to that time just before sleep when the alpha state is entered. Your brain's waking state is a beta brain wave, just as you are going to sleep it changes to alpha and then to delta and theta in deep sleep. The alpha state is a very dreamy, pleasant state. During this time the mind is very open to visualizations and creating a rich sensory experience. The more real the experience becomes in the subconscious mind during this state, the more effect it will have on your waking behavior.

Hypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis to access the subconscious mind and resolve issues. In a hypnotherapy session, the therapist interacts with the client to uncover obstacles and resolve conflicts that are impeding the achievement of a goal or are adversely affecting behavior. Hypnotherapy can also be used to access inner wisdom stored in the subconscious, bringing that information to the conscious mind to facilitate healing and personal growth.