Hypnosis is...

Did you know we all experience states of hypnosis (being in the theta brain wave state) everyday? When we are falling asleep and just waking up, we are cycling through theta. When we watch a movie, during a shower, staring out a car/train window - those can all be times of hypnosis. I'll get more into what hypnosis is later but for now just know that it's a state your brain can cycle through on it's own! You can't get stuck in hypnosis - even if you were in the middle of an online hypnosis session and the internet cuts out (I've had it happen)! You would just come back into full awareness when you were ready. In the event of an emergency you would respond as needed.

When we are in hypnosis we are accessing our imagination. It's a time of creativity and a place where we are safe enough to imagine, adjust and create scenarios that are a part of our story. These stories then affect our beliefs and actions we take.

A HUGE part of hypnosis is that YOU are in control. You make the decisions, you create the visualizations, you have the answers. It's the job of the hypnotherapist to just guide you, to help you discover whatever it is that you need to discover. My personal favourite part of experiencing hypnosis is connecting with myself. Visualizing who I want to be and drawing strength, encouragement and action steps from there. Discovering that part of myself more. In our very busy days we don't take much time to check in, to listen to ourselves. I love that hypnosis provides us a way to do that and can walk us through it when it's new.

In most hypnosis sessions we will visualize what you want. To do this we need to get really clear on what it is you want, what that will look like and how that will play out in your day to day.

Then we picture or imagine that using all your senses - what will you see? what will your actions be? what things will you smell? who will be there? what will you touch? how will you feel? what will you hear?

When we engage your senses we "trick" your brain into believing it's really happening, which creates new neural pathways in your brain. This makes doing it in "real" life so much easier because the neural wiring is already there and it feels "safe" to your brain because you've done it before. There's lots of studies using this in sports performance, learning new music pieces etc. but we can use it for anything - starting a new habit or breaking an old one, reducing anxiety, eating healthier, feeling more confident - the sky is the limit!

In all hypnosis YOU are the one in control. You decide what you share, what action steps you take, what hypno-affirmations we use in self-hypnosis. If anything comes up that you don't feel comfortable with you don't have to share it, and we don't have to explore it. You decide. It is my goal that you feel empowered and in control and safe at all times.

I often get asked what hypnosis feels like - most find it incredibly relaxing. It's a time to slow down, to be in the present moment, rest our minds and regulate our nervous systems. Our day to day lives can be busy and full to do's and we rarely take the time we need to re-set. Hypnosis can do that! Calming my own nervous system and becoming more familiar with my own cues and signals has been one of my favourite "side effects" of experiencing hypnosis regularly!

Hypnosis is not a magical answer that means you won't have to work at your goal. While re-programming your subconscious mind will have a HUGE impact you still need to align your subconscious and your conscious mind. Hypnosis won't do the work for you BUT it will make that work SO MUCH EASIER! You will be experiencing less self sabotage, more positive self talk, increased motivation and mindfulness and the mental rehearsal done in hypnosis will make the new goal feel safe to your nervous system. So, it's not a pill to make things magically change BUT it is a HUGE amount of support to help you get where you want to be!

When we are in hypnosis we are able to relax enough to bypass our critical mind. This means that we quiet our negative, critical self talk that keeps us stuck and unmotivated. Instead we are able to think about things creatively and come up with solutions that are perfect for us. We are able to think outside of the box and see the possibilities and think about things in a new way. Then we bring these ideas with us to help inform our next right steps.

Because we bypass our critical mind (see last post) we are also able to let go of judgement. It is my goal that every session is completely judgement free. I want to create a safe, encouraging and empathetic space. We use the ideas of self compassion to heal and meet our needs. There will NEVER, EVER be judgement from me - I am just soo happy and excited for you to be having this experience. I want you to feel empowered to align with who you are and create the changes you want. I often leave sessions so encouraged and inspired from you and your courage to make a change!

If our conscious mind and subconscious mind aren't aligned we won't see change. We will be "stuck" wondering why we aren't doing the things we want and know we "should" be doing. If you want to make a change but your subconscious beliefs aren't aligned it becomes much more difficult to attain those! You will self-sabotage, lose motivation and become frustrated and overwhelmed. If we can discover how your subconscious feels about the change and work to align that, change becomes easier because your deep rooted beliefs, thoughts and actions are all on the same page and working together! In a battle, our subconscious will always win.

Hypnosis is you in control. It's you relaxed and in a natural brain wave state that allows us to explore your subconscious thoughts and beliefs which will then impact your conscious thoughts and actions. It's a powerful tool that allows you to make the changes you are seeking in your life, but struggling to put into action.

The applications for hypnosis are endless and the even more exciting part? The benefits (besides the target goal you are working on) are amazing too! Spending time in hypnosis means calming your nervous system. It means re-setting stress levels. It means allowing your brain to quiet. It means checking in with yourself. It means feeling aligned. It means focusing on the positive and working from a strength based mindset. It means growing your brain. It means empowerment.

Wondering what a session with me would look like? Here's the general outline of what a hypnosis session would look like. Each session is completely personalized and individual but these are the basic steps we'd be working through. I'd also be adding in individualized techniques that match your goal. Interested in trying a session out? Connect with me to find a time that works for you!

Some people go through a session and it didn't feel like they expected. Maybe they didn't feel anything spectacular happening in their body. Each time you experience hypnosis you go deeper and see the impacts more, so sometimes the first experience is a "lighter" session. However, you will know you were hypnotized because you felt relaxed, you used your imagination (even if it felt "forced" at first), you have clear steps about where to go next and maybe you've even had a bit of a "light bulb" moment.

One cool thing is getting to learn self-hypnosis. I'll often walk you through what this is and how to do it during one of our sessions. Basically it will mean that you can use the powerful hypno-affirmations we've come up with in session at home by yourself. This will help improve your results and keep you on track between sessions. If you find this hard to do on your own, no problem, I'll happily create your own recording for you to use.