Insider Tips for your Hypnotherapy Appointment

If you’re reading this post, maybe you’re prepping for your first hypnotherapy appointment or you’re hungry for as much information as possible about hypnosis and hypnotherapy. I don’t blame you!

Here’s a few more facts and pro tips:

The majority of us (80% – 90%), can be hypnotized to varying degrees.* We just don’t all get there the same way at the same time. Just like everything else in the world, it may not be advised for particular individuals (i.e. when active psychotic states are present), it might not be the right fit (i.e. trust in the clinician is not present), or it might take some time to develop (i.e. willingness and openness to the experience are not yet present.) Even if you’re thinking “I’m too anxious to do this!” just remember: some people high-jump into the deep end of life where others wade one pinky toenail into the baby pool of life. It’s the same with this process. There are no wrong paths to entering the proverbial water, and a good clinician will simply follow your lead.

Temperature changes in the body are extremely normal in theta (the subconscious level optimal for hypnotherapy). Some people sweat, and others chill. Wearing comfortable layers is advised.

A typical session lasts 1.5 – 2 hours in my office, but the experience of time changes in theta – despite heightened awareness and a total body calmness. An hour feels more like 20 minutes for most clients, although some have a sense of a timeless experience.

Practice meditation or permit day-dreams to linger days or weeks prior to your session, if you can. This allows your body to prepare for the experience even more.

You don’t have to believe in this for it to work! You don’t have to believe anything, really. There is no amount of faith or lack of faith necessary for a profound experience. And many people, of every tradition and background, have life-altering ones.

Even though hypnosis is best understood after experiencing it, it’s like being in two parts of your mind at once. You’re in your subconscious state first and foremost, but your conscious mind may also be present. It’s like (but also different from) lucid dreaming. Imagine having a memory unfolding in your mind, and commenting on your outfit! It’s like that – your subconscious mind is playing the memory in vivid fullness, and your conscious mind is online, offering commentary. For most people, this is a new way of experiencing yourself and of operating in your own mind. The goal is to accept that the commentary is happening but doesn’t need to be, and to let it go.

The hypnotized individual is fully aware of themselves and their surroundings. You know where you are. You know that I’m talking to you, and you can converse with words, non-verbal hand gestures or facial cues. You can change positions and remain in trance, but you also know that if you want to, you can intentionally stop the process. You know that YOU are in control of you. It is frequently stated by clinicians in the field that “all hypnosis is self-hypnosis.” This is true. The clinician merely acts as your therapy guide.

The subconscious mind can process between 11 million – 20 million bits of information per second where, by comparison, the conscious mind can process only 40 – 50 bits of information per second.** The subconscious mind’s processing speed is 30,000 times faster. We’re going to capitalize on THAT.

Hypnosis IS a state of increased suggestibility, though only up by about 10% from the individual’s baseline suggestibility level.*** Because suggestibility is only up marginally, the hypnotized person’s subconscious mind can and will reject any suggestion they do not want to take in. Period. (I’ve had clients reject suggestions and adjust my language – and I have rejected/corrected my hypnotherapist as well.) The plus side is you can and will accept any suggestion that feels comfortable or right for you. With the guidance of a trusted clinician, the increase in suggestibility aids integration of healthy subconscious messages that bypass critique from your conscious mind.

The hypnotized person has the ability to censor themselves while in a trance state. Often during a session, the hypnotherapist will ask about their clients’ experience – what they see, feel, hear, etc. Anything the hypnotized person chooses to distort or avoid bringing up to the therapist is within their power and their right to do so. You’re still YOU.

Drink plenty of water and plan to eat a substantial meal after a session. This helps to ground and nourish the body after an exceptional mind work-out. (For those intrigued, essential oils are also quite useful.)
Like all things, practice and repetition make the experience and the learning easier, stronger, and more likely to continue – possibly for years to come. (Worth noting – this is technically true both in and out of the world of hypnotherapy.)

You cannot do this wrong. There’s nothing about hypnotherapy that isn’t in your full control. You choose your (licensed and certified!) clinician, when to make an appointment, what the goals are, what to accept or reject, how much to integrate into your day-to-day life, and when it ends. This is the same as every other healthy therapeutic experience.

*Wood, J. (2018). Not Getting Sleepy? Not Everyone Can Be Hypnotized. Psych Central. Retrieved on January 25, 2020, from https://psychcentral.com/news/2012/10/06/not-getting-sleepy-not-everyone-can-be-hypnotized/45672.html
**Markowsky, G. (2017). Information Theory. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved on January 25, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/science/information-theory
*** Lilienfeld, S. and Arkowitz, H. (2008). Is Hypnosis a Distinct Form of Consciousness? Scientific American Mind. Retrieved on January 25, 2020, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-hypnosis-a-distinct-form/