A very misunderstood self-help and relaxation subject is hypnotherapy. Perhaps one of the biggest reasons that hypnotherapy is misunderstood is that most people are only familiar with stage hypnosis. During all stage sessions, participants are pre-qualified, and only the most suggestible subjects are actually brought into the performance.
The second common misconception is that people believe a hypnotherapist can force them to do strange things like clucking like a chicken. The fact is that a hypnotherapist can’t make you do anything that you don’t want to do, or are incapable of doing. The subjects on stage performing outrageous acts are uninhibited and outgoing by nature, which is why they’re on stage in the first place.
Hypnosis is little more than guided relaxation. That’s it. There’s no real magic to it, although it can be very effective for certain participants when used for self help (for example, hypnosis smoking cessation). The objective with hypnosis is to put a subject or yourself into a state of relaxation, where your mind is relaxed and open, and you’re more susceptible to suggestion. The hypnotherapist then implants simple suggestions by simply speaking them, and in many cases, repeating similar suggestions.
Another way to look at hypnosis is that it’s positive self-talk or positive affirmations made when the mind is relaxed. So there should be nothing mysterious about hypnotherapy. If you understand meditation, you understand hypnosis, i.e. leading your body and mind into a relaxed state.
Some people are more suggestible than others and some people are naturally averse to hypnosis altogether. As a hypnosis subject, I’m a nightmare. After six months of failed attempts at being hypnotized, I finally recorded my own voice and hypnotized myself. About one out of five people will likely be resistant to hypnosis.
Smoking in particular is a good candidate for hypnotherapy because much of the addiction is psychological, and that is an area the self-hypnosis can help you address. Considering the expense of cigarettes, and the expense of typical cessation programs like nicotine gum, the patch, shots, and the like, the modest investment in a simple hypnotherapy quit smoking audio that you can listen to in the comfort of your home is appealing.
At the very least, hypnosis will help you balance yourself, relax, and lower stress levels. If you are a smoker, a hypnosis smoking cessation program might be exactly what you need, and you can easily participate in one without worrying about clucking at odd hours of the day!
