Hypnotherapy

What Is Hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy is a powerful therapeutic tool that can help people tune into their subconscious and explore and resolve pressing challenges at a deep level.

True hypnosis is much different than what many have seen in the movies or on TV. It’s not a magic spell, and you won’t be put to sleep or made to do things you don’t wish to do. Instead, during a hypnosis session, you will enter a state that is much like a daydream. If you have ever “zoned out” or found yourself “lost in thought,” you have likely already experienced this kind of state. Hypnosis brings your body to a state of deep calm, allowing you to turn away from external distractions, let go of resistance and focus inward. Then, in a safe, supported space, you can navigate significant experiences and discover the answers that your subconscious mind already holds for you.

Psychiatrist and psychologist Milton Erickson, the founder of the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis, utilized hypnosis as a therapeutic tool in the 1950s and brought wider attention and validation to the healing practice in the 1970s. But, therapeutic hypnosis has its roots all the way back in Ancient Greece, when practitioners began to realize the healing potential of subconscious states.

What Can Hypnotherapy Treat?

Hypnosis has a wide variety of uses. It can help individuals change unwanted behaviors, such as overeating. Pain relief hypnosis can help those struggling with chronic pain and speed recovery time after injury, illness or surgery. Hypnosis can also help people work through anxiety and release long-held phobias, such as a fear of heights or fear of crowded spaces. Wherever you feel stalled and stuck in patterns that no longer serve you, hypnosis can help.

How Does Hypnotherapy Work?

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During the first stage of hypnosis you become more relaxed and internally focused. The outside world becomes much less important than your internal world. You enter this state gradually, through a guided relaxation of your body.

Then, as your hypnotherapist, I will guide you through an experience with the aim of helping you get to the root of an issue in your life. I will ask you questions, inviting your immediate, honest response. While in the hypnosis state, you may internally hear things but not see them. Thoughts might come to you, you might encounter vague images and impressions or you might see very vivid images. All of this is okay. What’s important is that you let whatever is there to come through, without resistance. Afterwards, when you return to a waking state, there will be time to question your experience. During the hypnosis, you can accept whatever messages and insights are coming to you. By allowing communication between your unconscious and conscious minds in this manner, you can gain a new perspective on problems and discover new pathways to healing and empowerment.

That said, you will not lose control or “be asleep” during hypnotherapy sessions. Your internal, instinctual self-protective system—your fight and flight response—will still work under the state of hypnosis. You can snap yourself out of the state at any time, and it is not possible for you to be forced to do something you don’t want to do.

Hypnosis and Past Life Regression

If it would be helpful to you, our hypnosis work can include what’s called “past life regression.” Using this approach, you will be able to go back into a past life and communicate with the wisdom of your core self—wisdom gained from past experiences.

However, you do not have to believe in past lives to benefit from this approach. If you believe that your subconscious holds lessons that you need to resolve particular issues, then you are likely to gain access to those lessons through our work together. For example, studies now show that present phobias "may be based on the inherited experiences of [your] ancestors.” Researchers have discovered that traumatic experiences can cause chemical changes in DNA, which means that your ancestors’ traumas may have passed to you, informing how you experience the world. There is wisdom to be found in the past.

Hypnosis allows you to tap into that wisdom and strength you already hold within yourself. You do not relinquish control; instead, you discover a new sense of agency in your conscious and unconscious minds. Then, you can enact real, positive change in your life.

My Approach to Hypnotherapy

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I have been practicing hypnosis for pain management, phobia and fear release, behavior modification and overall healing since the 90s, and I know how profoundly effective it can be. Your subconscious is a powerful force, and if you are willing to open yourself to the process and listen to your deepest self, transformation is possible.

As a hypnotherapist, I take a soft, gentle approach to sessions. Your sense of safety and security is my top priority, and I will take utmost care to make sure you are not overwhelmed. Sometimes in the hypnosis state, especially when addressing phobias, clients encounter something that feels too intense at that moment. If this happens, I will call you back to the observer position, where you will be able to observe what is happening without having to be afraid or re-experience anything. My goal is always to help you face your fears and overcome pain without distress.

For the most part, I will work as your guide, offering you suggestions and listening to your answers and insights. Although I may prompt you to move forward in certain directions, I will always give you options so you can follow your own intuition. I know that I don’t have the answers you need—you do. Hypnosis can help you find them.

Tune Into Your Deep Wisdom

If you are struggling with pain, phobias or an unwanted behavior, relief is possible. I invite you to call 408-357-3736 for a free 15-minute phone consultation to discuss how hypnotherapy can help you resolve challenges at the root. My office is located in Los Gatos, CA, across from El Camino hospital.