Frequently asked questionsWhat is mindfulness? Mindfulness is a technique for becoming more aware of the present moment, so that you can calmly observe your thoughts and feelings without fighting them or getting lost in them. It originated as a form of meditation, but there is nothing religious about it, and it has been used extensively in western psychotherapy for the last thirty years to help people manage their thoughts and feelings. What is hypnosis? Hypnosis is a method of communicating an idea or a suggestion to the unconscious or subconscious parts of your mind. Sometimes this might involve going into deeply relaxed trance state, but studies have shown that people can successfully respond to hypnosis whilst riding exercise bikes. So rather than thinking of hypnosis as a special state of mind, it's best to think of it as a way of giving your brain instructions that you want to carry out automatically in the future, a way of creating new habits, new thought patterns, and new emotional reactions that you want to happen naturally and instinctively. Will I be able to be hypnotised? If you mean: "Will I be able to go into a profoundly deep trance state, where I lose track of time, drift out of my body, and where I feel as though another part of my mind is taking over for a while?" Then... maybe. Some people do seem to naturally go into deeper "trance states" than others. But whether or not you are able to go into a deep hypnotic trance doesn't really matter when it comes to making changes in your life. I find that accessing a state of calm, relaxed inner focus, where you can give your mind clear instructions for what changes you want to experience in the future is usually a much more practical and effective approach than getting fixated on what level of hypnosis someone is at. So if you mean: "Will I be able to use mindfulness and hypnosis as a way of creating new mental and emotional habits for myself, where I notice myself naturally responding differently after the session?" Then... almost definitely yes. How do you hypnotise people? Do you use a swinging pendulum? I'm afraid not! Most often I will start by asking you to just close your eyes, take a few, slow, deep breaths, and let your body relax. Try listening to my free hypnosis MP3 to get a better idea of what happens. Will I lose control? No. No more than when you're really enjoying a good film, or reading a great book, you are "controlled" by the actors or the author. It's always your choice how much you become involved in a film or a book, and hypnosis is exactly the same. What's more, there is a long history of people using hypnosis to gain control over things that are unconscious for most people. This includes deliberately accessing states of peak performance, confidence and relaxation, and even controlling their blood pressure or the level of pain they feel during surgery. So how do stage hypnotists make people believe they are chickens? They don't! For example, if the hypnotist in a stage hypnosis show tells someone to make a phone call to the Queen on an imaginary phone, the person typically does something very interesting. Instead of holding their hand like they believe they are gripping a real phone, they extend their thumb and little finger and put their hand to their face: the international mime for "phone"! Think about what this means. They are not in some strange state where they are hallucinating and literally think that they are on the phone to the Queen. They are following instructions and creatively acting them out to get laughs from an audience. I'm not saying there is no hypnosis involved in stage hypnosis. In fact, stage hypnotists can use their skills to get very shy, reserved people to perform as confidently and as well as skilled improvisational actors. They do this by selecting the most receptive people from the audience and guiding them (often quite dramatically) into a deeply relaxed and focused state of mind, before giving them scenarios to improvise. This concentrated, focused state is exactly what professional performers access instinctively before they go on stage. If acting is something the person has never done before, they might feel a bit confused about it after the show, like it was "somebody else doing it" because they wouldn't normally do that. But they were always in control and aware that they were performing in front of an audience. Can I get stuck in hypnosis? Absolutely not. This is a total myth. People may sometimes enjoy the relaxation of hypnosis so much they are reluctant to awaken immediately, but there is no case of anyone magically getting "stuck" in hypnosis, anymore than people can get "stuck" in a good film or book. Will I reveal anything I don't want to in hypnosis? No. The type of therapy I do does not involve unnecessary digging into childhood memories or finding "hidden subconscious forces". In mindfulness based hypnosis, we always concentrate on the goal you bring to therapy, and on the simplest steps to getting you there. You only need to discuss what you believe is relevant to therapy, and what you are comfortable talking about. The reason for using hypnosis is not to find out more information, but to reinforce the changes we have agreed on and to help them become instinctive for you. Book
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| © Copyright Joseph Kao 2012 Hypnotherapist, hypnotist and solution focused therapist in North London Near: Crouch End, Highgate, Finchley, Hornsey, Camden Town, Muswell Hill, Archway, Wood Green Tel. 0208 350 2634 Email me |
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