Hypnotherapy has significantly changed my life for the better. Since beginning Hypnotherapy over 2 years ago, I have used it to improve upon many different aspects of my life. I have used Hypnotherapy to overcome a phobia, destroy limiting fears and crippling anxiety, improve clarity, focus, relaxation, physical skills and strength, increase joy, love, happiness, belief and SO much more.
Initially, I sought out Hypnotherapy for a moderately severe phobia of aggressive, barking dogs. At least 10 years ago, I experienced 3 intense encounters with aggressive dogs in a very short period of time and I developed a new fear of aggressive dogs, which eventually worsened into the level of a phobia. At it’s worst, the phobia had seriously impacted my life, negatively effecting the enjoyment of my favourite thing in the world, playing outside. It had gotten so bad that I would freeze, become mute and paralyzed, experience extreme anxiety and even black out at times. I was sick of feeling and acting like a victim. I hoped that Hypnotherapy would give me some tools to begin the process of managing this phobia and taking my life back. I was absolutely shocked when my symptoms completely disappeared after only one session of Hypnotherapy, however. Although I do still have an appropriate fear response to dangerous encounters, I have never experienced an anxiety driven, physiological reaction of any kind to a barking dog, since that session. In fact, I rarely even have these types of aggressive dog encounters any more and you could pretty much call me the ‘dog whisperer’ lol:) Needless to say, I was beyond convinced of the amazing powers of Clinical Hypnotherapy and the potential for reprogramming and rewiring my mind. I was hooked and I have been attending sessions on a regular basis ever since. There are always things we can improve upon and goals we can use help achieving- the list is endless! If you know me well, you know how passionate I am about Hypnotherapy and I have likely since gotten you hooked on it too lol!
I was always interested in trying Hypnotherapy, if not a little skeptical that I could ‘actually be hypnotized’. Like most people I had only seen Hypnosis in the most crude of settings - at the bar, after too many drinks, and used for humiliation and belly laughs at the expense of the suckers who signed up to go on stage. Who the hell does that, anyways? My worst nightmare for sure! But, now I know that in a hypnotic state, no one will ever do anything they don’t actually want to do. Those exhibitionists! lol;)
In my experience talking with others about Hypnotherapy, most people share a similar filter of misunderstanding about this powerful therapeutic tool, confusing Clinical Hypnotherapy, with circus acts and the Amazing Ravine. I want to remove that filter, and explain a bit about what you can expect and what happens during and after Clinical Hypnotherapy sessions, based on my personal experience.
I work with Jeannie Spencer, Clinical Hypnotherapist and owner of Invision Your Life Hypnotherapy and now founder of Cloud Nine, a new holistic therapy centre in Courtenay. Jeannie is an amazing human being who has gifts, tools and knowledge that can help absolutely anyone change their life for the better. What happens at a Hypnotherapy session? Well, you are not going to bark like a dog, black out or be made to do anything you don’t want to do, for starters;) All sessions include a discussion/counselling component to get clear on the issues that you wish to address and what you are looking for support with. But, really, only a very small amount of your time will ever be spent discussing ‘problems’. That is because Jeannie’s Hypnotherapy process centres around ‘solutions’ and 99.9% of the time is spent working on getting what you DO want, not what you DON'T want in your life/head/body/mind/heart.
Neurons that fire together wire together. There is a science to changing your mind. The thoughts that we repeatedly think over and over, re-inforce neural connections and feed activity in the brain. One way that Hypnosis helps us is by feeding new connections in the brain, reinforcing the thoughts that we want and starving the old connections until they can no longer exist (not enough neurotransmitters to go around;). Please watch this short TedX talk with the uber smart, Dr. Joe Dispenza, that illustrates the ‘Science of Changing Your Mind’, to actually see how this rewiring works inside the brain, on a microscopic level.
After a short counselling component, most sessions include Hypnosis, which is nothing at all like the voodoo you likely imagine lol. Hypnosis is really just a guided visualization that takes you to a very deep state of relaxation with intense focus, known as a hypnotic state. We experience this same state on a regular basis in our lives, for example, when we are in ‘flow’ and intensely focused on a task. You know those times, when you lose yourself, forget about the world and lose all sense of time. That is also known as a hypnotic state. During sessions with Jeannie, you will sit in a welcoming room, leaning back slightly in a nice, comfortable reclining chair. Eyed closed, Jeannie will walk you through a visualization to help you get centred, relaxed and out of the chaos of your conscious mind. Then, once you are in this relaxed state she will guide you though a specific visualization that addresses the solution to your concern - what you DO want more of in your life. This may centre around who you want to be, what you want to do, what you want to think, how you want to act, feel and experience your life…the options for improving the quality of your life are truly limitless! Typically, you are aware of the entire visualization, although the images that appear in your mind, seem to be created subconsciously, not consciously. To me, it feels like that moment, just before you fall asleep, or right on the edge of waking up…very relaxed, at peace and with my mind freely flowing. Nothing weird or unfamiliar and all very enjoyable. Once you are finished the session, Jeannie counts you back to a conscious state and you finish feeling unbelievably relaxed, full of peace, clarity and a beautiful calm, positive energy. The answers to your questions or concerns appear before you with intense clarity, as if you had them all along (which, we do, in our subconscious). In the days following my sessions, I am always amazed at how my actions, thoughts and feelings shift, without conscious effort, in the direction of my vision. The changes are permanent, and the actions we take in the right direction, following these sessions, are re-inforced deeper and deeper as we repeat them over and over in the future. Powerful, but very simple at the same time.
Be sure to record your sessions so that you can use them over and over at home! I have specific visualizations that I use before races, during times of stress, for specific goals etc. Awesome to have Jeannie with me whenever I need her;)
When working with Jeannie you will start with 4, 1/week sessions and then one follow up ‘booster session’. After that the frequency is up to you. I have experienced so much greatness through my sessions that I continue to work with Jeannie once per month on a wide range of aspects of my life. The connection between Hypnotherapy and my work as a Coach and Kinesiologist, my passion for Sports Psychology, my belief in the power of the mind and my personal experience with all of these things, is a very powerful one. If you have any vision that you wish to realize then I believe fully and completely that Hypnotherapy can help you get there. Please reach out if you have any questions at all and don’t hesitate to contact Jeannie if you are in the Comox Valley or keen to work with her through phone sessions- she is the best! You can find Jeannie at Invision Your Life Hypnotherapy.
#yesyoucan #whynot #itworks #trustme
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