What even is hypnosis? So, in simplest terms, hypnosis is being put or putting yourself into a trance-like state. What this means is you’re being invited and guided to connect your conscious and unconscious mind. Now, I know what you’re thinking- and great question: what is this conscious and unconscious mind thing?

The conscious mind is: Everything inside of our awareness. Now, what I’ve taken that to mean is, the conscious mind to me is our insight into everything we are aware of within our internal and external being. This ranges from thoughts, feelings, plans, quite literally everything we need to be able to function at a level that works for each person.

The unconscious mind is: Essentially a storage unit in our mind for everything we do not need to have in our direct vision. This includes feelings, thoughts, past experiences, urges, temptations and so much more! What I’ve taken this to mean is that everything that is not currently serving a purpose gets stored away in the back of our minds, but sometimes it gets locked away and we need assistance to find the key to unlock it, and that’s where hypnotherapy comes in!

Who is Hypnotherapy For?

Hypnotherapy is for anyone who is experiencing any kind of mental or physical discomfort. Utilizing hypnotherapy as a tool to assist or relieve mental or physical pain that could be impacting your day to day life may alleviate those symptoms. Hypnotherapy is also a wonderful tool for people who want to connect with themselves more. Taking into consideration that your conscious and unconscious mind are typically able to connect during a trance-like state, it gives the person experiencing the trance an opportunity to dive into parts of themselves that they didn’t even know existed. During a trance, a lot of unconscious thoughts come forward that someone may not recognize in their conscious mind! With respect to that, you do have to be prepared for positive or negative emotions to come about, but the good thing about that is your therapist will be right there to process with you after you come out of a trance.

“Trust your unconscious, it knows more than you do.” –Milton Erickson

So, here’s a little bit of background about my passion for hypnotherapy. Prior to discovering my curiosity for it, I didn’t fully understand what the conscious or unconscious mind was. I had this idea that the unconscious mind was this fascinating abstract place that was designed to be some sort of escape or happy place, and I felt like the conscious mind was the logical part of my mind, so logical that I would picture numbers every time I heard the word conscious! I decided to do some research into what this “conscious and unconscious talk” was all about, and what I found completely blew my mind!

After discovering this, I heard of a professor at my university that offered a hypnosis workshop and it felt like the stars just aligned for me! I participated in the workshop and received my 50-hour certification in hypnosis during the summer of 2018- allowing me to practice hypnotherapy. The same professor also offered a course in my doctorate program which covered more about the philosophy of hypnotherapy than the practice. I was able to take the course as well and gained a completely new perspective on this amazing tool I already have grown to love so much.

I perceive hypnotherapy as a way to get to know the deepest parts of yourself. So often we as human beings are on the go, that we don’t take the time to connect our brain to our body. There is so much information hiding between that connection. When we are able to make that relationship, we discover the complex depths of our brain and body connection!

To learn more about hypnosis and if hypnotherapy is the right fit for you, I’ve listed some websites that offer additional details into the practice. Happy reading!

• Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/hypnotherapy

• The Wellness Institute: https://web.wellness-institute.org/blog/bid/256330/what-is-the-difference-between-hypnosis-and-hypnotherapy

• Very Well Mind: https://www.verywellmind.com/hypnotherapy-2671993