What Does Hypnosis Help With?
People ask that a lot. Almost as much as people ask “could you make me bark like a dog”?
You might think of hypnosis for specific issues like quitting smoking, weight loss, or phobias. And while it absolutely helps with those, the truth is, the real reasons people turn to hypnosis are often much broader.
TLDR?
Whether it's a desire to build confidence, improve relationships, find life purpose, or overcome any number of challenges, the underlying theme is often the same: an internal conflict, a frustrating feeling of being held back by your own mind.
Hypnosis offers a gentle yet powerful way to resolve this conflict. It allows us to access the subconscious programming that's no longer serving you, creating a powerful alignment between your conscious desires and your inner world.
Hypnosis is about empowering you to rewrite your own internal narrative and finally achieve the lasting changes you've been longing for.
So, what is hypnosis really used for? Let's dive deeper...
The Internal Conflict
People come to me when they are trying to do something, but can’t, OR they are trying to stop something but won’t. And they think “I know better, and I do try but for some reason I just can’t!”
It’s not that the client’s goal doesn’t matter, but it could be anything and the story is quite the same…
Their goal could be exercising or eating better, it could be cutting down on cigarettes. It could be moving their business forward or getting along with a family member. It might be that they have a running track of self loathing playing in their mind that they want to turn off. Their goal could be that they want to leave their partner or tell their friend they are in love with them. They may just need to figure out how to take better care of themselves. They may be trying to figure out “what am I doing with my life!?” and keep hitting a wall when they want to take action.
The real reason people come to me for hypnosis is that they sense something inside themselves is holding them back, and even if they are determined to change they keep doing the thing (or not doing it - depending on the goal). They tell me
“I feel like I am my own worst enemy, like my own mind is against me.”
There is an inner struggle, they are determined to “do better,” and yet another, seemingly inaccessible, part of them seems to be making sure they don’t.
Often, they have tried many things and maybe have had success for a little while, but inevitably fall back in their success… unable to maintain this new behaviour.
And then they start to feel worse, not only are they doing the thing they don’t want to do, but they are starting to wonder why not. They second guess themselves and think “am I really trying to kill myself with these cigarettes?” or “maybe i just deserve to be treated like this…” or “maybe I just can’t control my eating habits”... “is this stress just who I am and how I operate?”
(I’ve felt this a million times… and I am sure you know: it can be frustrating to be in this battle with different parts of yourself.)
It can begin to compromise their opinion of their integrity and judgement and they lose trust in themselves. Which, needless to say, doesn't help.
And so they come to hypnosis.
I think part of the draw is that hope/fear people have that hypnosis is mind control. It isn’t, but the idea that someone could just whisper in my ear, tell me to feel more resilient and confident, and I would actually listen and do it and my life would be better for it… is tempting…
It is tempting, sure, but it is also quite disempowering.
Beyond the hope for a quick fix, many people are also curious about the inner workings of their own minds and seek hypnosis for greater self-understanding. I know this is what drew me. WHY do people do the things they do… Why do I do the things I do??
So, what actually goes down when clients are working with me?
Okay, quick Hypnosis 101:
Hypnosis is a natural state of focused attention where your conscious mind allows access to the subconscious mind.
This state of mind is quite similar to highway hypnosis or a flow state. Your mind is wandering, but you are also present. It’s a bit of a … weird liminal state, like that space between awake and asleep, and it isn’t actually mystical or magic. My clients are always in control of themselves in a session… Imagine we are cruising down the highway and you are on autopilot while driving, if I asked, you wouldn’t just tell me your passwords or deep dark secrets if you didn’t want to… same with hypnosis. I mean, of course I am not even going to ask, but it’s good to know, you are in control! For an expanded explanation of hypnosis click here.
So, back to the main topic at hand… you are in a battle with yourself, trying to do the thing and frustratingly not doing it over and over.
When we use hypnosis to access the subconscious mind we are accessing that elusive part of you that is keeping you stuck. And that part of you, the subconscious’ number one priority is to “protect” you and keep you safe. In many ways it does that well, but because it uses old programming to help you survive the present day the results can be incongruous with our true desires.
Client Example:
Put yourself in her shoes: Imagine your goal is to feel confident speaking in front of a group. But your sc has a memory where you were made fun of by your classmates because you embarrassingly flubbed a line when you were presenting a class project. Your subconscious feels the pain of rejection and thinks “shoot, I don’t want to be kicked out of my group, that is dangerous, I will avoid speaking in public again to avoid that risk”. Yay. It is helping. 😐
So, this client comes to me and tells me her issue, she wants more responsibility and respect at work. She knows she is more than qualified and capable but she’s afraid to speak up at meetings.
So we tell the subconscious “Hey! I would like to expand my role at work, here is why I need to speak up more in meetings… it would be satisfying, greater challenge, empowering, increase confidence…etc” and really paint a picture for the subconscious of why she wants to speak up at work. And then we ask the subconscious “WHY are you stopping me?” and the subconscious responds with that memory and how it felt to be made fun of.
Logically or not, these are the operating instructions the mind programmed itself with way back then, and now we know what’s going on and we can update those instructions.
We want to get the subconscious mind to agree with what is already in the client’s conscious mind.
So we tell the sc mind what my client knows to be true about that situation now: That was a long time ago, she doesn’t see those kids anymore and people are not likely to treat her in that immature way if she were to flub a word now. And anyway, the risk of not speaking up and not getting that promotion at work is far greater than a momentary embarrassment. This fear of embarrassment is holding her back so much that it isn’t actually helping. Instead of focusing on avoiding embarrassment she wants to focus on confidence and resilience. If her subconscious can put the same amount of energy into feeling confident and resilient as it used to put into “helping” her avoid speaking in group settings, she will be unstoppable and achieve her big dreams! And, in a different way than if I were to tell her this in a regular conversation, in hypnosis her subconscious mind actually (finally) takes it in and starts reorganizing her beliefs to reflect this update.
And, yes of course, there is more complexity than this, and the amount of sessions it can take and everyone’s situation is different, but this is a fair representation of what can go on. The end result though, is the subconscious and conscious mind are in alignment, which means that the client’s actions and desires are also in alignment.
She starts piping up in agreement during meetings, then expressing her own ideas, opinions, and perspectives, she participates more during brainstorming sessions and even finds herself taking more initiative and supports more inexperienced coworkers in their roles. And usually, the effects ripple out: she is even able to express boundaries more clearly with her family! Her confidence not only manifests in speaking up in meetings but in all areas of her life.
So, as we've explored, while the specific reasons people seek hypnosis are incredibly diverse – from wanting to quit smoking to building unshakable confidence, from fostering healthier relationships to discovering a deeper sense of purpose – the underlying theme is often the same: an internal conflict, a persistent feeling of being held back by their own mind.
Hypnosis offers a powerful and natural way to navigate this inner landscape, to gently access and update the subconscious programming that's no longer serving you, and to cultivate a profound alignment between your conscious desires and your inner world. It's not about someone else taking control; it's about empowering you to take the reins of your own mind, rewrite your internal narrative, and finally achieve the lasting, positive changes you've been longing for.
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If you're tired of feeling that internal struggle and are ready to experience the empowering alignment that hypnosis can offer, I invite you to book a consultation to discuss your goals.
