Accessing the subconscious mind

“So, are you going to make me quack like a duck?” an acquaintance said laughingly when she heard I’d graduated as a Clinical Hypnotherapist.

“No” I replied, “I’m a Clinical Hypnotherapist, not a stage Hypnotist”.

I was trained at the Pacific Institute of Advanced Hypnotherapy, the only school in Canada approved by the University of Alberta’s, Family Medicine Program as an elective for Doctors in their second year of residency.

Photo: Contributed

So, let’s deal with a few myths about Hypnosis. When you see a Clinical Hypnotherapist know that you will not do anything while you are in Hypnosis that you wouldn’t normally do, nor will you share the family secrets unless you choose to do so. You are in control, not the Therapist.

What you see with Stage Hypnotists is entertainment and the people they choose to participate are wildly imaginative and very suggestible to the hilarious situations they are presented with. It’s funny and audiences usually love it.

So, personally, I won’t be asking anyone to quack like a duck. If you have fears, phobias or anxiety issues, Clinical Hypnotherapy can help you. If you want to stop smoking, lose weight, require pain management or if you suffer from depression or other issues, Hypnotherapy can help you.

Everyone can be hypnotized. Hypnosis is, simplistically stated, a deep form of relaxation. Clinical Hypnotherapists are skilled at teaching you to relax like you’ve never relaxed before. The more often you experience hypnosis, the deeper and more relaxed you become with each session you attend.

Most of us are in some form of waking hypnosis most days of our lives. Have you ever experienced driving somewhere and wondering how you got there? Or, being in a classroom, at a presentation, or even at work and daydreaming? That’s a form of hypnosis.

Hypnosis is the slowing down of brain waves, allowing the therapist to access the subconscious mind and helping the client to make positive change in their lives.

The theory of the mind in Hypnotherapy consists of four areas:

• The Conscious Mind retains and remembers events and feelings up to 1 ½ hours.
• The Critical Area is part of the Conscious Mind and part of the Subconscious mind as well. It holds memories of the past 24 hours.
• The Modern Memory area is also part of the subconscious and holds memory from conception to the present time in this life.
• The Primitive Area is in the subconscious mind and this is where we hold our genetic heritage, where evolved learning took place. It is in this area that we have the fight or flight response.

As a Registered Professional Counsellor, I know that Clinical Hypnotherapy is a complementary therapy that can help clients to resolve issues in a more efficient manner. But, of course, that is dependant on each individual and the issue they want to work on.

What would you like to change in your life?

Carole Fawcett is a Clinical Hypnotherapist and Registered Professional Counsellor. Her office is in Vernon at the White House Wellness Centre.  Click here to visit her website.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.