You’re Getting Very Sleepy: Possible Real-World Benefits of Hypnosis
When most people think of hypnosis, they typically think of comedy shows where there are three people on stage clucking around like chickens.
They think that hypnosis is a form of control or can make you do things that you don’t want to do. Hypnosis actually works to calm your mind and work with your subconscious, rather than try to control it.
About 6% of people use hypnotherapy to treat mental health issues or change behaviors. People are starting to discover the amazing benefits of hypnosis.
Are you curious to know more about hypnotherapy? Find out how hypnotherapy really works and the top benefits of using it.
What is Hypnosis?
Hypnosis is when you’re in a deep state of relaxation. Your mind is quiet and you’re not doing anything that’s distracting.
In this state, your mind becomes more open to suggestions to change your behavior.
Have you ever driven a car for several miles and “woke up” to wonder how you got to where you are? Your thoughts were elsewhere, and your mind was on autopilot. That’s hypnosis.
Think of your mind as a computer. There’s hardware and software that runs it. Your brain is the hardware, and your mind is the software. The mind contains the programs that operate your brain like an operating system runs the hardware on your computer.
Some programs run in the foreground while there are many other programs running in the background. The vast majority of your behaviors run in the background.
The programs in the foreground are usually reasons why things won’t work. For example, if you want to lose weight. There’s a part of you that says, “I can’t do that!”
What hypnosis does is bypass that program and gets right to the main program and offers suggestions to change the program.
Hypnosis vs. Hypnotherapy
As you start to learn about hypnosis, you’ll see two terms used interchangeably – hypnosis and hypnotherapy.
Hypnotherapy is a form of therapy by a trained hypnotherapist to help ease symptoms or address specific problems. In hypnotherapy, hypnosis is the tool to address these issues. When you see a psychotherapist, they’ll use different modalities like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
For example, if you want to stop smoking, you’d see a hypnotherapist for a number of sessions. Hypnosis is the method that they use to help you stop smoking.
The thing to remember about hypnosis and hypnotherapy is that in order for it to work, you have to want to make the changes.
It’s not going to work if you’re fighting off the suggestions or finding reasons why the suggestions will fail.
The Top Benefits of Hypnosis
Now that you have a better idea as to what hypnosis is about, let’s take a look at the various benefits of hypnosis. You’ll be surprised by what you can do with your mind.
1. Improve Sleep
Sleep deprivation seems to be a part of everyday life. That’s partly why we love our coffee so much. The one area of sleep that hypnosis can help with is deep sleep.
A Swiss study found that women who listened to a hypnosis tape before resting were able to get more deep sleep.
2. Ease Pain
More people are looking for natural methods to relieve chronic pain. You can’t get any more natural than hypnosis. One of the benefits of hypnosis is that it can ease symptoms of chronic pain.
For those who have fibromyalgia and arthritis, this can be a good alternative to medications.
3. Calm Anxious Thoughts
Hypnosis has been shown to ease anxiety before medical procedures or going to the dentist. However, there hasn’t been enough research that shows that hypnosis can help with general anxiety and depression.
4. Lose Weight
Obesity in the US is reaching epidemic proportions. We can’t seem to figure out how to exercise more and eat less.
Hypnosis can help you make changes. For example, if you love to have ice cream, hypnosis can help you have a couple of bites of ice cream instead of a whole pint.
5. Stop Smoking
You know that smoking is bad for you, yet you can’t find a way to stop. In many cases, it’s a powerful habit that you just can’t break.
Hypnosis can help you replace that habit by changing your thought pattern around smoking and instilling positive habits.
6. Perform Better
Did you know that athletes see the benefits of hypnosis? If you’ve ever wanted to be “in the zone” during competitions, hypnosis is a great way to get there.
It can also boost your confidence and help you stay focused for a longer period of time.
How to Get Started in Hypnosis
Are you seeing how hypnosis can improve your life? Then you’ll want to know how you can use hypnosis to make changes in your life.
You want to work with a trained hypnotherapist. Someone who’s been board certified and doubles as a professional counselor. That ensures that you have someone who can help you overcome the behavior and psychological issues you’re dealing with.
The second thing you want to do is to make sure that they are experienced. The more years they have in practice, the more likely they are to have a good reputation in the industry.
You can verify that reputation by doing some online research. You can check reviews for different hypnotherapists to find the one that’s right for you.
Your first session can be a little nerve-wracking because you don’t know what to expect and how it works. You can visit this page for a detailed look at what happens in your first session.
Change Your Behaviors Today
People have been trying to change their behaviors and deal with pain in a natural way for years. There’s a reason why the self-improvement industry is worth so much.
There are a lot of benefits of hypnosis. We don’t even know all of them now because it’s still being studied. In the meantime, hypnosis has been shown to reduce chronic pain, improve performance, improve sleep, and reduce anxiety.
You can also use hypnosis to lose weight and quit smoking. You just have to find the right hypnotherapist and have a very open mind.
Would you like to know more about health-related issues? Check out the blog often for more great articles.