Hypnotherapy is a great treatment option to use with, or without therapy, for various reasons. Read on to find out more!
Many have heard of the term hypnosis, and possibly even hypnotherapy, but often are unsure what it entails or how it can be useful. Although medical hypnosis has been a treatment since ancient times, in recent decades it has strived to position itself as an evidence-based treatment. Many studies have been conducted and outcomes show significant positive improvement with medical conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, pain management, cancer symptoms, as well as mental health issues like depression, anxiety, stress, and more.
Hypnosis v. Hypnotherapy
While under the same umbrella, hypnosis and hypnotherapy are very different. Hypnotherapy is an internationally-recognized therapy technique for treating mental and psychosomatic issues. It allows the thinking mind to quiet, and the subconscious to emerge through deep relaxation, which allows for a better understanding of the underlying issues the client is facing.
People's experience with hypnosis is often seen on television or by a performer who makes the participants do things they are not aware of doing, (e.g., bark like a dog while walking around the room). Hypnotherapy is simply a deep state of relaxation that allows your mind to quiet, but you are always in control of yourself. This means, you can sit up at any time, take a restroom break if necessary. Also memories are not implanted or suggested, as the client is fully conscious at all times.
What is Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy
“Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy addresses the mind, body, and spirit.”
Similar to counseling theories and techniques, there are various forms of hypnotherapy. Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy addresses the mind, body, and spirit that leads clients down a path or self-discovery.
Hypnotherapy practice is grounded in psychodynamic perspective, which believes humans store things in their subconscious. Sometimes we store random information like your childhood address, which holds no emotional value per se, but because I said that you may have now dug it out of your subconscious into your conscious awareness. However, some memories have deep emotions tied to them that are affecting our current functioning, without our even realizing the connection.
Counseling or Hypnotherapy?
I think of hypnotherapy as a tool. Hypnotherapy has repeatedly helped clients with issues heal more quickly. When combined with counseling, healing work can begin as quickly as one or two sessions. Hypnotherapy as the tool allows us to dig deep quickly and find patterns it may take us several sessions of conversation to gleam, it also gives clients resource skills to begin using immediately. Once we uncover that information, then counseling become important to work on issues more deeply.
"Think of the therapist as an archaeologist. Using traditional talk therapy, therapists must slowly remove the crust with toothbrushes, finally reaching the skeletons below after much painstaking work. Hypnotherapy allows you to tunnel directly down to the subconscious." (The Wellness Institute)
If you are interested in hypnotherapy, but already have a counselor you are seeing, you are still able to use hypnotherapy as a tool and keep the counselor you have! We would meet for only the sessions needed to prepare and conduct hypnotherapy. Some clients find a few sessions adequate, and some continue to come back periodically as an ongoing tool to help with their traditional counseling.
Hypnotherapy can be helpful for many things including anxiety, depression, PTSD, obesity, addictions, grief, stress, performance anxiety, migraines, stopping smoking, chronic pain, medical illnesses, cancer symptoms, and more.
To book a hypnotherapy appointment today, email me at bmontoyalpcladc@gmail.com.
Brooke Montoya, LPC-S, LADC-S, CHT
Inner Work Holistic Wellness & Counseling
10344 Greenbriar Parkway, Oklahoma City, OK 73159
www.innerworkhwc.com
To read more about the effectiveness of hypnotherapy:
1. Gillan, C. (2021). Review article: the effectiveness of group and self-help hypnotherapy for irritable bowel syndrome and the implications for improving patients' choice and access to treatment. Journal of Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 54, 1389-1404.
3. Bjorn, R., & Sven, T. (2011). Hypnosis in smoking cessation: the effectiveness of some basic principles of hypnotherapy without using formal trance - a case study. Journal of smoking cessation, 6(2), 83-84.
4. Muneeba, S. (2020). Integration of hypnotherapy with brief cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for treatment of depression. Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 70(4) 719-723.
5. Wickramasekera, I. (2007). Effectiveness of hypnotherapy with cancer patient's treatment trajectory: Emesis, acute pain, analgesia, and anxiolysis in procedures. The American journal of clinical hypnosis, 50(2), 201.
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