When you see a hypnotist portrayed in a movie, the script was presumably not written by a professional hypnotist, but rather by a writer who is calling upon his own interpretation of hypnosis. Presumably, that interpretation has been fed over the years by misconception. The product of his script continues to perpetuate that misconception. And so on it goes. It becomes a self propelling cycle of misinformation.

As for the media, we can’t really expect to see or read stories about the successes of clinical hypnotherapy. There’s no media value to such a story. It isn’t sensational and it doesn’t merit a space in the newscast. We already know that media is fundamentally a business, and that producers have a mandate to achieve a certain readership level, and therefore choose their features based on what they know will get ratings. They have to be selective about the angle they choose to feature. This is true of any news story or subject, and hypnosis is no exception. It’s an unfortunate reality in society that we feed on bad news and negativity, and drama. So what you see in the media is the sensationalism, and the burden of reporting factually on clinical hypnotherapy is left to those of us who know the difference, because everyone else is happy to believe what they hear.

We’ve come a long way, no doubt about it. But the dated impressions certainly continue to prevail. While both stage hypnosis and clinical hypnosis continue to build in popularity, clinical hypnosis does not elicit the same kind of mainstream media attention as stage hypnosis does. Entire campaigns are conceived to promote the theatrical effects of stage hypnosis. That’s the purpose, to entertain.

But clinical hypnotherapy doesn’t elicit that kind of attention because it’s not at all newsworthy, or dramatic, or sensational. It isn’t intended to awe an audience. Therefore it fades in the background and fails to make its essence understood, except to those who make an effort to find out.

The ongoing lack of awareness, lack of knowledge, or education on the subject is often evident in my therapy sessions. I usually investigate my client’s starting point before I proceed with their therapy. I like to assess their interpretations when they come to me, to identify what their expectations or fears may be. That way I know exactly where I have to start from, how many myths I have to dispel, how much foundation work I have to do before we can really proceed with therapy.

Essentially, the word hypnosis is just another word for relaxation. Yes hypnosis is brought on by suggestion, but it’s that deep state of relaxation that qualifies hypnosis. I sometimes use the term creative relaxation. When I say that, I’m referring to the fact that it’s the use of hypnosis that I call therapy. I’ve always defined hypnosis as just what it is, an altered state of awareness through deep relaxation.

Some people define relaxing as just taking time to read through a magazine or have a cup of tea. But really just changing activities is not relaxation. When you reach a state of total relaxation through hypnosis, you will see the difference. And it’s in this totally relaxed state that you can bring some balance back into your life. Some people call it recharging their batteries or use any other metaphoric term, but it all means the same thing.

Real, deep, relaxation used daily or regularly has a terrific effect on all our internal systems, far beyond what a coffee break can do.

As to the question of whether sleep is equivalent to relaxation, most of us know from experience that it is not. Experts even state that hypnosis, or deep relaxation, is actually more beneficial to the overall well-being than merely sleeping nightly. We know that sleep can be disturbed by stressful energies and that we can wake up feeling even less rested, less energized, than when we went to sleep. However a deliberately executed session in hypnosis, or relaxation, has you concentrating very pointedly on just that, relaxing. You lie very still, and you let only positive energy consume you. Essentially, when you practice self-hypnosis, you control the result by guiding the entire session. All hypnosis is based on total relaxation. This is certainly more beneficial than just going to sleep because you are tired.

Power naps are useful in recharging as well, and addressing fatigue, but during deep relaxation or hypnosis, you are also creating the opportunity to reduce or alleviate a particular ailment through concentration. Sleep, whilst absolutely necessary, doesn’t allow this opportunity. If you spend ten or twenty minutes a day or several times a week, practicing self hypnosis, you are sure in a few short weeks to feel a difference in your life, to feel more balanced, and more relaxed, and more in tune physically, emotionally, and in every other way.

There are probably hundred of ways you can achieve a deep state of relaxation, but they have one common element, which is deep breathing. It is a natural human occurrence that when you exhale, your body relaxes. This is a known fact, and a biological certainty. That’s why it’s the first thing that a medical professional will ask a patient to do when he wants his patient to relax.

In any type of emergency or panic situation, the victim is always instructed to take deep breaths. This is intended to calm, or relax the individual.

The more deeply you inhale, the more you will exhale, and therefore the more you will relax. So when we want to induce hypnosis, deep breathing is the first suggestion we make, typically because it starts to bring on relaxation. And when the person starts to relax and regulate their breathing, they will become gradually more relaxed.

We know also that when we sleep, our breathing slows and settles into a quiet, deep rhythm. We seek to achieve the same thing in hypnotic induction, to slow the breathing rhythm, because slowing our breathing slows down our system, and helps to bring about a shift in awareness. We achieve this state by slowing a person’s breathing naturally and comfortably.

Starting an induction with a few deep breaths immediately creates a shift, and sends the message to the person that now it’s time to relax. When you add concentration to the equation, you have a terrific recipe for hypnotic induction. Because concentrating on your breathing helps you become more aware of your internal experience. A person’s breathing pattern can often be a telling sign for a hypnotist that a subject has achieved a deep state of relaxation, and slipped into a state of hypnosis.

In my hypnotherapy sessions I don’t impose any set technique to deep breathing. Whatever a person’s natural breathing method is what they should continue to do. There seems to be a typical pattern of breathing in through the nose, while exhaling out the mouth. If that’s the comfortable breathing technique fro someone, that’s perfect. If it’s in and out through the nose, that’s also fine. Whatever you are used to or whatever comes naturally.

You can practice this on your own, at any time. Just concentrate on taking a few deep breaths, and you will feel your shoulders drop, and your heart rate will settle. This is relaxation and the basis of hypnosis.

The study of the human mind is an extremely complex, fascinating process of discovery. We know that our mind controls everything we say or do, think or feel. We also know that often times we feel a certain way but we can’t explain why, nor do we have the power to change how we feel even though we want to or know that we should.

Sadness or emotional pain of any kind is not typically a welcome feeling. But often we are powerless to overcome it. Intense mental struggles are essentially the battle between our conscious and our unconscious minds.

The conscious part of our mind is the part that we are aware of, that processes thoughts and images that we acknowledge and affirm. It houses our imagination and our creativity. But the conscious mind is limited by what’s around us, by what we are part of or exposed to.

Our unconscious mind is the part of our mind that is silently working all the time, processing and storing thoughts and images outside of our awareness, without our actual knowledge. It’s where the fundamental core of our beliefs, our views, our abilities, even our emotions and behaviours reside. It’s where we store our inner answers, the place we often refer to as “deep down”. When we use that expression, we are basically stating it for what it truly is, a part of our minds that we know is there, but we are unaware of what it is doing or telling us.

We utilize our unconscious mind continually, without ever knowing it. The unconscious mind is where the power really resides. It is where we can be influenced, affected, and moved emotionally. But we lack the ability to consciously tap into it.

Hypnosis takes us straight to that unconscious part of our mind so that we can tap into it, take from it, and apply what we’ve collected on a conscious level at some time later. Where hypnosis is effective is in the part of the mind that holds our fundamental beliefs. It is at that level of depth that influence can be applied effectively.

That is why hypnosis is directed at the unconscious mind, where it can have the most benefit. It won’t prevent feelings of sadness. It will help you tap into the core of the matter, and help identify it and draw it out on a conscious level, where you can deal with it more effectively.