Many people want to know if hypnosis works before they try it. The short answer is yes, and answering this in a more detailed and accurate way is difficult. However, the comments below represent a "best attempt"...
The following makes it more likely hypnosis will work for you: 1. Are you highly motivated to change? The more motivated you are to behave/think/react differently the greater the likelihood it using hypnosis will help you accomplish your goals. Some people want to alleviate their symptoms without changing their behavior. For example, "make me lose weight so I can feel better and look the way I want, but I don't want to exercise, change the foods I eat, or plan my meals." Those folks are less likely to succeed. If you are truly willing to engage new behaviors you are more likely to succeed. (As an aside, it should be noted that exercising, changing foods, and planning meals is not the "prescription" to weight management given to you by the hypnotherapist, but it might be an example of what you decide, using hypnosis, would work best for you. Using the hypnosis further should increase your ability to engage these behaviors and reduce your resistance, if these are the behaviors you decide to engage.) 2. A mental block that impedes your progress. Hypnosis is geared for this. If you have taught yourself to fail at something, you can teach yourself to succeed. Hypnosis, in essence, retrains the brain, and is very successful in these cases. 3. Hypnotizability. (See FAQ: "Can I be Hypnotized?") 4. Specificity. Goals that are useful are specific. For example, I want to become smoke free, or I want to lose 20 pounds in three months, or I want to eliminate my fear of public speaking. (See below for examples of less specific goals.) Your hypnotherapist can help you specify your goals.
The following makes hypnosis less likely to succeed, or makes success harder: 1. Physical limitations. For example, wanting to play basketball like a professional while nursing heart disease. A more useful goal would be to improve your jump shot. 2. Some mental illnesses. Hypnosis is contraindicated for more serious mental illnesses, and should be discussed with your hypnotherapist before engaging the process. However, some mental illnesses can benefit from hypnosis. Please discuss your concerns with your hypnotherapist. 3. Lack of desire to truly make changes. Sometimes people come to hypnotherapy sessions to "check it out". If you are there to test the process, that is the goal you will accomplish, not the one for which you are allegedly there. Also, sometimes people want something to "make" them change their behaviors (as mentioned above). This fosters the belief that hypnosis can work like taking a pill. That is not the case. Hypnosis will help set you on the right track, diminish your resistance, and enhance your capability of accomplishing your goals; it will not "make" you do anything you do not want to do. It will be important to assess your motivation before proceeding. 4. Lack of specificity. For example, "I think I want to feel better" (Do you "think" you want to feel better or do you want to feel better? What does "feel better" mean?), or "I want to cut back on my smoking" (To what? How many cigarettes do you want to smoke per day? When is it okay for you to smoke?), or "I want to try to lose some weight" (Do you want to try or do you want to do it? How much weight? Over what period of time?) Sometimes asking these questions can clarify goal, or help a person determine that he or she is not yet ready to make a change.
Hypnosis is a tool to be used with other tools to help you accomplish your goals. You might receive homework and need to engage other behaviors to support your goals. It is important that you follow through. If you truly desire change, and are willing to go to any lengths to succeed, you will accomplish your goals. Call your local hypnotherapist for more information.
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