By Uma Alexandra Beepat, Lotus Wellness Center
Uma Alexandra Beepat
Hypnosis – you either like it or are scared of it. That is generally the reactions I have been getting since receiving my hypnosis certification in 2016. So of course, I have to write about what hypnosis really is and how it can help you.
When I first met my teacher hypnotist, I was fearful. You want to “put me under” and do what?! I shudder to think back to those early days of my ignorance and how uncomfortable I must have made him feel. I asked him every cliched thing in the book I could because, well, my knowledge of hypnosis was based solely on TV shows!
“Are you going to make me cluck like a chicken?” No.
“Am I not going to remember?” No.
“Am I going to look stupid?” You do that on your own.
But thankfully, Tim, my teacher, was a patient man and he suffered through my silly questions in order to educate me about his profession. Am I glad he did! When I met Tim years ago, we did a trade where I offered him massage in exchange for hypnosis. I was dealing with overweight issues and had a sweet tooth. To this day, I remember my first hypnosis session with Tim clearly and was so impressed with it, that I went on to take training through Tim’s program and become a certified hypnotist myself.
Here are some things to note about my personal experience with hypnosis:
1) I remember mostly everything said
Many times the fear associated with hypnosis is that we will be “under some type of spell” and not conscious of what is happening. Then the evil hypnotist can take advantage of us! Well, media had something to do with that because when I was hypnotized, I was very aware of what was happening, albeit in a relaxed state. To best describe it, I could hear car alarms going off and dogs barking, but I had no desire to move or respond, I was in such a peaceful state.
2) Hypnosis works!
Hypnosis works because while in the hypnotic state, a client is more open to suggestions. Our analytical and calculating conscious mind is resting, so the subconscious mind is in full play, and this mind tends to be more open and accepting of new ideas. If I could imagine my mind talking, it would look like this for me:
Hypnotist: You feel very happy when you are exercising, in fact you crave exercising, you crave it so much, you want to do it every day for at least an hour at a time.
Conscious mind: No way, dude! I have sciatica pain, do you know how that will hurt? And where will I find the time? An hour! Are you kidding me?!
Subconscious mind: Okay.
When Tim hypnotized me, we addressed my love of chocolate cake. Ohhh, it’s sinful. I can eat a whole cake by myself. I remember vaguely him saying that I don’t really care for chocolate cake anymore and it reminds me of sweaty socks. No lie, to this day, I can probably have a bite or two of chocolate cake but then I hear Tim’s voice about the sweaty socks and I stop eating immediately! This is four years later!
3) Changes are permanent
Just like my chocolate cake dilemma, other new behaviors have embedded within me. Hypnosis doesn’t address your conscious mind; it address the subconscious realm which dictates 85% of our behavior in real time. When you have one session with a hypnotist, you usually notice results right away. Hypnotists tend to offer a three-pack session when working because in each following session, they build on the first one to really anchor the suggestion. This makes the change more permanent.
4) You are awake and cognizant
If there was a fire in the building, I would jump up and run out with everyone else. Hypnosis does not prevent you from self survival or put you in harm. Remember in the subconscious realm, you are open to suggestions only if it is acceptable to you. If I was with a hypnotist and she tried to assault me physically in any way, I would stop her because I would not be open to that behavior. I explain this in detail to clients because there is the general fear about getting hypnotized by a male hypnotist and being taken advantage of. This is nonsense! While I can’t speak for all male hypnotists, I can speak for the few I know (Tim and Rob), and believe me, they are interested more in helping you overcome your addictions and problems than peeking down your shirt.
All in all, I have had some tremendous success with my hypnosis clients. I have worked on a woman who had social anxiety issues and she reported back that she went out to a bar with friends that weekend. I have worked on a man with smoking addictions and he quit after the first session. I have also worked on a woman with weight loss goals and she has lost over 20 pounds and now craves healthy foods.
Curious? Give it a try! I am including my contact info as well as that of one my hypnotist friends. We are here to help and hypnosis truly does work.
Uma: uma@lotuswellnesscenter.net
Rob: reikiwlb@gmail.com
