Hey everyone, it’s Em & today I wanted to share with you my experience of hypnosis for stress relief because there are so many misconceptions about hypnosis, such as losing control while under hypnosis, sharing personal or secret information or being made to do something against your will. These are all false because all hypnosis is self hypnosis and it’s completely up to you if you want to be hypnotized. Hypnosis really is just a state of relaxation where your unconscious mind is receptive and open to suggestion and you can harness the full potential of your imagination. This could mean forgetting your name or a number in the case of stage or street hypnotism or receiving positive suggestions for dealing with stress in hypnotherapy.

So normally you would go see a hypnotherapist for a particular issue, in my case I was looking for stress relief. There’s normally a pre-talk where the hypnotist will help address any fears or concerns you have about hypnosis as well as go over what hypnosis is and some of the feelings and sensations you might feel while hypnotized. Then in this particular case the hypnotist had me put on a pair of headphones so I could focus more easily on the sound of his voice as well as lean back and relax. Next there is a hypnotic induction and deepening stage. The hypnotist had me take a series of deep breathes and then guided me through a process called progressive muscle relaxation where I tensed and relaxed each of my muscle groups from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. At this point my body was completely relaxed and my subconscious mind was ready to receive suggestions to help deal with my current stress as well as any future stress, this is the therapy or script stage. An anchor was also established for me to use in the future to feel that same level of relaxation and peace whenever I wanted.

The final stage of hypnosis is the wakening stage which basically takes you out of the trance and puts you into an alert and refreshed conscious state where you are completely able to go about the rest of your day with a clear mind. Afterwards we discussed how I felt and my thoughts on my experience.

Check out the video here: