Past, present and future

Past events of a negative kind, often cause a mental block in individuals and the experience often prevents them from moving on with the future. With a new year upon us, why not try to deal with the past, and have a fresh new start, in order to live the best life possible. Whether your fear, anxiety, depression etc. has arisen from people or situations, hypnotherapy, a popular alternative remedy, could help you reduce the emotional impact of past events and change the mental association surrounding and attached to a particular event.

There are two reasons why past events affect one’s present. Firstly, because of the associations in your mind you have towards the event, person, place or situation. And secondly, the amount of emotional intensity you have associated to the specific event, person, place, and situation. Hypnotherapy could change this and you could be free to move on with your life.

Where does it come from?

The term “hypnosis” derives from the Greek word “hypnos”, which means sleep. People that practise hypnotherapy are called hypnotherapists and they use exercises that harness relaxation and breathing to put the patient into an altered state of consciousness or a trance. The person will then be deeply focused and can respond to ideas or images, while they master their own state of awareness. By doing this they can affect their body’s movements or psychological responses. Many people, when thinking of hypnotherapy, think of people running around on a stage, clucking like chickens, but hypnotherapy can actually help with the release of negative emotions and memory, and not make a fool out of you.

What just happened?

Hypnotherapy can treat a variety of things. Studies suggest that hypnosis may improve immune function, increase relaxation, decrease stress, and ease pain and feelings of anxiety. It may also speed up recovery time after a medical procedure, as well as reduce the pain following the procedure. Hypnosis may also decrease your need for medication, because most needs are mental. A hypnotherapist can teach a client self-regulation skills, and can help clients manage chronic illnesses. Hypnosis, or self hypnosis, could enhance a person’s sense of control, which is often lacking in a time of distress over an illness.

During hypnosis the body relaxes and your thoughts become more focused. The person who is under hypnosis will feel at ease physically, yet fully awake mentally, and may be highly responsive to suggestions. The hypnotherapist will explain the process before they start and will then direct you through relaxation techniques, using a series of mental images and suggestions to change certain behaviours and relieve symptoms. Each session is approximately an hour long.

The Hypnotherapists

Chris and Elsie Britz, hypnotherapists at the Hypnosis Centre in Durbanville explained hypnotherapy in simpler terms. Firstly, they mentioned that people have general misconceptions about the therapy. “People are very concerned about religion. They will ask me or Chris if we are Christian,” Elsie states. “They are also afraid that they are going to lie down here and not hear anything,” says Chris, “and they think they will drift away to a nowhere land,” adds Elsie. “They think what they see on television is hypnosis, but these are only stage shows. And you get different types of hypnosis, but they have a misconception about what hypnosis is. They think it’s like brainwashing, and its not.”

Chris says that the “problems” people show up with the most is smoking, drug addiction and weight loss. His wife, whom he shares a practice with, says, “Those are the most popular concerns. And after that they will ask different questions, for instance after weight loss they would want to work on some personal issues. Also, with smoking, we concentrate on the cravings and the withdrawals.”

With regards to moving forward towards a better life and a new start, Elsie had the following to say, “People want to improve their lives, when they are ready to make changes, they will approach us, they will come here, especially with the drug addiction – we are the last stop. We all want to enjoy a richer, fuller and more expressive lifestyle, so yes; you’ve got certain things you want to address. Hypnosis can help people because, remember, we are not born negative, we are fed negative things, and we need to think positive.”

Chris stressed that not everyone can be hypnotised. “With people over the age of 70, it is very, very difficult, but anyone with intelligence and imagination, and that can relax a little bit, can be hypnotised. The reason that imagination is mentioned is because people need to imagine their bodies becoming relaxed; it does not happen by itself.”

“People who can’t be hypnotised are often people with hearing problems,” Elsie explains. “We have tried it in the past and they will try to follow your lips, reading your lips. The moment they start relaxing, they go under hypnosis, you lose them completely, because they can’t hear you. People with mental disorders are also a problem, because they usually can’t concentrate.” The husband-and-wife combo both stress that anybody who wants to undergo hypnosis has to be willing to do so.

The process of hypnotism often includes a consultation beforehand, and Chris and Elsie offer this consultation for free. “People are very scared,” says Chris, “but hypnosis is the easiest and quickest way to make somebody stop something, and I’ll put my money on it.”

According to the couple there are no side effects. They have been doing it for about 14 years and have never heard of anybody who experienced side effects. Elsie says “It’s because hypnosis is a natural state of relaxation and it acts on your mind and body at the same time. There are no side effects – it is not treated by means of medication.”

There are different stages of hypnosis, as Elsie mentioned. A light trance is anything in the line of staring or daydreaming, we all do it. A medium trance is what normal hypnotherapists practice, and a deep trance is usually used for stage shows.

“Of all my years of practising hypnosis, I could never hypnotise myself,” says Chris, when asked about his opinion on self-hypnosis. “I do not believe you can hypnotise yourself, what I do believe, is that you can sit and meditate.” Elsie says being a hypnotist is not a talent, you are not born with it - you can study it. She also mentions that “you can’t change the past, but you can get clarity about certain things that happened. It can be very emotional.”

It works!

A client of the Britz’s, Hercheline, said that she was sceptical about hypnosis. She also thought the therapy to be the same mockery one sees on television, but she still gave it a shot. “On the 22nd of May 2008, I received hypnosis to stop smoking,” says Hercheline who had been smoking for sixteen years.

“From the moment I walked out of the room I have never lit another cigarette. As I drove off I felt a peculiar sense of relief, I felt relaxed and energised. To my surprise and utmost relief, I did not suffer any withdrawals, cravings, altered eating patterns or mood swings. I was cured, plain and simple,” she says.

So not true!

There are several myths involving hypnotherapy, such as “you lose control”, when however, you are in a relaxed state of mind and are in fact more in control of your thoughts. Many people think that their morals or beliefs will be compromised, but the truth is a hypnotherapist can not make you do anything against your will. Another misconception is that a person goes to sleep, when in fact they will recall everything that happened. Many people believe a hypnotist is someone who is very charismatic, weird, or unique, but the opposite is actually true – eccentric people might well disturb the trusting atmosphere that serves to bring out a person’s trance talent.

Do it yourself

If the thought of going to a hypnotherapist scares you, you could always reach your inner calm by meditating. Anyone can meditate - you just have to “think” your mind into a deeper state of relaxation and awareness. There are many different meditation methods. At the core of meditation is the goal to focus and eventually quiet your mind. As you progress, you will find that you can meditate anywhere and at any time, accessing an inner calm no matter what is going on around you. You will also find that you can better control your reactions to things as you become increasingly aware of your thoughts, but first, you have to learn to tame your mind.

To start with, you have to set aside some time to meditate, try to do it regularly and consistently. Even if it is for five minutes a day, repetitive meditation can be very effective. Then, find a quiet and relaxing environment where you can sit comfortably on a flat surface. Keep your back straight as this will help with your breathing. You have to relax every part of your body and mind and keep searching for things that are not relaxed. Always let your attention rest on the flow of your breaths – count your breaths or repeat a mantra. Silence your mind. Once you have trained your mind to focus on just one thing at a time, the next step is focus on nothing at all, essentially "clearing" your mind.

The popularity of hypnotherapy is certainly growing, and with virtually no side effects, it is definitely worth trying out. It is a guided tour of your subconscious - be taken into deeper aspects of your mind for a wide range of goals like healing, overcoming insomnia, finding solutions to problems, weight loss, and so much more. A simple way to experience hypnosis is in the comfort of your own home in familiar surroundings through instant hypnosis mp3’s and videos. Happy relaxing!

“Many people think that their morals or beliefs will be compromised, but the truth is a hypnotherapist can not make you do anything against your will.”

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