Dr. Nicola is now a Certified Hypnotherapist and we are excited to be offering hypnotherapy at RestorMedicine.
Hypnotherapy is a healing modality that has been around for many years, with roots dating back to the 1700’s. It was recognized by the American Medical Association in 1956, and has enjoyed significant growth in popularity and legitimacy since then.
Before we talk about what hypnosis and hypnotherapy are, let’s talk about what they are not. There are still some misconceptions out there that we want to address first and foremost.
Here are things that hypnotherapy is not:-
- Sleep
- A state of unconsciousness
- Being gullible
- Being weak-minded
- Being manipulated or controlled by someone else
- A loss of self-control
Many people have seen stage hypnosis acts and think that is what hypnosis is all about. But stage hypnosis has a completely different agenda than hypnotherapy – it is designed to be fun, for entertainment, and is essentially a comedy show.
In therapeutic hypnotherapy, the goal is very different. The goal in hypnotherapy is to put a person in deep relaxation, with the goal of introducing suggestions to their subconscious mind, to help them uncover and shift negative thoughts and emotional states, and move toward more healthy thoughts, emotions and behaviors.
At no point in a hypnosis session is the person out of control, or under the control of the therapist. In fact, all hypnosis is self-hypnosis – the therapist is the guide, the facilitator – but the patient themselves are putting themselves in a state of trance, or hypnosis, by deepening their state of relaxation, quieting their conscious mind, so that the subconscious can hear and receive the positive suggestions.
Therefore, hypnosis is:-
- An awake state
- A state of relaxation
- Imagination
- Exercise for your mind
- Rapport with your subconscious
- The ultimate display of self-control
Interestingly, in hypnosis we are in the brainwave state of alpha. This is the same brainwave state as during meditation – both create the alpha state, the state of relaxation, wakeful drowsiness and enhanced imagination.
Hypnotherapy can help people overcome detrimental habits such as smoking, overeating, and poor dietary choices. It can also help overcome limiting beliefs that hold people back from healing and optimizing their health. This can be so profound in people with chronic illness to help them work through the emotional, psychological pieces.
The subconscious mind is SO powerful in directing our body. What the subconscious believes actually plays out in our bodies. We are what we think, feel and believe. Hypnotherapy helps us to make those shifts at the subconscious level and that will manifest in the conscious mind and the body itself.
To schedule hypnotherapy with Dr. Nicola contact our office at 619 546 4065 or via email info@restormedicine.com. You can also schedule online at www.restormedicine.com.