Simply stated, Hypnotherapy is any therapy in which the use of hypnosis is the core or focus of the treatment.

Hypnosis is a state of heightened relaxation, a state of high concentration, a time when one’s mind and body become exceptionally aware of each other and unify.

Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness. When you are under hypnosis your attention is more focused; you are more responsive to suggestions and you are more open and less critical or disbelieving. The purpose of hypnosis as a therapeutic technique is to help you gain more control over your behaviour, emotions or physical well-being.

Hypnosis was first used by Austrian physician, Franz Mesmer (1734-1815) – the namesake behind the term “mesmerized”. A fellow pioneer in England by the name of James Braid (1795)-1860) discovered that asking a client to focus on one object often set them into a trance. It was Braid who coined the term “hypnotized”.

A British surgeon by the name of James Esdaile (1808-1859) discovered that hypnosis was ideal for pain relief – and performed hundreds of operations using hypnotism instead of an anaesthetic.

In France, Emile Coue believed that people are responsible for their own healing. He felt that a client’s participation in his own sessions was the most important thing. Essentially, Coue’s philosophy stressed that one’s imagination is always more powerful than one’s will – meaning drugs weren’t what healed people, but belief of recovery was!

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) used hypnosis extensively in his work. Freud believed that everyone had an evolution of self, and hypnotherapy to him was a matter of working through crucial life stages. He also believed that traumatic situations affected one’s behaviour – especially if the situation was repressed.

A man called Milton H. Erickson, MD (1901-1980) was responsible for clinical recognition of hypnotherapy. Erickson is the reason that hypnotherapy has gained so much respect within the medical profession.

It is important to know that hypnosis and medicine are not the same but they are somewhat related. It really is only a matter of time until hypnosis receives its true recognition and becomes as mainstream as any other medical profession.

Hypnotherapy has the potential to help relieve the symptoms of a wide variety of diseases and physical as well as pychsymatic conditions. It can be used by itself or in conjunction with other complimentary therapies. According to studes by the National Institutes of Health, hypnotherapy may be used to:

Hypnotherapy is not a magic pill! It works best when the person undergoing therapy is highly motivated and willing to become actively involved in their own progress.