Hypnosis is...

by Heidi A. Bernhardt, MA, CH

The Awakened Heart

Hypnosis is a powerful tool for personal change that is applicable to a variety of emotional and physiological issues, such as relaxation training, stress reduction, co-dependency issues, memory and learning, sports performance, eating disorders, relationships, pain control, dental anesthesia, AD/HD, premenstrual syndrome, phobias, insomnia, wellness, hypno-birthing, abundance, and more!

First, let’s take the mystery out of hypnosis. It is a completely natural state of mind. Although you may not have been formally hypnotized before, you have experienced the state of hypnosis numerous times. To really understand what hypnosis is, or isn’t, we need to know what really happens in your mind during hypnosis.  For the moment, imagine dividing your mind into two parts. One part is the conscious mind, which involves those things you are fully aware of and focusing on at any given moment, the other is the subconscious mind, which stores all of our experiences, without us being aware of all of the feelings and emotions that may be associated with a given experience.  You are in your subconscious mind when you daydream, are involved in a creative endeavor or a memory or are acting on an old habit. During hypnosis, the subjects mind and body are very relaxed. In this state, the probability for personal change is heightened by the mind. Through hypnosis and the creative force of visualization, a non-judgmental state of being develops. As the client is open to positive, supportive suggestions, positive changes can occur.

There are endless examples of people who have healed dis-ease, overcome bad habits and created positive changes simply by thinking it into being. It is amazing and exciting; the subconscious mind always wins. It is designed to create images into reality; hypnosis enables us to see ourselves as we desire to become...soon after, the changes become readily available in our everyday health and behavior.

Utilizing the power of the mind, and its connection to body is a wonderful gift available to each of us. Each thought we choose to think is creating our future. Hypnosis provides us with a time and place to think only supportive, desirable thoughts, and quickly leads to transformation. May you find hypnosis to be an invaluable tool as you recognize your true power to achieve health and balance in every area of your life!