When one thinks of hypnosis, what comes to mind? A lot of popular answers are probably inspired from pop culture, with ‘magic’ tricks that induce sleep and allow the hypnotherapist to ‘mind control’ the patient to do their bidding. It makes for fun fiction and screenwriting, but clinical hypnotherapy is a completely different kettle of fish from how it’s often been portrayed on film and television.
Different Strokes for Different Folks
It’s easier to start a good habit than it is to break a bad habit, and ain’t that the truth. If you’ve ever tried quitting smoking, for example, surely you’ve had killer cravings with certain triggers like having a cup of coffee or when drinking with friends. The desire to quit may still be there, but the cravings can be so hard to stave off.
People try all sorts of things to break their bad habits. With smoking again as the example, there are some great books that can help kill cravings and of course there are nicotine patches and vape pens to help. But when all options have been exhausted and it seems that there’s nowhere else to turn, people often turn to hypnotherapy and have surprisingly excellent outcomes as a result.
There’s a bit of hype around hypnotherapy, as mentioned above in the introduction. We might think of it as mind control or magic tricks, but it’s nothing of the sort – even if the outcome can seem like magic at times!
Hype Around Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy has gotten a fair bit of attention in recent years, with many famous celebrities having claimed to have used hypnotherapy themselves. Lilly Allen, Geri Halliwell, and Orlando Bloom have all used hypnotists for various reasons, with Orlando Bloom having visited a hypnotherapist as a child to overcome an extreme addiction to chocolate!
This is nothing new. Many famous people in history have used hypnotherapy, as well. Mozart supposedly wrote his opera Cosi fan tutte whilst hypnotised and Albert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity came to him whilst under hypnosis, and Tiger Woods uses hypnosis for improved focus whilst golfing.
Does this celebrity ‘endorsement’ mean it’ll work on you? Hypnotherapy has been shown to have excellent benefits for many, but the results can never truly be guaranteed. Nevertheless, hypnotherapy remains a perfectly valid and practical non-surgical method of treating things like gaming addiction, gambling, cigarettes, alcohol, or simply to improve confidence and self-esteem by directly addressing the triggers rather than slapping a plaster over the symptoms.
Does it Live Up to the Hype?
Hypnotherapy can have superb results for many practical reasons, since it digs deeper than the surface level and instead works by addressing triggers for behaviours. When compared to psychology sessions, the success rate can vary but the cost can be far more attractive and worth considering.
Furthermore, since hypnotherapy is non-invasive and non-surgical, there is nothing to lose by trying out a session or two to see how it works for you. Sessions can be adjusted to meet your schedule and personal preferences, and a good hypnotherapist will also be able to provide techniques and materials such as audio files for time between sessions so that patients can get the most from their hypnotherapy sessions.
Melbourne Hypnotherapy Clinic
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