Before I began training in hypnotherapy, I used to listen to pre-recorded hypnosis tracks – build confidence, eliminate stress, find love, you name it. I was fascinated. When we consider recordings vs a live hypnosis that is tailored for you, there is a lot to think about.
What is hypnosis?
Some hypnotherapists only do the very core function of reciting or adapting a script to suit the client’s problem. It is hypnosis, as you would imagine it to be… lie back, relax, listen to positive suggestions which will appeal to your unconscious mind to change its behaviour. There is nothing wrong with that, and certainly many studies into hypnotherapy have explored this very core function with positive results. But this type of hypnotherapy could probably be swapped for a pre-recorded hypnosis without losing too much impact, depending on how well you manage to reach and maintain a state of relaxation without assistance.
Hypnosis by definition is a form of suggestion. A palatable and helpful suggestion, as opposed to one which may be unwelcome. A person doesn’t need to be lying back with their eyes closed to receive suggestion. Hypnosis has also been defined as focused attention onto one thing, to the exclusion of all else. So, if you are in deep meditation for example, that could be considered a form of hypnosis.
What is a live hypnosis session made up of?
However, I consider live hypnosis to be far more complex than making fairly obvious suggestions to someone who is in a relaxed state. Some of my colleagues engage only in conversational hypnosis. The telling of stories or metaphors is a prime vehicle for hypnosis, where the client does half the work in forming associations from the story, in order to create a personal meaning. This is due to the fact that the conscious mind cannot, not, self-reflect. In other words, we are designed to question ourselves. This is quite a different picture to the person sitting in the chair with their eyes closed, listening to someone telling them that they are confident, for example.
In a live hypnosis, vs a recording, many hypnotherapists will use metaphor, relaxation and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), along with other mindset tools to manage symptoms of the problem, such as focused techniques for managing symptoms of anxiety. The actual traditional hypnosis will be one part of the process, and not necessarily the main attraction. It will come down to what the client responds to best. In a live hypnosis also, where the traditional use of suggestion is taking place, the hypnotherapist can assist the client to get into the right state. This is something that is difficult for some people to achieve on their own. Many simply fall asleep to the recording, instead of having both their conscious and unconscious minds engaged, which is the ideal state.
Am I wasting my money buying hypnosis recordings?
Hypnosis recordings are fairly cheap now a days, if you buy the downloads and not the CDs. If you are curious, you might want to try it. As I mentioned, research has been done on hypnotic suggestion alone and it has yielded good results in many cases. But is you really want to resolve your issue, you might be one of the majority of potential clients who needs a more thorough approach, incorporating hypnotic suggestion along with a range of tools and techniques. If that’s the case, drop me a line to arrange a chat.