It is a pity. But unfortunately hypnosis and hypnotherapy got off to a bad start. Frederick Anton Mesmer's exaggerated claims for hypnosis, or what he called "animal magnetism", and his sensational approach made it difficult for mainstream science to accept hypnosis for over 150 years. Stage hypnotists who "turn people into chickens" through hypnosis for the delight of the audience don't help hypnotism's cause either. Nor does fiction like Trilby with its sinister hypnotist Svengali  or movies like The Hypnotic Eye and the more recent Stir of Echoes. Little wonder it wasn't until 1957 that the American Medical Association endorsed hypnotism and hypnosis as a valid and useful treatment modality. The challenge of correcting the public's misunderstanding of hypnotism is ongoing. Hopefully this website and others like it are helping to educate a broader audience about the many benefits of hypnosis.

Here are a few commonly asked questions and their answers about hypnosis.

What is hypnosis?

First, it is important to understand that  hypnosis is a separate, altered state of consciousness. You are not asleep. You are not awake. You are in a "trance" for lack of a better word. A trance is a state of mind
in which a hypnotized client is able to free his or her mind from the constraints of their five senses and preconceptions. The client in hypnosis experiences his or her simple, core consciousness. Typically the sensation is described as relaxing, blissful, dreamy or "I just felt different".  Hypnotism is the process of inducing a hypnotic trance or state of hypnosis.

What is hypnosis not?

Well, the picture says it all. Hypnosis is not about being under someone's control. You are not in more control of yourself. Movies like Svengali with John Barrymore and even today's stage shows give an entirely incorrect image of hypnosis. An image that sadly has stopped many people from getting the help they need from a qualified, consulting hypnotist.

What is hypnotherapy?

A defining aspect of hypnosis is an increase in the client's suggestibility and ability to concentrate. Hypnotherapy makes use of these qualities to help a client literally change his or her mind removing limiting, unproductive beliefs and perceptions. These then become the client's foundation for thought and behavior allowing virtually limitless change.

Does the client give up control to the hypnotist
during hypnosis?

Actually, you gain control during hypnosis by easily making the changes that you want through hypnotherapy. It is a well documented fact that people cannot be made to perform acts under the influence of hypnosis  contrary to their personal values. A hypnotist or hypnotism cannot make you violate your moral/ethical code.

Who can be hypnotized?

Just about anyone. The requirements to achieve hypnosis are a comfortable, ideally quiet room and a person of average intelligence who is willing to become hypnotized. The only question is the ease with which you will achieve an effective state of hypnosis. Hypnosis and hypnotherapy are not contests of wills. Rather they are a cooperative endeavor in which the hypnotherapist is a knowledgeable guide, nothing more.

Does hypnosis really work?

The short answer is YES. Successes achieved through hypnosis can be startling. It may very well help you make the change you want on the very first session. We suggest you consider multiple sessions to assure that you enter a deep, fully effective state of hypnosis and to reinforce and modify treatment according to what your day-to-day experience is between sessions.

How much will my hypnotherapy treatment cost?
 

The number of hypnosis sessions required for a dramatic, lasting change is dependent on the problem to be addressed and your aptitude for hypnosis.  A single session of hypnotherapy costs $85 and includes a free audiotape recording of your actual session. You will find a more detailed explanation of costs by clicking your cursor on: Hypnosis is Affordable Therapy.

Can I handle more than one issue in a hypnosis session?

Generally, it is wisest to deal with one issue at a time.

My wife, husband, sister, brother, doctor, son, daughter, etc. wants me  to stop smoking, lose weight, be less angry, stop gambling, etc?  Will hypnosis make me want to do what they want?

These are examples of how hypnosis and hypnotherapy cannot make you violate your fundamental values or go against your deepest desires. If you want to make a change hypnosis will help you accomplish it even if  you don't think you can, but you must be receptive to hypnosis working. All you must bring to the first session is willingness. Hypnosis and hypnotherapy will do the rest. No one has a right to impose their will on you while in trance state. What's more you'll be glad to know it cannot be done.

How about hypnosis for cigarette smoking?

One day, 3-hour group hypnosis programs often promise you will quit after one session. Sometimes these work just fine. Usually they do not and people are tempted to think that hypnosis isn't really effective against tobacco addiction. This is not true. Hypnosis is an effective way to quite smoking, either alone or in conjunction with other support techniques.

Unfortunately, many people who could achieve excellent results are discouraged from using individual, one-on-one hypnosis over several sessions as a reaction to unsatisfactory experiences in a group context.

I believe the people who do not achieve results in these sessions either were not truly hypnotized and got lost in the group or had specific reservations about quitting which could not be addressed in a group setting.

There is also a third category of person who has trouble achieving success with group sessions. These are people who didn't really want to quit in the first place. Their husband, wife, doctor, or someone else sent them, maybe even paid for their admission ticket. People in this category use their participation in the group as a "smoke screen" in their efforts to keep smoking while placating the anti-smoking advocates in their life. It can be a very handy gesture to be able to say "See, I even went to a hypnotist. Nothing works. I guess I'm just one of those people who can't kick it."

However, quitting smoking through hypnosis does work. It also doesn't require what people normally think of as willpower; but it does require "willingness power."  The client must want to want to live life without tobacco and be willing to allow hypnosis to make it possible, if not easy. 

I do not require that you stop smoking at or before your first office visit. Though it is naturally preferable that you do. Several days between Session One and Session Two gives you a second chance if you weren't ready. It also lets you deepen your identity as a non-smoker after you have freed yourself from nicotine.

What about hypnosis for weight loss?

It is relatively easy to hypnotize someone to stop smoking once they have decided that they want to. It is like turning a light switch off. When it is off, it is off. There is no question. The person is a non-smoker. But with weight control and so many other issues, we are working in grey areas. It is hardly practical to stop eating entirely. There are many variables: Time of day. Types of food. Special events. How much is too much issues. And so on. However, I have developed a unique hypnotic approach which is delivering literally amazing results. Multiple sessions and audiotapes of sessions are added insurance. They allow me to tailor the program to your specific issues for lasting, lifetime results.

Preview my new book The Hypnotic Coach with lots more information and answers - click here

Have more questions about hypnosis? Whether hypnosis is right for you? Whether you will be easily hypnotized?

Contact by Phone:

 508-336-4242 for my office in
 Seekonk, MA at The Tree of Life Wellness Center.

 401-374-1890 for my office on
 Post Road in Warwick, RI.

Or feel free to email me at john.koenig.hypnotist@live.com

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 Here is a link to a site that offers a comprehensive list
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for those interested in exploring hypnosis further.