I’m sure you know that hypnosis can be powerful.
Maybe you saw a hypnotic entertainment show, and were blown away by the amazing things that the hypnotist could get his or her subjects to do.
And perhaps you’re now considering using hypnosis on your own fears, attitudes, or even chronic pain.
The question is: How do you do it?
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Two Choices
The good news is, there are more hypnotists alive today than at any other time in history. It’s as though interest in hypnosis and self-hypnosis just exploded in the last twenty years.
That means that it’s never been easier to get information on hypnosis, from books and videos, to online courses and live classes.
So however you determine to learn the subject, you still have a decision to make, that is the title of this blogpost.
Do you go to a professional hypnotist for help, or is it preferable to use self-hypnosis instead? Which leads to the bad news.
It might be difficult to decide with any certainty, which is the best choice for you.
Self Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy - Different But the Same
Let’s look at the two primary types of hypnosis for a moment.
Hetero-hypnosis is the thing that most people think of when hypnosis is mentioned. Hetero means “other” and it indicates someone hypnotizing one or more people for some purpose or other. Generally, the term is shortened by dropping the “hetero” and we just call it hypnosis.
Self-hypnosis is just what it sounds like. A person becomes their own hypnotist and is also the subject.
The two methods are different from each other, because of who’s running the show.
Hetero-hypnosis requires a hypnotist who takes on all the responsibility of guiding the subject into trance, doing whatever work needs to be done, and then awakening the subject.
Self-hypnosis requires no-one but the subject herself.
She will induce trance and run the whole procedure, and she’ll also be the one experiencing it.
But even though the two methods differ in who the hypnotist is, they are also the same!
That’s because it’s generally agreed that to some degree or other, all hypnosis is self-hypnosis, because the subject is always a participant in their own trance.
Advantages
Let’s look at each style of hypnosis and find out what’s best about each one.
In hetero-hypnosis there is the obvious advantage of not having to do the heavy lifting. Even though a hetero-hypnosis subject still participates in the trance work, the preparation, induction, intervention and awakening are all the responsibility of the hypnotist.
The hypnotist is responsible for not just inducing trance, but deepening it too. She’ll also decide which method to use, in order to create the necessary changes the client wants to have happen. A good hypnotist will have lots of methods at her disposal, and will be able to change techniques without the subject even noticing.
If the hypnotist is well-trained, she’ll also be constantly calibrating the subject, watching and listening for changes and shifts that indicate to her that her methods are working…or not.
Let’s add to the list the fact that the hypnotist is a hypnotist! As such, she’s an expert due to her experience with a variety of subjects.
On the other hand, when you’re doing self-hypnosis, you have complete trust in the hypnotist. Even the most skeptical subject feels comfortable with himself.
If the hypnotist is well-trained, she'll also be constantly calibrating the subject. She’ll be watching and listening for changes and shifts in her client’s external behavior, enabling her to assess the efficacy of her methods and adapt accordingly.
You’ll also be able to work with your own schedule. This means you can do self-hypnosis at midnight if you feel like it.
Obviously, you can also do self-hypnosis in any location you wish, from a quiet forest, to a crowded airport.
Disadvantages
One immediate disadvantage of hiring a professional hypnotist is the cost. A consulting hypnotist will charge a fairly hefty fee; often several hundred dollars. If you have to return for follow-up sessions, it can get fairly expensive, very quickly.
And then there’s the lack of experience that plagues self-hypnosis beginners, leading to a lack of confidence. After all, it’s easy to check later and see if something has worked or not, but what about the hypnosis itself? How do you know you’re doing it correctly? How do you know you’re doing it well enough to get results?
It may seem like we’re no closer to a solution to the hypnotist vs self-hypnosis problem, but there is some good news…
The Hybrid Solution!
Taking all of this into account, both advantageous and problematic, we offer the following solution:
Why not do both?
By deciding to work with a professional hypnotist and do self-hypnosis, you’ll get the best of both worlds, with no downside.
A professional hypnotist or hypnotherapist can do much to make your hypnosis journey easier! Think of it as hiring a mechanic for some advice and insights, and then going back and working on your own car.
A hypnotist will be able to induce trance and let you know what hypnosis is like for you. You’ll be able to experience trance in a safe setting, and get a feel for it.
You can also ask the hypnotist to set up some post-hypnotic suggestions for entering trance. Once you’re in a deep trance, your hypnotist can provide simple signals you can use to go back into a very deep trance in just a few seconds.
A good hypnotist will be able to help you with any issues you’re dealing with, like insomnia, chronic pain, whatever. This is actually very powerful, because you’ll have a hands-on experience of how much hypnosis can improve the quality of your life.
This will increase your confidence in hypnosis and in yourself as well. Then you can bring this new confidence to your own self-hypnosis sessions.
A Warning
Even though it’s highly unlikely that you’ll harm yourself with self-hypnosis, it’s important to remember some cautions.
First of all, you should never attempt to work with a serious problem or psychiatric disorder without your doctor’s permission. Note that this applies to physical problems too, like removing pain. After all, pain is nature’s way of telling you something’s wrong.
It’s important to go slowly when you first apply self-hypnosis; whatever method you choose to use. By getting some small wins, you can then move on to more challenging changes in your life.
It’s a good idea to leave the big change work to the professionals. While it’s pretty easy to reduce anxiety, improve sports performance, be more creative, etc., there are things you should leave alone.
For example, if you have present-day problems that are traceable to a significant negative event in your past, it’s vital that you let a professional help you with them. The professional hypnotherapist has a box of tools that can get to the root of the problem and help to set you free.
So there you have it!
By combining the skills of a professional hypnotist with your own self-hypnosis sessions, you’ll be in the best possible place to make amazing shifts in virtually any area of your life.
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