Hypnotherapy - Who Will It Work For, And Why?

There are many assorted hypnotic methods that are used to reach the subconscious mind to bring about change. Each method has its pros and cons. No two people are the same, so it stands to reason that the best results will be obtained by utilizing techniques that each person will have the most success with.

Most companies that sell hypnosis CD's offer products that consist of standard traditional hypnotic techniques. A few vendors offer much more modern and effective Ericksonian hypnosis techniques. And fewer still offer NLP techniques.

The newest and possibly most effective technique available is video hypnosis. Video hypnosis uses the latest Neuro-Linguistic Programming thought processes to create instant change in a hypnotic subject. Video hypnosis methods are not subliminal in nature.

With "Traditional Hypnosis," we simply make suggestions to the subconscious mind. This type of posthypnotic suggestion works well for someone who generally accepts what he/she is told without questioning everything. Most hypnosis CD's that are sold today are based on "Traditional Hypnosis" techniques. Unfortunately Traditional Post-hypnotic Suggestion is not very practical for people who are critical or analytical in their thought processes.

By contrast, Ericksonian Hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming techniques work more efficiently for most individuals in today's generation! This is because today individuals are taught to question everything, rather than just mimic what everyone else is doing. So these methodologies do work effectively on people who are analytical in their thought processes. Ericksonian Hypnosis and NLP are far more effective at reaching and influencing the subconscious mind. However, it can take years of training and experience to learn how to apply these techniques effectively.

With "Ericksonian Hypnosis," we use little stories, called Ericksonian metaphors, to present suggestions and ideas to the subconscious mind. This is a compelling technique, because it usually eliminates the blockage of and resistance to suggestions that is often caused by the conscious mind. There are two types of metaphors, "Isomorphic," and those of the imbedded command or "interspersal" nature.

With "Neuro-Linguistic Programming" (NLP), rather than using post-hypnotic suggestions, we use the same thought patterns that are creating a problem, like stress of nail biting, to do away with the symptom. NLP in the hands of a trained and experienced NLP'er can be very effective.

NLP Anchoring: Have you ever heard an old song and had it recreate feelings from the past? When you originally listened to the song, you were feeling those feelings, and they subconsciously became associated with the sound of the song. So the song became an Anchor for the feelings. Now when you hear the song, it triggers the same feelings again.

Anchoring can be a very useful technique. Suppose that you have a memory of being commended for having done a great job in the past. If you go back into that memory, you'll be able to recall the feelings of self-esteem that you had at that time. If you touch two fingers together while you re-experience those feelings of self-esteem, that touch will become an anchor for the feelings of self-esteem.

Now suppose that you want to create motivation to stick to a diet and lose weight. If you make a mental image of yourself with a thin, sexy body, and simultaneously trigger the anchor - (press the two fingers together again), your subconscious mind will associate the feelings of self-esteem to your mental image of you with the thin body and your level of motivation to lose weight will increase exponentially.

NLP Flash: This is a very powerful and effective Neuro-Linguistic Programming technique that can be used to turn things around in the subconscious mind, so that thoughts and experiences that used to trigger feelings of stress actually trigger relaxation instead.

The NLP Flash technique is also extremely effective for erasing conditioned responses. For example: If a smoker has a cigarette while driving a car, his/her subconscious mind will associate the two behaviors together so that he/she automatically gets a craving for a cigarette anytime he/she sits behind the wheel and drives.

The Flash will cause the smoker's mind to disassociate the image of a cigarette from the steering wheel and dashboard so that he/she does NOT get a compulsion to smoke just because he/she is driving.

With "Subliminal" recordings, the recording has dual tracks. One track contains a cover sound that is heard by the conscious mind. The cover sound could be anything from music to the sound of a bubbling brook. The alternate track contains direct suggestions that are heard by the subconscious mind. These suggestions are repeated many, many times during a session. Subliminals can be an addition to self-hypnosis programs. But Subliminals will never replace Hypnosis or NLP because they are not as effective! They don't even come close!! Some experts have claimed that it can take up to 80 hours of listening to a subliminal CD before it will have any effect on many people.

The last hypnotic technique that we're going to discuss is Video Hypnosis. Video hypnosis is the most compelling form of hypnosis!

The methods used in video hypnosis are based on the Neuro-Linguistic Programming technology, which works based on the utilization of a person's existing thought processes instead of suggestion. Over 70% of the population learns much more quickly and easily by seeing, rather then by hearing.

Think about it. If you feel a compulsion to eat or smoke when watching TV, it's because your subconscious mind recorded the video image of either food in your hand, or a cigarette in your hand, and then combined that image with an image of the television. You never spoke to yourself and told yourself in words to associate them together, true?

And that's why the Video Hypnosis technique is so powerful. It's not hypnotic in the traditional sense, relying on the spoken word; rather, it relies on transmitting images to the subconscious mind. And if you've ever cried when watching a sad TV show, then you know how useful video hypnosis can be at reaching the subconscious mind. With this method of treatment, results usually start with the very first viewing!

The Video Hypnosis / NLP modality programs the subconscious mind by way of a high-tech simulation process. This frees you of your compulsions and allows a smoker to quit without effort or gaining weight, and a dieter to lose their cravings and appetite. Results start with the very first viewing!