Among people who are new to hypnotherapy, there seem to be two schools of thought. The first thinks that hypnosis and hypnotherapy are a bunch of hocus-pocus, while the other believes that one session of treatment is all you need to cure any issue. After decades of research and data collection, the first school is finding it harder and harder to maintain it’s skepticism. The second, however, is still accepting applications for enrollment.
A lot of times, people come to hypnotherapy looking for instant and lasting results for everything from quitting smoking to losing weight to finding relief from major mental illness. It’s understandable. We live in a one-day shipping, HD streaming, soon-to-be-5G downloading world that demands instant gratification for just about everything. From our entertainment and online shopping, to our mental and spiritual health, we want it all faster and faster and we don’t want to wait.
The thing is, hypnotherapy is a very fast and effective way of treating major psychological and spiritual issues. Many people report deep, profound shifts of perspective and behavior in a relatively short time. Unhealthy, lifelong habits are often changed by a handful of hypnotherapy sessions. This is often experienced after the client has already spent years in traditional therapies.
“Hypnotherapy is a powerful tool for learning and healing. But it’s not a magic cure-all.“
But this doesn’t mean there isn’t work to be done by the client. She has to be willing to be an active participant in her healing and change. Sometimes she has to be fearless and look deeply into the root causes of her suffering. Whether it’s an unhealthy habit or a lifetime of anxiety and depression, she has to be patient and committed to do whatever it takes to finding her way out of the darkness and back into the light of her true nature and being. Hypnotherapy is a powerful tool for learning and healing. But it’s not a magic cure all.
As with any therapy or treatment it must be a part of a larger, holistic approach. Following up a series of sessions with activities that support continued healing and self discovery are always advisable. Meditation, diet, exercise, journaling, 12-step programs, and even western medicine can and should be considered as supports to a happy, healthy life.
