Hypnosis, derived from the Greek hypnos (to sleep), is a mental phenomenon that has undergone a rapid demystification process in the last several decades. Before we even begin to talk about its history and its modern application, it is important that we dispel some very common misconceptions by stating that:

Hypnosis is not a magical form of mind control. It is a very natural, very safe, and very real process of mental and physical relaxation that enables you to access your subconscious mind in order to give it positive suggestions, recall memories, change basic behaviors, manage pain, and much more.

Hypnosis is a completely voluntary process. At no point can any form of hypnotism make you do anything you do not wish to do. This includes stage hypnotism.

Anyone can be hypnotized, as long as they want to be. Some people are capable of achieving deeper states of hypnotic ‘trance’ than others, but the only way to be completely unhypnotizable is by making the conscious decision not to accept hypnotic suggestions.

The phenomenon of hypnosis has existed for millennia. Various ancient ritualistic ceremonies utilized forms of hypnotism, often in conjunction with various narcotics, to facilitate closeness to ‘god,’ religious epiphany, or ‘out-of-body’ experiences. But on a much more practical level, deep levels of hypnosis can occur in any number of common daily experiences. ‘Highway hypnosis’ describes the trance many drivers experience on their home- or work-bound commute, during which the driver often arrives at his destination with little recollection of how he got there. A good movie or book often has the capability of hypnotizing its audience so thoroughly that readers or moviegoers become unconscious of the time or their surrounding environment. As we stare off into space during a boring meeting or class, letting our thoughts drift in all sorts of random directions, we are making contact with our subconscious minds the same way we would under a trained and qualified hypnotherapist’s careful guidance. The main difference between these forms of hypnosis and the kind of hypnosis that you get from formal hypnotherapy is that hypnotherapy guides you to make deep contact with your subconscious mind in order to achieve specific goals. These goals may be just to relax and sleep better, to improve your memory, to find something you lost, to reduce the pain of childbirth, to improve athletic performance, or possibly even to learn about one of your past lives.

Franz Anton Mesmer is one of the first major figures in modern hypnosis, coining the term “mesmerism” in 1779 to explain the hypnotic techniques he used to ‘cure’ a variety of maladies that ranged from pain to paralysis. While Mesmer was somewhat self-aggrandizing and his methods were generally scorned by the scientific community, he introduced relaxation techniques that hypnotherapists still use today. Doctor James Braid coined the term “hypnosis” (again, derived from the Greek word “hypnos” meaning sleep) in 1849 to define this state that he initially believed was closely related to a state of sleep. After further research he attempted to retract this term, realizing that his patients, even those in deep states of hypnotic trance, were still very conscious, carrying on complex conversations and describing their experiences in a fashion most impossible for a sleeping person. However, the term had already stuck, and despite its inaccuracy, “hypnosis” has become the publicly-accepted term for the condition that the American heritage Dictionary defines as “an artificially induced altered state of consciousness, characterized by heightened suggestibility and receptivity to direction.”

Today, hypnotherapy is finally getting the credit it deserves in the medical field as a viable treatment for many diagnoses. Clinical studies in the past fifty years have shown that hypnotherapy can significantly decrease all sorts of pain (chronic pain, headache pain, pain associated with childbirth, and pain from cancer, just to name a few), lessen the symptoms of respiratory and cardiovascular ailments such as asthma and hypertension, facilitate postoperative recovery, decrease or eliminate the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, and much more. Certified hypnotherapists are not legally permitted to “treat” these conditions unless they hold an appropriate medical degree, but the hypnotherapy industry has nonetheless boomed over the last two decades as many celebrities have endorsed hypnosis as a viable means of smoking cessation (Matt Damon and Ben Affleck), improved athletic performance (Tiger Woods), and general well being.

The process of hypnotherapy is completely harmless; in fact, it is most often a pleasurable experience, which begins with you and your hypnotherapist identifying and understanding the issues you wish to address and preparing you for the hypnotic techniques you will use to address them. The audio files we offer on this website work in much the same way; there is a short introduction that sets the goals for our session, and then we invite you to find a comfortable place where you can relax and listen to the rest of the session with as little distraction as possible. We then begin the hypnotic “induction,” which is the process through which we help you relax your body and mind, clearing your thoughts of any anxieties and discomforts, and opening a door into your subconscious mind so that you can begin to reap the positive benefits of your hypnotherapy session. After the meat of your session, you are invited to safely awaken out of your hypnotic trance, remembering everything that occurred and feeling positive and energized.