[missminnie]

Hello,

So i know a hypnotist, he is a registered hypnotist, took all the courses etc so he is an official hypnotist and does many shows and also hypnotherapy. I was a part of one of his group shows before but never in one of his hypnotherapy session. He recently told me that he just recently took a course for using hypnotherapy on people who have depression and anxiety. I'm a bit skeptical towards it.

Have any of you done hypnotherapy before? If so, did it make you feel any better?

Thanks,
missminnie

I am getting ready to call a few and look into it further for these awful dreams I have that create terrible anxiety the next day...my klonopin I take at night tends to keep them away, but when I have them (ie, fell asleep w/out the med), I can't EVER remember them, they are just an incredibly anxious "ball" of images.
My T thought it was something hypnotism could help with (although I was the one to mention it as an option first). I did talk to someone who has been doing hypnotism for many many years and is certified, etc, but he doesn't take my insurance, so I have to look elsewhere. I do believe it helps with all sorts of conditions, and I am definitely going to try it once I find the right dr.
I am curious about people's general experience as well.

[Sam2]

From what I understand, you cannot be hypnotized if you don't want to be. I don't know if its true. Personally, I don't think i would want to give someone free rein to my mind. i'd only do it if I knew the person well and fully trusted them.

Post hypnotic suggestions can be planted during hypnosis, because you are in a vulnerable and very suggestable state. A good hypnotist is careful with thier questions, because if asked wrong, they will only get an answer based on what they subject thinks they want to hear.

If you do decide to let this person hypnotize you, make sure you look into his credentials and perhaps find out what other patients thought of their experience with him if possible.

Either way, let us know if the experience was a good one. I'm sure there are many people that have thought about it and would like to know if it works.

Sam2

Originally Posted by Sam2

From what I understand, you cannot be hypnotized if you don't want to be. I don't know if its true. Personally, I don't think i would want to give someone free rein to my mind. i'd only do it if I knew the person well and fully trusted them.

Post hypnotic suggestions can be planted during hypnosis, because you are in a vulnerable and very suggestable state. A good hypnotist is careful with thier questions, because if asked wrong, they will only get an answer based on what they subject thinks they want to hear.

If you do decide to let this person hypnotize you, make sure you look into his credentials and perhaps find out what other patients thought of their experience with him if possible.

Either way, let us know if the experience was a good one. I'm sure there are many people that have thought about it and would like to know if it works.

Sam2

True, you have to want to be hypnotized.
From what I have read and have understood from conversations, they don't have full control over you and can't take full advantage of you (post hypnotic suggestions are like the idea you cluck like a chicken when you hear a word, and I was told that does not/cannot occur)...and you are still aware at some level of what is going on, so you will not just "do anything" the hypnotist wishes. The hypnotist T I spoke with explained it as such, and my own T agreed.

[allimsaying]

Ive done some self-hypnosis with positive results. Sometimes it takes awhile for the benefit to kick in. Good stuff.

[Arethusa]

But is the hypnosis long lasting? Or will you eventually get depressed again?

[allimsaying]

I think it depends on the intensity of it, in my case. Its simple. Get yourself into a relaxed state of mind, clear out all negative vibes, open yourself to some positive thinking, breathe and relax and repeat a positive statement about yourself or something over and over. Repeat it in time with your breathing. Any simple affirmation works. Do it for about 1 minute then slowly build on that til youre doing it for several minutes. You can do it several times in a day as often as you like. Eventually you will retrain your thought patterns to wander positively instead of negatively. Like I said, it takes time and repetition. Ive heard 3 weeks to alter an unhealthy habit but continuing to do this will bring greater benefit that lasts longer. Its not for everyone. Some people are sadly so down that even this wont work. but it helps some.

[allimsaying]

P.S. Its best to make the affirmation something based on truth. Something simple though, such as, "there is a light in my eye." Dont use hyphenated words or conjunctions. Use complete words, complete sentences, short ones. That will boost the strength of the statement and its impact on our thinking, and positions it as a fact, rather than anything with doubt. If you're visual, you can also use a picture that gives you 'feel good' feelings.

My new T said he had several self-hypnotism CDs, but sometimes you don't know what you get until you buy one and then you can be like "oh crap" if it sucks. He implied he would be open to loaning them to me (eek ...he is already loaning me books and I hate borrowing things), so I ignored that implication and asked some other question about them.

[allimsaying]

Sounds like something I would do. Maybe your library has some?