What is Hypnotherapy? The Basics

By Forrest Lamb CHT

See all Articles by Forrest LambSee Forrest Lamb's Expert PageGet Updates on HypnosisGet Updates on Forrest Lamb

I get asked the question all the time. When people ask me what I do for a living and I tell them that I am a hypnotherapist, they will ask me, 'You're not going to make me cluck like a chicken are you?' half jokingly, looking at me askance. I tell them, not unless you want me to.

This is the key to hypnosis, the client must truly want to make a change in their lives. Folks will ask me about stage hypnotists and whether that is real hypnosis or not. Well it certainly can be actual hypnosis and usually probably is, though I am sure that there will always be charlatans attached to the industry.

Assuming, that it is actually hypnosis, the only reason that it works is because the people on stage have all volunteered. They know they are going to be manipulated to do strange things on stage, yet they willing go up anyway. They are willing to have the experience and therefore are suggestible, impressionable. That's why it works.

If you have a session with a Trained and Certified Hypnotist/Hypnotherapist and you are willing to relax and quiet your mind, accepting the experience as it comes, you can expect to see results. I have worked with hundreds of clients and it is absolutely a rarity for someone not to go into trance; in fact I am convinced that everyone of them was in some level of trance. Any level of trance is beneficial.

When you relax and still your mind you are activating at a level of your consciousness where it is possible to Reprogram your Mind. We make the fundamental mistake of assuming that we know who we are; however we associate ourselves with the thoughts in our mind. We are NOT our thoughts.

We have all had thoughts go through our mind when we thought, 'wow, I would never say that! or I would never think that!' We are not our thoughts. How many of us have found ourselves speaking to our children and stopping cold in our tracks realizing that we were just saying the EXACT same thing that our parents used to say to us?

We are a bundle of programming that we are constantly updating and maintaining. Unfortunately, most of us are not consciously aware of the process and are lulled into the idea that 'this is just the way that I am' when they repeatedly behave in the same way in the same conditions. We are not our behaviors. Our behavior can be modified, we do this all the time, too.

We can be reprogrammed, in the exact same way that you can reprogram a computer. Just as software becomes obsolete sometimes, our programs (or strategies or conditioning) become obsolete. But when we have used a strategy long enough we believe that we are the behavior; an alcoholic, an ex-smoker, a manic-depressive, etc.

The subconscious mind is the key. More on that soon.

Profound Transformation is possible and all you have to do is relax... Remember, anyone smart enough to follow instructions can easily be hypnotized. If you're tired of drugs or you're tired of suffering, change is possible. I have seen hundreds of people transform before my eyes, I highly recommend finding a reputable hypnotist. Always meet with them first and make sure that you trust and enjoy the other person's energy. If not, find another therapist, trust is a basic necessity to successful hypnotherapy.