If you’ve booked a hypnotherapy session or are thinking about making an appointment, you may be having mixed feelings. But congratulations are in order for taking the first step! Over the years, our ideas of hypnosis have changed as research emerges that there are benefits to hypnotherapy and hypnosis. Understandably, you probably still have questions about what you can expect at your session. I'm going to walk you through everything you need to know about your first hypnotherapy session.

The first question you may have is, “What is hypnotherapy?” Hypnosis and hypnotherapy are often confused, even though they go hand in hand. Depending on where you look, you will find different definitions. In simple terms, hypnosis is being guided into a trance, relaxed, or altered state where someone is receptive to suggestion. Hypnotherapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses hypnosis. Another question that gets asked often is, “Does hypnotherapy work?” Both the American Psychological Association and the British Psychological Society say it does. The APA acknowledged that hypnotherapy is an “effective therapeutic technique.” The success rate is up to you. If you walk into your session with an open mind and a yearning to experience the benefits hypnotherapy offers, then you will have a higher success rate. Example:

There is approximately a 90.6% success rate for hypnosis-based smoking cessation. The smoker wanted to quit and had an open mind, so the technique worked in an overwhelming number of cases. If you are only going to your hypnotherapy session because a spouse, partner, etc. is “making you,” well, it may not be successful for you. Hypnotherapy is an accepted treatment for: PTSD, depression, migraines, performance, anxiety, addictions, weight problems, anxiety, stress, OCD, grief, sleep, dementia, phobias, etc.

It can be used as suggestion therapy or for patient analysis.

This is What Happens During the Session

I will likely give you some tips about what to expect. I may even go over some of the things I'll want you to do to prepare. Make sure you listen to all the suggestions!

What is hypnosis like?

Many people don't know what to expect the first time they go into a trance. Remember:

Hypnosis is safe and enjoyable.

You will be aware of what is going on at all times

You cannot be persuaded to do anything against your own values You will be able to come out of hypnosis any time you want to. You are always in control of what you say and do.

You will not experience mental fireworks or get touched by some cosmic energy. What you will feel is amazingly relaxed; you will feel totally detached, that nothing really matters right now, that you could do anything you wanted but you can't be bothered, and that you just want to go on lying there and enjoying this amazing feeling. At the end of the session, you will feel deeply relaxed and refreshed.

 The Introduction-

Most clinical hypnotherapists agree that you are in control. Not the hypnotist. Not the therapist. You, the client, You will start your session by sharing what you want to do. I will ask you questions and observe you while you give the answers. You need to be honest with your hypnotherapist about your fears and what led you to be there in the first place. I need to know what you are trying to achieve before the hypnosis can begin. Some hypnotherapists may explain what happens to your brain in hypnosis. They may ask about your boundaries. They will explain your suggestibility and assess your suggestibility. 

The Induction

The induction is the relaxation part of the process that leads to hypnosis. You will be aware of everything around you and will hear everything I'm saying. What I use in the induction depends on the details and answers you gave in the introduction. I will use techniques that are safe but may entail many different types of language. I will be trying to find what works best for you, so it may take a few minutes. The induction can happen quickly or take up to 20 minutes. There are no cookie-cutter hypnotherapy sessions! Everyone is unique to the client.

After the induction is complete,I will ask a series of questions to determine the state of hypnosis you’re in. The Session- During the actual therapeutic session, the work takes place. 

Led by your answers and responses you gave in the beginning, I will begin with the changes you want to make. The language used will be specific to the change you described. You won’t want to run around the block without clothes or bark like a dog. You won’t have an urge to rob a bank. If you are seeking help to quit smoking, you won’t become a vegetarian when the session is over. 

Those myths are some of the misconceptions people have about hypnosis. The truth is, your hypnotherapist is a caring individual who is guiding you through your specific change process in your subconscious mind. With your permission only and when appropriate, I will give you a post-hypnotic suggestion (PHS) that is a trigger that specifies an action after you leave. PHS is a benefit to you for when your session ends or to use between sessions. Again, it won’t trigger you into robbing a bank or giving up animal products (unless that’s what you want it to do). 

Transition to Awakeness 

When I feel you have explored your subconscious mind and completed your change work, I will start to bring you out of the trance. It will be a gentle and slow process. You won’t “snap awake” like you see in movies. I will be watching you closely to make sure you are coming out of the trance without any issues. Don’t worry, the issue that hypnotherapists encounter is that their clients are so relaxed and in a pleasant state that they don’t want to come back! If this happens to you, I will gently help you with your process until you are fully out of the trance. I will then assess your mood and ask you some more questions. You will feel relaxed, and the change you made will start to manifest. 

After the session, I may suggest you schedule another session or provide you with more tools to use at home. I will explain what I did and the techniques I used to make you feel safe and comfortable. It’s important to do any post-session work that I ask you to do or schedule another session if you aren’t confident your hypnotherapy went the way you liked. Remember, you’re in control.