I started learning about hypnosis when I was studying Psychology at the University of San Diego back in the early 80’s. Since then I’ve come to understand that hypnosis is one of the most effective catalysts for positive changes anyone can use.

The Positive Changes You Can Expect

Some of the positive changes you can experience using hypnosis involve changing habits. For example, you can, like many people, use hypnotherapy to help you lose weight permanently. In fact, hypnotherapy has been shown to be one of the most beneficial methods for reinforcing new exercise and dieting habits that need to be created for weight loss.

Millions of people have quit smoking using hypnosis. Over the past half dozen years or so I have helped hundreds of people quit smoking using hypnosis here in my office in San Diego. While it doesn’t work for everyone it is a very powerful way of helping smokers quit. Scientific studies have shown hypnosis to be one of the best ways to quit smoking.

If you bite your fingernails or drink too much alcohol hypnosis can be a great way to help you replace your old, non empowering habits with new, more empowering ones. You can also use it for emotional healing as a result of loss from a death or divorce or becoming more confident in meeting more of the type of people you are attracted to.

What I’ve found is that hypnosis can be used for hundreds of positive inner changes, nearly anything you can imagine. Hypnosis is a very powerful tool for helping you move from where you are to where you would like to be. Sooner or later almost everyone who is looking to make positive significant shifts and changes in their lives explores using hypnosis to some degree or another.

How to Get Started With Hypnotherapy

I don’t know about other hypnotists but I almost never see anyone without talking with them first. The reason is that I want to make sure that they are a good match for my system. This means almost everyone makes a complimentary phone appointment with me first. During their complimentary consultation, they often ask end by asking, “How do I start? Then they ask “How much does it cost?”

The answer to how do I start is easy, you merely make an appointment. The answer to how much does it cost depends on what you want to work on. If you live near or around San Diego call me at (800) 989-6570 to set up your complimentary, risk free session.

If I think you are a good match for what I do then we can schedule a session to help you on your journey. If I don’t think we are a match I know many local hypnotists and will gladly lead you toward one that might be more suitable for your particular issue or personality.

How Do I find a Hypnotherapist if I’m Not in San Diego?

People who are looking for a hypnotherapist but do not live in San Diegooften ask, “How do I find a good hypnotist?”

First, although I believe that one-on-one in-person sessions are the most powerful way to make a shift, you don’t have to be in the same room to have it work for you. I often have sessions with clients over the phone.

If you don’t live here and would like to experience one-on-one in-person sessions you can start by looking for practitioners in local spiritual directories. You might try checking out massage schools in your area. They often have a program for hypnosis or know of people who practice. If you do not find any leads there, I would suggest turning to the Internet.

How to Hypnotize Yourself

Another question I often receive is “How about self hypnosis recordings, are they effective?” My answer is if you want to learn how to hypnotize yourself self hypnosis recordings can be very helpful.

So how does self-hypnosis work? It really works in the same manner as using hypnotherapy you just do it yourself rather than using a hypnotist. Although there are many great books on self hypnosis I’ll give you some basics here.

Self Hypnosis Made Easy

First, relax and quiet your mind. One method I often recommend is using progressive relaxation techniques. This is when you relax one part of your body at a time. Once your body is relaxed you need to relax your mind. You can do this by counting down from 50 to zero while taking a breath or while thinking about what it is you want to change. It is when your mind is relaxed that your own hypnotic suggestion can travel through.

Before you go through the relaxation stage you need to pick a positive suggestion that is simple and gives you the changes you are looking for. Although hypnosis is powerful, vague statements are not so telling yourself, “I am now rich” won’t work because it is too broad and may be too difficult for you to accept at first. Using the suggestion, “I am increasing my income monthly by $1,000″ is more specific and may make more sense and meet with less resistance.

Repeat your suggestion quietly to yourself, over and over. Make the suggestion in the present tense, not the past or future. You cannot make anything happen at any other time.

Positive Changes Are Within Your Reach

Hypnosis is a very powerful tool to help you make significant shifts in your thinking. This can help you transform your future and your life. If you are interested in these types of shifts then why not give hypnotherapy a try? It has worked for hundreds of people just like you and it can work for you too.

If you are interested in learning more about how hypnosis and NLP can help you make these shifts, or are just interested in how your subconscious mind works then download the complimentary report “Discover the Secrets of Your Subconscious Mind”. Click here to download your complimentary report. 

Wil Dieck is the founder of Total Mind Therapy, a transformation method that uses hypnosis and NLP to help you make the changes you desire. If you are interested in making positive changes of some sort then call (619) 293-3255 for a risk free, complimentary evaluative consultation. It costs you nothing and can help you make the changes you desire, quickly and easily.

What is Hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy is actually the use of hypnosis in a clinical setting. The word “hypnos” comes from the ancient Greek Hypnos who was the god of sleep. But hypnosis isn’t a form of sleep. It’s actually a mental state where you can easily absorb new ideas into your subconscious mind.

I have read definitions of hypnosis that defines hypnosis as “a condition of artificially induced sleep.” But this isn’t true because when a person is asleep they are oblivious to everything that’s going around them. For example, if you spoke to someone quietly while they were asleep the chances are they would not hear you nor would they remember anything you said. Hypnosis just isn’t like that. While in hypnosis you are aware and can hear everything that’s going around you. Hypnosis actually invokes the state of mind where you are highly focused but open to new ideas.

Levels of Hypnosis

There are varying degrees of hypnosis. Becoming engrossed in a good book or movie is a type of natural hypnosis. You tend to tune out everything and become mesmerized by the story.

Hypnosis works so well in tuning out external stimuli that it’s now an accepted method of anesthesia in some types of surgeries, blocking out the pain.

Science and Hypnosis

 The use of hypnotherapy has been studied in the Western world for over 200 years. Sigmund Freud actually used hypnosis in the early part of his career. He advanced the theory that hypnosis gives accesses to a less sophisticated part of the mind, what we now call the subconscious mind.

Innovations in science have been instrumental in helping us determine what happens in our brains during hypnosis.

Your brain puts out different electrical signals for different mental states, whether it’s agitated, alert, in varying stages of relaxation, or asleep. Research in the U.S. in the 1970s sought to measure the electrical changes that occur in the brain during the hypnotic state. It was found that hypnosis did alter the brain wave patterns and also the chemistry of the nervous system. This research allowed the researchers to determine which areas of the brain control which functions and determine which parts of the brain became more active while in a hypnotic state.

Research carried out in the former Soviet Union also established a link between the state of hypnosis and changes in a person’s physical and psychological state. They also used electronic equipment to measure the brain’s electrical waves and through this research concluded that hypnosis was a different “state” then sleep.

Recent scientific investigation has shown definite physiological changes take place while a person is in a hypnotic state. While in hypnosis the parasympathetic nervous system is switched on which slows breathing, heartbeat and causes the muscles of the body to become very relaxed. It’s in this relaxed state that hypnotherapy becomes useful.

These tests corroborate with scientific methods that during hypnosis we can virtually bypass the limiting beliefs of our conscious mind to relay our desired ideas and behaviors directly to our subconscious.

Once our subconscious accepts these new ideas, it can then direct our thoughts and actions to conform to the new data, attitudes, or beliefs.

Measuring Brain Waves

What is this electrical activity we’re talking about? It is the electrical impulses, measured in cycles that your brain puts out as it does the tasks you ask of it. For example, as you use your conscious mind the electrical waves your brain puts out are somewhere in the range of 15-40 cycles per second.  This range is known as your normal waking state. You experience this when you are reading, writing, speaking, calculating, using a computer or phone, analyzing, editing or planning. This is the state you are in most or all of your waking day.

When you are in what are known as trance states you are using your sub-conscious mind. This is when your brain wave pattern is in the range of 4-14 cycles per second. Trance states occur naturally as you begin to fall asleep or wake up. They occur when you are intensely focused or when you are distracted or daydreaming. Trace states also occur when you are lost in music, a good book, meditating or practicing martial arts or yoga.

A hypnotic state also occurs in the 4-14 cycles per second range. It merely uses this natural pleasant state of sub-conscious activity to cause positive changes in your habitual thinking that help you make quick and lasting behavioral shifts.

How Does Hypnotherapy Work?

Over your life you have learned certain beliefs and behaviors. These behaviors are also known as habits. While habits like brushing your teeth are good for you and the people you talk with regularly, habits like picking your nose may not be as well received. The key point here is these habits, like much of your behavior, is learned, and if one behavior can be learned another can be learned to replace it. That’s where hypnosis comes in. Hypnosis helps you learn new empowering behaviors. That’s the secret. Hypnosis helps you learn new and empowering behavior. It helps you program your mind for success.

In a hypnotherapy session the hypnotist helps you relax your mind and body. The reason for this is in this state the limiting beliefs of your conscious mind are subdued. At the same time the imagination and creativity of your subconscious mind are enhanced. You tune out all distractions and focus sharply on the thoughts and ideas you are working on. This process allows your subconscious mind to be highly accepting of new, positive ideas. This can help you experience change in your thinking that can causes quick and lasting shifts in your behavior.

If you would like more information on hypnosis or on your subconscious mind you can receive a complimentary 29 page report titled “Discover the Secrets of Your Subconscious Mind” at absolutely no charge. Just click here to download your copy of “Discover the Secrets of Your Subconscious Mind” today.

Wil Dieck is the founder of Total Mind Therapy. He is a NLP practitioner and professional hypnotist. His office is located in San Diego,California. He is a leading authority on using hypnosis and NLP to help people make quick and lasting life transformations. If you interested in learning more about Total Mind Therapy or would like a risk free evaluation to determine how Total Mind Therapy could benefit you, call (619) 293-3255.