New Jersey Hypnosis: What Is Hypnosis?

Did you ever notice how you can look in the mirror one day and see that you need to live a more healthy lifestyle — but the next day go back to eating an unhealthy diet and not getting regular exercise?

Well, in most cases, your existing beliefs and habits control your behavior. We humans have such a hard time changing our existing habits, thoughts, and behavior purely through conscious thinking, and end up going back to doing -- or thinking -- what is stored in our subconscious mind.

This subconscious mind is very powerful, and its primary responsibility is to protect what it has accepted and stored. Hypnosis is a powerful tool for making dramatic improvements and fundamental changes in the way we behave and think (particularly at the subconscious level) and to better understand how, let's take a quick look at the three parts of the human mind.

New Jersey Hypnosis Therapist Explains
The Human Mind

1. The Unconscious Mind

When you eat a meal, you don't have to consciously think about what your body should be doing to digest the food, it just happens. When you're sleeping, you're not able to remind yourself to keep breathing, so your unconscious mind takes care of that for you.

The unconscious mind is the part of the mind that controls your breathing, your heart rate, the digestion process, and most other bodily functions. You don't have to actively think about these things in order for them to work — your unconscious mind automatically takes care of them for you.

The fact that our unconscious mind takes care of most bodily functions automatically allows us to focus our minds on our environment and the activities in which we are engaged — rather than having to focus our attention on keeping our bodies working.

2. The Subconscious Mind

The items stored in your subconscious mind control most of your regular daily behavior. This function is important because it enables you to live without having to hold all of your memories, beliefs, and things you have learned in your conscious mind at the same time. It stores permanent memories and acts like an internal library for all of the events we've experienced in life. It would be impossible to consciously remember every experience that has passed through our senses, so our subconscious mind stores this information for us.

Think of it like the hard-drive in your computer and instead of software programs or computer files, it's storing memories, beliefs, and habits. And as your conscious mind needs certain information, the subconscious is ready to provide it.

3. The Conscious Mind

This is the analytical part of your mind that interprets and processes incoming information from your immediate environment, through your five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell). Your conscious mind acts as a gateway for comparing this continuous stream of new information with what's stored in your subconscious mind.

Rather than having to re-interpret everything you are experiencing every single time you experience it, your conscious mind and subconscious mind work together, comparing the new information with your existing thoughts and beliefs (based on past experience). Your conscious mind can accept this new information — or reject it — based on how it fits with what is stored in your subconscious mind.

This continuous interaction between your conscious and subconscious mind is what enables you to recall who your friends are, how to drive to your destination, and why you love your favorite foods.

If your conscious mind attempts to process information that is contrary to what your subconscious mind has already established as a belief, it's likely to be rejected. On the other hand, new information that fits with your existing subconscious beliefs is likely to be accepted without question.

This element of the conscious mind is called the "critical factor" and it is a key component of why hypnosis is so effective. According to the American Psychological Association, hypnosis the process by which "one person (the subject) is guided by another (the hypnotherapist) to respond to suggestions for changes in subjective experience, alterations in perception, sensation, emotion, thought or behavior." ("New Definition: Hypnosis" Society of Psychological Hypnosis Division 30 - American Psychological Association.) But in simpler terms, it's a state of mind where healing and learning take place simultaneously, at the subconscious level.

Why Hypnosis is So Effective

Hypnosis allows you to by-pass the conscious mind's critical factor, and begin to change beliefs at a subconscious level. It allows you to choose and store more effective beliefs, thoughts, and habits — that in many cases will make for a happier, more productive, life. And once you begin to change your thoughts and beliefs at a subconscious level, you will find it much easier to live the life you want to live – without that constant battle with your conscious mind.

How to have an effective hypnosis session:

1. Make sure you're in a comfortable environment, i.e., lying down or seated in a comfortable chair, at a comfortable temperature, and free from distractions like loud noises, flashing lights, etc.

2. Try to be as relaxed as possible before you begin the hypnosis session. Don't be in a hurry, in a state of extreme worry or fear, or in significant physical pain. Allow yourself to calm down so you can relax the "critical factor" of your conscious mind, and seek medical attention (if needed) before beginning hypnosis.

3. Be prepared to accept productive thoughts, beliefs, and habits that are better aligned with your desired outcome (i.e., better health, reduced stress, increased self-confidence, improved focus, etc.). You want to prepare your mind to anticipate positive change and look forward to real improvement in your life.

4. Anticipate that you will emerge from the hypnosis session feeling refreshed, renewed, and in harmony with a more healthy and productive state of mind.

Common Misconceptions About Hypnosis by New Jersey Hypnosis Therapst

Most of what you've seen in movies or on television about hypnosis are simply for entertainment purposes only and doesn't represent what happens in a real hypnosis session with a Certified Hypnotherapist. You may have been in your own state of hypnosis many times before while daydreaming, where you were so focused in thought that your mind was fully engaged at a deeper level, but your body was still fully aware of your surroundings.

• You are always in control while in a hypnotic state, fully using your mind at a subconscious level, and simply allowing yourself to be open to the suggestions offered.
• You will NOT black out or lose consciousness during hypnosis — in fact, you are still fully aware of your surroundings and you may actually experience a heightened state of awareness for periods of time.
• You will remain in full control of your mind and body -- during hypnosis you are simply entering into a deeply relaxed state. It is true that some people become so relaxed that they may fall asleep, but still maintain normal sleep-state consciousness.
• You cannot be controlled and directed to engage in strange behaviors while under hypnosis -- your subconscious mind is there to protect you, so you can't be controlled to do something contrary to what you want to do. While you're in a deeply relaxed state during hypnosis, you are also in a heightened state of awareness — and would immediately recognize if you received any direction that might be cause for concern. It is up to YOU to decide if you want accept these suggestions — or not — in respect to whatever positive changes you want to make (regarding your thoughts, beliefs, or habits).

Remember that you will achieve optimum results from a hypnotherapy session if you utilize my services.

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