- Hey everybody, today we're gonna talk about hypnotherapy.
What is it, and why would someone want to try it?
But before I jump into that, are you new to my channel?
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But let's jump into this very interesting topic.
First, let's define hypnotherapy, or hypnosis.
Now, hypnotherapy is a form of psychotherapy,
which is what I practice, in which a patient is guided
into a deep state of relaxation, or a trance-like state.
And once in that, the therapist
works with the patient to help them create
the change that they're looking for in their life.
And this is done by the therapist
using different guided relaxation techniques.
They could use visualizations or even increased awareness
of their own mental and physical state,
all of which help us slip into the trance.
Once we're in that trance, a person is able
to shut off any outside noise, worry, or distractions,
and focus in on specific thoughts and tasks.
Since this done in such a state of relaxation,
it can be helpful to try out hypnosis
as a way to tap in to any memories or experiences
that may be too painful for you to recall consciously.
Hypnosis is almost always done in conjunction
with regular psychotherapy treatment,
such as talk therapy, CBT, DBT,
you know what I'm talking about.
Being in this trance-like state
makes us more open to suggestion and change.
So it is very important that you know
and trust your hypnotherapist.
Most commonly, hypnotherapy has been used for two purposes.
First is for suggestion, meaning that people
will seek out hypnosis as a way
to have someone help them change a behavior
they haven't been able to change on their own,
such as, I want to stop smoking,
or I want to overcome test anxiety, or stop biting my nails.
Many people have also reported using hypnotherapy
as a way to better manage chronic pain.
That came as a shock to me, to be honest,
but I could see how if we're easily suggestible,
it could make us focus in on
other parts that aren't in pain.
And the second reason is for analysis,
meaning that we would try out hypnosis
as a way to explore a very painful root of our issue.
For example, let's say that we could never really
process through the abuse that caused our eating disorder,
and every time it was just way too painful
and we would dissociate or completely shut down.
Hypnosis is just another option that can allow us
to finally get to the root of our struggles
and bring it into our conscious mind,
and they said that once that's done,
then we would need to talk that out
in our regular therapy sessions to process through it.
That's why hypnotherapy should, I believe,
always work in conjunction with regular therapy.
But it can sometimes help us tap into those
really painful memories that maybe we haven't been able
to get into with any other treatment option.
Since hypnotherapy has such a broad application overall,
they believe that it can be used for many things,
and the most common are phobias,
anxiety, depression, sleep disorders,
you can see why that would help, right?
If we're able to find a way to slip
into deep relaxation, it could possibly help us.
Also PTSD, grief and loss, and behavioral changes
like to stop smoking or I need to lose weight,
stop biting my nails, all sorts of things.
You can see how it could really be helpful
for many, many mental health issues.
But there are also many, many issues with hypnotherapy.
Due to the suggestive nature of it,
it's actually a very unreliable form of treatment.
While many people have used it
to uncover repressed memories, research actually shows
that the quality and the validity
of these newly found memories isn't very reliable.
Meaning that we're kind of like remembering things,
but they never really happened.
So hypnotherapy can even create false memories
simply because the therapist could lead us
or suggest something that they think is gonna be helpful,
but it actually guides us down a path
that it isn't really into the honest truth.
I'm not saying that this is done on purpose,
but being in that vulnerable of a state
can allow us to go along with whatever our therapist says.
And hypnotherapy is also not appropriate
for anyone with psychotic symptoms,
such as delusions, which if you don't remember,
those are firmly held beliefs,
or hallucinations, which are when we see,
hear, or feel things that aren't there.
But due to all of these serious concerns, right,
these are really serious concerns,
hypnotherapy isn't very widely used anymore.
While hypnotherapy isn't brainwashing
or a form of mind control, I don't want you to think
that's what I'm insinuating, but it can lead us
to create false and possibly harmful memories,
and even potentially make our mental illness worse.
And so it's recommended that anyone struggling
with a mental illness or mental health issues
seek out traditional therapy practices first,
since those are the ones that are supported in research
and have positive data that supports it.
Also, I just really think it's important to mention
that in order for someone to actually be considered
a hypnotherapist who can help you better manage
any mental health issues you're having,
they have to be a fully educated and licensed therapist,
and then they have to get a certification
or license for hypnotherapy.
It depends on the state and the country laws
whether it's a certification or a license,
so just know that you can ask them
what their credentials are prior
to making an appointment with them.
That's within your rights.
A lot of people ask to see my resume
prior to making an appointment,
because they want to know how I am,
why I say I'm a specialist and what kind of research
have I been involved in or what other credentials
do I have, or what was my training like.
It's completely within your rights
to ask for that information before seeing someone.
And last, I just want you to know that I'm not
ruling hypnosis out from helping some of you out there,
but I just feel that it's important for us
to be completely informed and careful
when we're finding the right treatment.
Just like I'd want you to make sure
that you like and feel connected to your therapist,
I also want you to find a safe
and effective treatment for whatever's upsetting you.
This video has been brought to by the Kinions on Patreon.
If you would like to support the creation
of these mental health videos,
click the link in the description and check it out.
But more importantly, I want to hear from you.
What are your thoughts on hypnotherapy?
Have you tried it before?
What did you think?
Let me know in those comments down below,
and I will see you next time.
Bye.