OMG!

I ran into an old friend a few days ago, and, as we were catching up, I mentioned my hypnotherapy practice. Our conversation went something like this:

Friend: "I'm not really into all that stuff."

Me: "What stuff is that?"

Friend: "All that hippy stuff - metaphysics and crystals. I think it's really great, but it's just not for me."

Me: I had to laugh. Anyone who knows me well knows that, yes, I'm a free spirit and love the word "cool" but would more than likely would not call me a "hippy." (Although I'm a firm believer, yoga hurts my back, I can't tell one stone from another, burning incense gives me a splitting headache, and I do love my designer bags. Absolutely NO DISRESPECT and nothing but LOVE to my dear, yoga/crystals/incense-loving people!)

After spending a few minutes enlightening my friend about the more pragmatic, scientific, specific aspects of hypnotherapy, she said, "Well, the truth is that I'm a Christian, so [hypnotherapy] wouldn't work for me."

Her misconception didn't really surprise me. Hypnotherapy is not, yet, a mainstream healing modality (although it is growing in popularity and awareness every day, hallelujah), and it is often perceived as primarily in the realm of metaphysics, spirituality, and peace-love-and-brotherhood. The truth is that it's all those things, as well as pragmatic, efficient, explainable, and scientific. It's honestly the best of both worlds.

So, in answer to my friend's comment, when it comes to hypnotherapy and spirituality, just exactly what is supported, allowed, expected, encouraged, excluded, and included?

That is completely up to you! You can include God, Jesus, Buddha, Allah, angels, your spirit, your higher self, Mary mother of Jesus, Kuan Yin, Shakti, Archangel Michael, power animals, and the list goes on. To whom we pray is as unique and as special as each of us. All are welcome, accepted, invited, and called upon in hypnotherapy, all depending on your personal belief system, comfort level, and affinity.

What's important in hypnotherapy is that we feel supported, protected, and enveloped in healing positivity. From whom we receive this support is entirely up to us.

What about those of us that don't believe in the afterlife, or that we are all spirits connected to a higher power, or that a higher power even exists? Totally cool. There are aspects of ourselves we can call upon to support us in our hypno work - our inner knowing, our innate wisdom, our creativity. Hypnotherapy often leads to spiritual awakenings and altered perspectives, but it doesn't have to in order to be effective.

Many of us are, indeed, interested in the spiritual aspect of hypnotherapy - soul growth and evolution, connecting with higher powers and spiritual entities. On the flip side, some have more practical goals in mind - overcoming phobias, obstacles, and past programming; healing trauma or early childhood events; weight loss; smoking cessation; skills enhancement. Some seek out both aspects.

One of my absolute favorite things about hypnotherapy is that it is all-inclusive of race, gender, color, belief systems, sexuality, background, purpose and goals, experience, and spiritual beliefs.

It doesn't matter if you're going on marriage number seven or you're an infamous bachelo(rette); a parent of quadruplets or an only child; a teacher in a private school or a student in the projects; straight, LBGTQ+, female, male, or something yet to be determined; black, white, yellow, red, gold, olive, or rainbow sparkles; a grade-schooler or just celebrating your 85th birthday; a hard-core CEO of a multi-billion dollar company or a stay-at-home, full-time mom who works 24/7; a scientist or a woman/man of the cloth; left-brain mathematician or right-brain artist; pragmatist or philosopher, etc.

It doesn't matter if you pray to Allah in a mosque, worship God in a church, honor Mary in a cathedral, wish upon a full moon under a starry sky, call on warrior angels for protection each morning, or if you believe that after life there is nothing.

What matters is that we're all human beings, living this human life. We each have a heart, feelings, emotions, desires, goals, and dreams. We each possess a yearning for healing and comfort. We long for a life of depth and meaning; happiness and joy; relief from trauma, distress, and turmoil. In the deepest part of ourselves, we pray for a life filled with peace, abundance, support, belonging, purpose, heart connections, light and love.

And to that I say...

Amen!