Pleading My Case for Hypnotherapy

Maybe because I'm a Gemini, maybe because my sweet momma raised me to have an open mind, or maybe because I'm a born empath - whatever the reason, I've always looked at life from all sides, considered all angles, and appreciated the worth of things in opposition of my opinion. As a matter of fact, in my youth (for a few minutes, anyway), I strongly considered becoming an attorney. My sister said I could make a case for anything...especially when I was trying to talk her into something!

For example, as the daughter of a surgeon, I'm a firm believer in the AMA. Yet, I wholeheartedly believe in the mind/body/spirit connection and that we do have within us the power to listen to and restore our bodies through many holistic means. I've heard of people who can heal themselves through meditation and cure others with a simple touch, and I honestly believe their stories. But was I going to try to heal myself with my mind when I had heart surgery several years ago for a congenital condition? Absolutely not. Bring on the surgeons, the drugs and all modern medicine could do to help me live a longer and healthier life. On the flip side, I'm all for the power of prayer, meditation, positive thinking, and natural healing.

For me, there's a time and a place for all types of healing physically, as well as emotionally, spiritually, and psychologically. Which brings me to my case in favor of hypnotherapy.

To begin, my love affair with the world of psychology has existed for as long as I can remember, and I loved every last minute of my graduate work in Counseling Psychology. It was during my grad work that we students were required to participate in our own personal therapy. I was so blessed to have been referred to a therapist who is not only a psychotherapist but a hypnotherapist who runs her own hypnotherapy institute and has more accolades and experience in this realm than I have room to mention here.

(Holly Holmes-Meredith of HCH Institute in Lafayette, CA.)

During our work together, I experienced both psychotherapy and hypnotherapy. Mystery-lover that I am, I'm fascinated with the world of figuring out why and how we do what we do. There are numerous benefits in having cognitive aha! moments, from gaining understanding, and from establishing a new perspective that can take place during "talk therapy." And, believe me, this chick can sit around and talk the whys, hows, whos, whats, and whens 'til the cows come home. However, for me, the real healing, profound inner changes, and the life-altering work occurred in my life through hypnotherapy.

Why? Because hypnotherapy is the pathway, the bridge between what we KNOW and what we FEEL, between the conscious and the subconscious minds. Haven't you had those times in your life when you've thought, "I KNOW it in my mind, but I just don't FEEL it; I believe it in my HEAD, but I just don't believe it in my HEART." I'm betting that's a yes.

Consider this story, for example:

Let's call her Sally. Sally is an intelligent, attractive, successful, professional who has healthy, loving, supportive relationships with her kids, friends, and co-workers. She's active in her kids' schools and lives, and is a source of encouragement and support to her friends. She is positive, grateful, fulfilled, and enjoys most aspects of her life.

The dark spot, so to speak, in the midst of living what she considers a happy and charmed life, is that Sally is only attracted to unavailable men - emotionally unavailable, geographically unavailable, morally unavailable, you name it. She falls for these guys hard and fast.

Through psychotherapy, Sally began to understand that she carried deep within her the belief that if he (insert name of any unavailable suitor) loved her enough, he'd change, open up, move across the country, leave his wife, etc., thus proving her worth. By delving into her past, she discovered the root cause of these beliefs and began to make peace with her past. Brought to the surface, her newfound understanding cast a significant light on the WHAT and the WHY, but she still FELT as if she were on the outside looking in at a world of true love where she had no part.

There was still a deep chasm between what she knew and what she felt, and no amount of talking, understanding, and awareness was able to bridge this gap. How could this be possible? Sally has got the personality, the smarts, the looks, the heart, and so much more to bring to a relationship...and what's more, she knows it. Yet, she still couldn't even imagine herself in her dream relationship, let alone attract it in the here and now.

Through hypnotherapy, Sally was able to heal from the inside out, making room for new, healthy beliefs, feelings, and experiences. She literally began seeing unavailable men in a whole new light. She began to see their illusive mystery for what it truly was - immaturity, woundedness, selfishness - and she actually found herself repelled by these men when the big, red flags of unavailability began to fly. The wall between healthy love and Sally began to crumble, and she now lives in a world she never thought she'd be a part of.

Hypnotherapy is that bridge between what we KNOW and what we FEEL - a link between our conscious and subconscious minds. By experiencing therapy in the highly relaxed state of consciousness that is hypnosis, we are directly engaging both our conscious and subconscious minds in the process, and are able to access information, creativity, insight, and healing, all of which are not typically available to us in a waking, conscious state.

For us sleuths of the world, the whys, the hows, and all the aha! moments that come with discovery are all a part of hypnotherapy, as well, but it doesn't stop there. We get to continue on a path that integrates all parts of ourselves. It's here, during this integration, that real change and healing can take place.

Therein lies its power, efficacy, and ability to quickly, powerfully, and profoundly create lasting change in our lives.

Either way you look at it, hypnotherapy is appealing from both sides. It is both pragmatic and free flowing at the same time. For us intuitive types, it appeals to our creative, organic, right brain, in that it is ever-evolving, imaginative, and unique. On the other hand, we organized, systematic, left-brain thinkers can appreciate hypnotherapy's efficiency, effectiveness, and focus-driven nature. The best of both worlds.

I can plead my case for hypnotherapy from any angle, and it's all legit and valid.

Authentic, healing, powerful, and lasting.

Scientific and efficient.

Transformative and integrative.

Empowering, positive, and life-altering.

And so much more!

But for now...

I rest my case.