By Irene Conlan -

Shakespeare’s Juliet asked “”What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.”  Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2) She loved Romeo even if he had the wrong last name – a name hated by her family.

Hypnosis is like that. It has a name that means sleep and brings up images of quacking like a duck and clucking like a chicken because it has been used as entertainment by stage hypnotists.  That’s too bad because it is often the tool of choice when working with self improvement challenges. It’s too bad we can’t call it something else.

Hypnosis was approved by the British Medical Society in 1955 and by the American Medical Association in 1958 as a treatment modality. It can be used for anesthesia without incurring side effects and it is a powerful tool for pain control. In childbirth it cuts the labor time almost in half because the mother is relaxed and comfortable. But, because it takes more time than popping a pill or administering a medication, it is not utilized.  In fact there are unlimited uses for hypnosis in contemporary medicine and yet it goes unused.

The facts about hypnosis are:

• It is absolutely safe.
• You are wide awake throughout the session
• You will NEVER, EVER do anything you don’t want to do or say anything you don’t want to say.
• You have most likely been in hypnosis without realizing it. If you are so absorbed in your TV program that you don’t hear someone call your name, you are most likely in hypnosis. Or if you miss your turn off the freeway because your mind was on something else – hypnosis.
• It is a tool that helps you access your subconscious mind . The subconscious is that part of your mind that works with habits, emotions, creativity, intuition and the autonomic nervous system – a very powerful part of your mind. It also is  the storage place for most of your memory. It is like the hard drive of your computer only it is unlimited.
• It is a very pleasant, relaxing experience
• It is a tool you can learn to use for yourself
• The smarter you are, the easier hypnosis is for you.
• It is a very effective change agent.

Think of hypnosis this way. If you have a car or truck that has two gas tanks and one of them is almost empty, all you have to do is flip a switch on your dashboard and the engine starts drawing gas from the full tank. The car doesn’t have any reaction.  It doesn’t stall, it doesn’t slow down, it doesn’t jerk or bump or make funny noises. It just keeps going, using gas from the full tank. Hypnosis is the switch that allows you to start working with that part of you mind called the subconscious. You may not notice the change. You don’t go to sleep. You are not “out of it.”  You can talk. You can have your eyes open and look around, although this may be a bit too distracting for you to stay focused on what you want to accomplish.  When you want to “emerge” from hypnosis you simply make a decision to do so.

How hard is that?

You can make some very deep and lasting changes by working with this part of your mind. It is especially effective with issues like smoking and overeating because these are primarily habitual and emotional behaviors. Remember – the subconscious mind works with habits and emotions, among other things.

In the arena of self improvement, it is almost limitless in its ability to help you overcome unwanted behaviors or develop desired behaviors.

The good news is that there are some very effective self-hypnosis recordings available either on CD or as MP3 downloads that will let you experience hypnosis without having to spend large amounts of money or time. Technology has made this possible. If you try it and like the experience you might like the added benefit a good hypnotherapist can bring by making your hypnosis session fit your specific needs and goals.

Call it by any other name than hypnosis if that helps you drop your fear of it. I call it a rich and pleasant experience.

I call it the greatest self improvement tool available to us today.