Question 1

Can hypnosis help me remember something?

Accepted Answer

Memories are funny things. Sometimes they stick around forever, and other times they are gossamer and fade away quickly, seemingly without reason as to why one or the other happens. It's further complicated by the fact that every time you open a memory and examine it, then put it away, you get your "fingerprints" all over it, changing it slightly. Studies have shown that the more you revisit a memory, the more it drifts from the original.

Hypnosis can help you remember the password for your Bitcoin wallet or find your lost car keys if the conditions are right and it often works great! But if the memory has been corrupted, it's possible that it's gone forever.

If the information is still there and it's just buried, hypnosis is often your best bet for retrieving it.

Question 2

Do you do work with grief and loss?

Accepted Answer

I do. Grief and loss are intertwined with trauma and anxiety, both of which can be addressed with hypnosis.

The loss of a close friend, a child, spouse or another family member can one of the toughest things we will ever face. We may be well aware of the inevitability of death and to speak in terms of it ""being part of life"", but when it happens to someone close to us, there is just no way to be prepared.

Hypnosis can help to stop the spinning, falling, out of control feeling and to begin to restore some semblance of order to a mind on overload. From there, healing can begin.

Question 3

What's the minimum number of sessions I should expect to need?

Accepted Answer

Many problems, especially most phobias are gone after one session. But, I always recommend that clients have at least two sessions. In fact, I used to bundle a second session along with the Introductory Session every time, but in thinking about that, it detracted from the no high-pressure upsell that is my policy.

But I still strongly recommend at least two sessions for everything.

Very often, a new client, especially if they have never been hypnotied before, spends much of the first session not wanting to "miss anything", and thus they don't relax as completely as they could.  That's normal. However, in the second session, the client knows what to expect and will "let go" more, so they are able to go into trance deeper and more completely.

So, while one session may be enough for relief from some issues, I ALWAYS recommend a follow up session. But it's your mind and your wallet, so I am not going to high-pressure sell you on that.

Question 4

Altoids, what's with them? Why do you keep offering me one?

Accepted Answer

"Do I need one? Is my breath bad? Are you trying to tell me something subtly or not so subtly?"

Sorry... No, I don't mean anything by it. I like Altoids and almost always have a tin of them around my office. Usually, when I want one, I will offer one to whoever is with me in the office as well.

Please don't read anything more into it. When I offer, take one, don't take one, no matter to me. If you see them sitting out, you may have one, you don't even have to ask.

Question 5

What is "Kappasinian" hypnotherapy?

Accepted Answer

John Kappas attained his orientation to hypnosis from stage practice whose exponents assumed that only half the population could be hypnotized. Through practical experience, Kappas realized that direct suggestion was resisted by the half of the population that is left-brain dominant (analytical). This led Kappas into a lifetime of study of suggestibility, drawing upon personal experience treating tens of thousands of clients. Those cases covered both behavioral and psychological disorders. In recorded training seminars from the seventies, Kappas frequently stated that psychosis was due to hypersuggestibility - a chronic state of hypnosis - that makes the client unable to distinguish real and imaginary experiences.

The dominant factor in suggestibility is brain bilaterality (left/right dominance, generating respectively the "Emotional" and "Physical" patterns of behavior). Kappas saw hemispheric dominance as arising from nurturance, with natural complementarity arising between mother and infant. Preferential laterality carries through to our mature relationships, where we seek similar friends but complementary partnerships. Unfortunately, dysfunctional partnerships tend to exacerbate laterality, leading to alienation. Extending these insights to sexual behavior, Kappas was a successful marital therapist.

Kappas characterized hypnosis as a state of mind - our ideal learning state. Kappasinian therapy is built upon theories of personality development, most respectably the Ericksons' Stages of Development. The stages are extended with accessible theories of the subconscious and mind-body syndromes. These elements are introduced in dialog to increase client receptivity to suggestion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnotherapy

Question 6

Do you offer a guarantee?

Accepted Answer

No. Neither do most other healthcare providers. Your trainer won't, your weight loss advisor won't and so on.

In hypnosis, I play a navigator role. I call out directions and if you want to get where we are going, you follow them. I'm good at giving directions that follow a route that you will approve of. But if you choose not to follow my directions, I simply can't guarantee where you are going to end up.

This doesn't apply so much to session work, done while we are together, but virtually every type of hypnotherapy comes with homework. For example; If I recommend that you keep a regular bedtime to assist with sleep improvement and stress reduction, then you work on your laptop in bed until the wee hours of the morning, I can't promise results.

With that said, I have really good success rates and the odds are that if I accept you as a client, it's because I am confident I can help you meet your goals and I believe you are going to do the work. I generally have a client waiting list and can't take clients I don't expect to succeed.

I WANT you to succeed and I will work with you to make it happen. I will even fire you as a client if I sense that you aren't doing your part. But I can't offer a "money back guarantee" like a retail store.

The one exception would be if for some reason I could not get you to go into trance during our first session. I would, of course, refund your money, since I had not done my part. THAT HAS NOT HAPPENED YET.

Question 7

What should I look for in a hypnotherapist?

Accepted Answer

That's a question that is so important that I dedicated an entire page to it.

Please see the [Choosing a Hypnotherapist](https://hypnotechs.com/resources/choosing-hypnotherapist/) page.

Question 8

How do I pay you?

Accepted Answer

Most of my clients pay in advance using my booking system to get the best possible price. It accepts all major credit cards using processing by Square.

Otherwise:

With special arrangements, payment is due at the time of service. This works best with packages, like a pre-paid package deal for a fixed number of sessions. I do that from time to time for things like smoking cessation or weight loss where I know that several sessions are going to be required, but in most cases, it's payment at the time of service before each session.

I accept cash, check and pretty much every major credit card you may have.

Question 9

What is an "induction"?

Accepted Answer

"Induction" just means an "entry point". Dictionary.com defines it as: "the process or action of bringing about or giving rise to something".

A hypnotic induction is just a technique to transition a subject into a hypnotic trance. There are hundreds of techniques that work.

Some inductions happen slowly, relying on relaxation to ease the subject into a trance. Others use the "startle reflex" to surprise the client into transitioning into a trance. Still, others use a monotonous action, like a pocket-watch swinging to bring about a trance.

The best induction is the one that works for you. Some people react better to one method than another and it's my job to figure that out before we start.

Question 10

Is hypnosis "pseudoscience"?

Accepted Answer

First, let's define "pseudoscience". According to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoscience):
> Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that are claimed to be scientific and factual, in the absence of evidence gathered and constrained by appropriate scientific methods.
> 
> Pseudoscience is often characterized by the following: contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable claims; reliance on confirmation bias rather than rigorous attempts at refutation; lack of openness to evaluation by other experts; and absence of systematic practices when developing theories.
>
>The term pseudoscience is often considered pejorative because it suggests something is being presented as science inaccurately or even deceptively. Those >described as practicing or advocating pseudoscience often dispute the characterization.

With that in mind, **hypnosis is most certainly NOT pseudoscience**. There is plenty of scientific, non-anecdotal evidence, that points to the legitimacy of hypnosis. We link to some articles of that nature in the [Resources](https://hypnotechs.com/resources/hypnosis-articles/) section of this site, but there are many, many more articles to be found.

Wikipedia maintains a [List of topics characterized as pseudoscience](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_topics_characterized_as_pseudoscience). Note that hypnosis is conspicuously not on that list, though there are are a few of the more rediculous claimed uses of hypnosis that made the list. Those aren't things you will find at Hypnotechs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the first session going to be like?

I'm too _______ to be hypnotized. Right?