Q: What is your cancellation/reschedule policy?

We understand that things happen. However, we must request at least 24-hours notice that you need to cancel or reschedule. If you cancel with less than 24-hours notice and we unable to rebook your timeslot, we reserve the right to charge you for the session. We also request that you be on time for your sessions. If you arrive late, there may not be enough time for your session and we may be forced to apply the cancellation policy.

Question 1

Who can be hypnotized?

Accepted Answer

Anyone who wants to be. If you can pay attention and follow instructions, you are going to go under. The "depth" of the trance may vary with the natural ability and experience of the subject, but hypnotic trance is natural and we all slip in and out of it daily even without a hypnotist being present.

Question 2

Does everyone respond to hypnotherapy?

Accepted Answer

Anyone with even average intelligence and a bit of imagination can be hypnotized to one degree or another. Once hypnotized, if the therapist knows what they are doing, therapy can be conducted in a way that works best for the client.

There is a range of susceptibility to both hypnosis and hypnotherapy, but in general, "yes", virtually everyone will respond. In some cases, a person may be only capable of only light levels of hypnotic trance, but the good news is that most therapies can be conducted at even Stage 1 on Arons Scale of Hypnotic Depth.

Hypnosis almost always requires a willing participant. If you actively resist or work to prevent trance, then you would be the exception to this. You can actively resist being hypnotized and there is virtually nothing I could do about it.

Question 3

Does hypnosis work best on someone with a "weak" mind?

Accepted Answer

Nothing could be farther from the truth. The more intelligent and imaginative you are, the better subject you are likely to make.

Question 4

Is hypnosis "pseudoscience"?

Accepted Answer

First, let's define "pseudoscience". According to Wikipedia:

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 Multimedia section of this site, but there are many, many more articles to be found.

Wikipedia maintains a 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.

Question 5

I'm too _______ to be hypnotized. Right?

Accepted Answer

Too smart, focused, intelligent, imaginative, in control, skeptical, and so on...

We ALL think that. Trust me, it wasn't true for me, it hasn't been true in any of the hundreds of times I've heard it and it's not true for you either.

Question 6

What happens if something you tell me conflicts with the advice of my doctor?

Accepted Answer

You must ALWAYS follow the advice of your doctor. Hypnotherapy is considered to be an "adjunct" therapy. That is, it is designed to compliment the services of your doctor or mental health advisor, not overrule them.

If you become aware of a conflict, inform me right away so that I can correct my approach to better align with the wishes of your doctor or even ask to speak with your doctor to make sure we are "on the same page".

The instructions of a medical doctor or mental health professional must always override those of your hypnotherapist, up to and including the discontinuation of the use of hypnosis.

Question 7

What if I want to experience hypnosis, but don't need therapy?

Accepted Answer

That's fine.

Sometimes you just want to try something. I get it. We still have to do all the required paperwork, but if you don't have anything specific to work on that's completely okay. I can demonstrate some hypnotic phenomenon, show you what real focus feels like and send you away to sleep like a baby that night.

Question 8

What is your cancellation/reschedule policy?

Accepted Answer

We understand that things happen. However, we must request at least 24-hours notice that you need to cancel or reschedule. If you cancel with less than 24-hours notice and we unable to rebook your timeslot, we reserve the right to charge you for the session.

We also request that you be on time for your sessions. If you arrive late, there may not be enough time for your session and we may be forced to apply the cancellation policy.

Question 9

What should I expect the first session to be like?

Accepted Answer

As a rule, I schedule first sessions to be 90 minutes and subsequent sessions 60 minutes, but those times can be adjusted as needed.

For the first 30 minutes or so of the first session, we go over the paperwork that is required by Washington State, answering any questions you may have had while reading and signing that in the Client Portal. Washington requires that paperwork so that you know who I am, what I can do and what the rules area about hypnosis, hypnotherapy, and therapy are in this state. Since that paperwork is completed online, in advance of your session, we concentrate on just the questions you may have.

The next 30 minutes, we will talk about the Kappasinian "Theory of Mind" and how it relates to you. We will talk a bit about the history of hypnosis and hypnotherapy and we will discuss what you can expect to experience. I will also likely ask you to answer some questions that will help me determine how your mind reacts to different types of suggestions so that I fine tune my approach to work the best for you. Finally, I may ask you to visualize a few different scenes to further adjust my approach.

In the final half-hour, I will perform an induction that is designed to work with the way your imagination works. Inductions are how the hypnotic state is entered and there are hundreds of ways they can be tailored to better match an individual. Once you are "in state", I will show you around a bit, have you experience and visualize a few things I think you might enjoy, then get down to the business at hand.

You may remember nothing, some stuff or everything from the session. That varies from person to person, but I am more than happy to summarize the session as we close.

Afterward, you will likely feel really relaxed, more so than you may have in a very long time. Some people state that colors are a little brighter and most people notice that the "chatter" in their heads is greatly reduced, leaving a more focused feeling.

One thing to note: After a first session, most people are uncertain if they were really hypnotized or not. This is normal too and is because the hypnotic experience is not what most people were expecting. They weren't unconscious, didn't lose control and weren't unaware of their surroundings. Don't worry, in subsequent sessions, you will know what to expect and will get better at maximizing the effect.

Question 10

What types of hypnosis do you use?

Accepted Answer

I tend to use Kappasinian ""Emotional/Analytical & Physical" assessments as well as inductions, especially for the first session. Beyond that, I lean heavily into Ericksonian methods, but I am happy to choose, a la carte, as needed to ensure you respond as well as is possible.

The right kind of hypnosis is the kind that works