There are many fears and misunderstandings about the use of hypnosis and hypnotherapy, and the myths and mystery that surround it are totally undeserved. This page will help you to understand the enormous life-enhancing potential of this ancient therapy.

It is used on a daily basis in literally millions of therapists offices around the world, working with all sorts of 'human conditions', including:

- Personal matters
- Emotional difficulties
- Psychological problems
- Many Physical problems
- Performance enhancement
- Sporting improvement
- Habit control
- Weight control
- Sleeping difficulties
- Relationship problems

Hypnosis and hypnotherapy has been around for probably more than 5000 years; it is now being recognised as a safe and effective tool to assist with a great many issues - in fact, is has been accepted by the British Medical Association as a valuable treatment methodology since 1955.

I am often asked how safe it is - well, I have conducted over 24,000 sessions in my career so far and have taught self hypnosis to hundreds of people. Nobody has complained yet... While it's certainly not a 'once size fits all' type of therapy, it can help with a huge number of problems.

You can attend a practitioners office, or you can learn to hypnotise yourself - either way it's totally safe. We'll have a look at both methods - self hypnosis first.

Self Hypnosis

Self hypnosis is used on a daily basis by sportsmen and musicians, business people and artists, housewives, policemen, engineers, shop assistants... in fact it's used by millions of people from all walks of life all over the globe!

Let's dispel a few of the anxieties that some visitors might have... the following 'rules' are applicable to all types of hypnosis:

- You cannot 'get stuck' - this is quite impossible
- You do not become unconscious or go to sleep
- You know what's happening at all times
- You can exit the state whenever you wish to
- You cannot 'lose your mind'
- It is not connected in any shape or form with the occult
- There is no such thing as a 'hypnotised feeling'
- It is actually a totally natural state which we all go into several times a day
- It is very similar to meditation or relaxation techniques
- IT IS COMPLETELY SAFE!

Getting into a state of self-hypnosis is a specific skill and as with all skills, some people are better at it than others. It is fair to say, though, that almost everybody can benefit from learning how to use it. Among other things, you can help yourself to:

- Lose weight
- Quit smoking
- Improve sporting and other performance
- Increase concentration and recall
- Improve confidence and self-confidence
- Work with motivation issues

As mentioned earlier, it is a specific skill and one which needs to be learned. There are many books on the subject and there are also free lessons available from some websites on the subject.

Professional Hypnosis

Although self hypnosis can sometimes be effective, it is fair to say that one-to-one sessions with a professional therapist will almost always provide better results. Although some people feel nervous about taking this step, it is an astonishingly relaxing experience for most - one of the 'side effects' is often a dramatic lowering of stress levels.

The therapist's voice...

Hypnosis is usually induced by the use of the therapist's voice, though you are unlikely to actually feel hypnotised. There is no such thing as a 'hypnotised feeling', though many people find their senses to be far more alert than usual - you will certainly not 'lose control' at any time, nor can you be manipulated in any way.

There is no form of unconsciousness and nobody can be made to do anything that they do not want to do; a person in hypnosis is aware of everything happening around them, aware of themselves and their therapist, and will normally retain a full and accurate memory of everything afterwards.

Hypnosis, a totally natural phenomenon, is simply a very comfortable and relaxed state during which it is quite easy to converse sensibly with the therapist, although not all styles of hypnotherapy employ this technique. And here is something that may surprise you - whilst almost anybody can enter the state of hypnosis, the strongest minds do it best! To be unhypnotisable is an indicator of some sort of difficulty with focussing the mental processes and is actually extremely rare.

The Therapy

Hypnosis itself is unlikely to provide a relief of symptoms, whatever those symptoms might be. It is the therapy - hypnotherapy - which is carried out within the hypnotised state that is important. It takes two entirely different forms.

Suggestion Therapy

This form of treatment is ideal for helping to cope with such things as examination fears, driving test nerves, smoking, nailbiting, some weight-control problems, stress, and so on. Usually, between two and four sessions are needed and some therapists will work with 2 or more people at one time, often reducing costs.

Analytical Therapy

This is sometimes used for more deep-rooted problems. The technique aims to find and remove the underlying original cause of such things as irrational fears, emotional problems, relationship difficulties, psycho-sexual problems, lack of confidence, moodiness, sleeping difficulties, stuttering/stammering, anxiety, inferiority complex, unhappiness, phobias, etc. and most other problems where there is a psychological factor at work.

The treatment period will normally be between six and twelve weekly sessions and is capable of producing a complete and lasting release from the symptom(s). It is a totally private and individual, one-to-one form of therapy, and one which, for many, is the 'cream of therapies'.

So there you have it... if you've been struggling to cope with an aspect of life, or even life itself, and don't know how to resolve your problems - give hypnosis a try. It is likely to be well worthwhile!

Terence Watts is a successful therapist, lecturer and author of hypnotherapy and self-help books. He runs his own school in the UK and has conducted more than 24,000 sessions of hypnosis and hypnotherapy since 1989. http://www.hypnosense.com is one of the biggest free hypnosis sites in the world.