In most states hypnosis is not a regulated profession which means that anyone could take a weekend seminar and call themselves a Hypnotist, so it is a good idea to go into the selection process with a game plan. The first step would be to find someone who is also a licensed healthcare provider such as a physician, registered nurse, psychologist, psychiatrist or a social worker. These individuals are educated and certified in their field and are more able and likely to offer professional quality care.
Although most doctors know very little about hypnosis you might ask your primary care physician for a referral. Another resource is holistic health centers, where there are usually several modalities of holistic practitioners under one roof. In such settings there is more likely to be a collective professional atmosphere.
There are several reputable organizations such as the National Guild of Hypnotists and the International Association of Councilors and Therapists. You can also do an Internet search of your area. From there you can research practitioner’s websites for office rates, qualifications and also get a feel for their level of professionalism.
If you are fortunate enough to be able to speak to the Hypnotist on your initial phone call you can gauge if they are generally interested in your concerns, how long they have been in business and what their qualifications are. You can also inquire if they are affiliated with any national organizations, if the session(s) will be specific to your needs, whether they teach self-hypnosis and if you will be receiving a recording of the session for home reinforcement.
There are many in this field who do very little in terms of preparing you for long term success as they prefer to have you keep coming back for costly office visits. Also ask how many sessions are required and you should also ask for references. I have a long list of satisfied clients who make themselves available to offer references.
If you get all the right answers to these questions and you feel good about the person you are speaking with, the last thing is to make sure their rates are in line with the area they practice in. This varies greatly from one part of the country to the next. If you feel good about how they describe their services and they seem to respect you and your concerns don’t let a few dollars get in the way of a positive experience. The average cost per session in most metropolitan areas is about $125-$150.
Once you have chosen a hypnotist the last step is to evaluate their office. If they got passing grades so far the chances are pretty good that the office experience will pass as well. A hypnotist can practice in a professional building or out of a home office. You will know right away if it is clean and professional in appearance. The hypnotist should make you feel welcome and cared for. There should also be a comfortable place for you to relax during your session. If everything meets your approval relax and enjoy the experience.
By: Paul Gustafson RN CH
Life is a long string of choices and how we imagine ourselves strongly influences the choices we make. The only limitations are those we self-impose. A phrase from the popular DVD The Secret sums it up perfectly, “thoughts become things.” If our most predominant thoughts are based in stress, frustration, disappointment and failure then that is what we should expect in our lives. How we think and what we think shapes our world.
Hypnosis is a simple tool enabling you to powerfully harness your thoughts and accomplish dramatic positive change. By constantly imagining what you want, how it is going to look and imaging how the joy will feel you are programming your subconscious to initiate the inner changes supporting your goal.
I had a client who became fearful of driving. Over a period of three years she drove less and less. She constantly focused on the irrational fear and began to see herself not being able to drive, which is exactly what happened. Over time she became more adept envisioning and feeling her fear. During our initial conversation she went into explicit detail about her problem and became emotional in the process.
During the hypnosis session I guided her along an imaginary drive in the country, something she used to enjoy. Then her drive led her home which was in the city. During hypnosis she was able to reconnect with what she used to enjoy about driving, the independence, control and the destinations she chose.
At the conclusion of the hypnosis session she was surprised to say that the thought of driving home that day seemed okay to her. Intellectually she remembered the problem of the past but for that moment in time she had a new vision. She saw herself as a confident driver. In twenty minutes she re framed her view of the situation to the point she felt ready to drive again.
Most of problems people encounter are the result of unproductive repetition of thought. Like anything else, if we do it enough it gets easy and automatic. This is true in athletics, academics, auto repair and fishing. We are creatures of habit, if we habitually consider positive situations and experiences that’s what we should expect.
By: Paul Gustafson RN CH
A study published in the March 2012 issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology revealed the affect exercise has on regions of the brain associated with food reward. Researchers tested healthy young men and women who are habitually active by testing their reactions to food cues after exercise or after rest.
Exercise lowered participants’ reactions to both high-energy and low-energy food. The findings suggest exercise reduces pleasure of food, incentive motivation to eat, and anticipation and consumption of food when compared to responses at rest. A separate University of Colorado study of obese participants in an exercise program saw a similar result, with chronic exercise showing a reduction in the response of visual food cues.
By:carolyn_r
A study by researchers in the UK found hunger hormones were affected differently depending on the type of exercise. Resistance training and aerobic exercise were compared in a small group of healthy males in which three 8-hour sessions monitored ghrelin and peptide YY during exercise and two meals.
Aerobic exercise beat out strength training for suppressing hunger. Specifically, ghrelin, a hunger-stimulating hormone, decreased and peptide YY, which suppresses hunger, increased during aerobic exercise. Though strength training also decreased hunger, it only lowered ghrelin, while peptide YY did not change significantly. The effect of the hormone changes lasted about two hours.
By: carolyn_r
I remember my days working at Mass General Hospital and how many of my colleagues saw getting by on minimal sleep as a badge of honor . I talk about sleep with my weight loss clients and hear the same story. As Rodney Dangerfield might say “sleep gets no respect”. Living a healthy fit healthy life is all about balance and routine quality sleep is a big part of the plan.
Beware of falling below the six-hour mark.A review of studies reveals the role inadequate sleep may play in increasing the vulnerability to obesity.Those who fall below six hours of sleep a night have an increased body mass index, diabetes and hypertension. This may be due to the fact that lack of sleep negatively affects your ability to make good food choices.
ts in a row reported a 24% increase in appetite and their cravings for sweets, salty, and starchy foods greatly increased.
By: Carolyn_r
