"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." ~ Mark Twain

"Thank you for the friggin GREAT session!  :)  This is why I’m so totally in love with you!!!!! :) "
~ CJ, Seattle, 5/3/2010

"It was great meeting you today! I am feeling much better about going to work already! I feel more confident and have no negative thoughts. Yay!"
~ LP, Seattle, 5/1/2009

"I wanted to get in touch with you because I am doing incredibly well. Some of the new things popping up in my life - new opportunities and people I'm meeting - are just fantastic. I find when walking down the street, people are more friendly and say hi far more often than I experienced in the past. I feel like a new world is opening up to me, and I'm so excited ..."
~EM, Seattle, 3/8/2008

Hypnosis Information

You do not have to cluck like a chicken.There is a lot of discussion about what hypnosis IS, and what it is NOT. There are myths that come from old information that lead people to believe hypnosis is something mysterious and magical. The fact is hypnosis happens every day, in many different ways, to everybody. There is no real mystery, as hypnosis uses how our minds already work. When you work with a hypnotist, you are simply utilitizing this natural phenomenon with direction and purpose to get what you want. Most people don't use hypnosis to cluck like a chicken, or sing like Elvis.

Here is some information about hypnosis that may help you make a choice as to whether you'd like to explore this phenomenon in more depth.

Hypnosis IS:

  • A mental state that happens naturally.
  • Often a very relaxing experience.
  • A focused and selective frame of mind.
  • A condition of heightened access to imagination.
  • Hypnosis enhances access to mental resources without interference from external stimuli or internal resistance.
  • EIther a natural ‘talent’ OR a learned ‘skill’.
  • An effective way to open your mind to suggestions you allow and choose.
  • A collaboration between the hypnotist and the subject.
  • A process or state that can be self-induced (in which case, the individual is both the hypnotist AND the subject).
  • Hypnosis involves a trance state which is very similar to daydreaming, getting ‘lost’ in a good book or movie, or ‘zoning out’ on the computer or TV.
  • A shift from external attention & focus, to internal attention and focus.
  • A ‘doorway’ to the subconscious mind allowing a free flow of information and greater access to internal resources, memory, imagination, etc.
  • Hypnosis is a powerful and efficient tool for:
    • Changing habits
    • Increasing motivation
    • Enhancing mental and physical health and well-being
    • Augmenting learning skills, memory, mental acuity
    • Relieving stress
    • Releasing detrimental patterns from the past
    • Establishing ‘new’ mental patterns
    • Emotional management
    • Feeling happier, more energetic, more positive and optimistic
    • Improving confidence, self-esteem, social skills
    • Hypnosis can help with almost anything - feel free to email if you have a specific question

Hypnosis Defined

Hypnosis:  Modern hypnosis is a process that involves a shift from normal attention and awareness to directed focus on primarily internal processes, imagination, and selected elements.  Most often used to access aspects of the mind (often referred to as the subconscious or unconscious) that are normally beneath awareness. The word hypnosis itself is most directly defined as a "sleep-like state", however this definition is somewhat antiquated and not a clear representation of the modern hypnosis used in the field today.
Hypnotherapy:  The application of hypnosis for personal and professional development, emotional management, and other therapeutic purposes rather than for entertainment.
Hypnotist:  The individual who guides the process and direction of a hypnosis experience. 
Subject:  The individual or individuals experiencing hypnosis, usually in partnership with a hypnotist.  The subject is guided through the process of hypnosis, and participates by following the guidance of the hypnotist.
Suggestion:  A statement or phrase giving direction or focus within the hypnotic process.  A hypnotist may “suggest” that the subject feel relaxed, close their eyes, and imagine a peaceful scene.  Any statement or phrase intended to direct focus, feeling, or action is a suggestion.
Trance:  A mental state that involves altered awareness and focus.  Although trance often feels relaxing, relaxation is not necessary to achieve a trance state.  All human beings are capable of experiencing trance, and most people experience a level of trance many times throughout the day.  “Zoning out” on television, the mind wandering during a long drive, losing track of time while working on the computer, daydreaming, sitting in a classroom ‘listening’ to the teacher and realizing you have no idea what the teacher just said – these are all experiences of trance.
Subconscious:  Usually refers to processes, habits, mental patterns, etc, that are outside of normal conscious awareness.  Most definitions refer to this aspect of the mind as ‘below’ or ‘underneath’ conscious thought.
Unconscious:  The most direct definition is “not conscious”.  Often refers to the actual loss of consciousness, such as when someone has fainted, but within the realm of hypnosis “unconscious” is interchangeable with “subconscious”, and is merely referring to the aspect of 'mind' that is beneath or outside of our awareness.

If you have any questions, or would like to make an appointment to make hypnosis work for you, please contact one of the practitioners listed in the right hand column. The practitioners are not affiliated with this website in any way, and are simply Seattle Area practitioners with whom I am familiar, and can feel good about recommending.

Is hypnosis the same as "Guided Meditation"?

Not necessarily - although often a similar state is reached, and similar effects can be achieved. The truth is, if someone performing a guided meditation does it very well, it is often highly hypnotic. Hypnosis refers to the state achieved, guided meditation refers more to the method of 'story telling', or the experience and content without attachment to whether the 'audience' achieves a hypnotic state. Many, many hypnotherapists use a form of guided meditation as a part of the work that they do, and it is often an enjoyable and effective way to work with the mind and stories we tell ourselves every day.