What is hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a safe technique for relaxation, mental focus, planning for change, and healing pain and illness. Also known as “trance,” hypnosis is a state of very deep relaxation during which you are awake and aware, and have a heightened ability to understand your problem and solve it.

You already practice hypnosis!

As the mystical Persian poet Rumi once said, “You already have the precious mixture that will make you well.”

Although movies and stage demonstrations often make hypnosis look strange, scary, and out of control, hypnosis is actually a natural state of mind. You spontaneously experience hypnosis when you’re relaxing at the beach, driving, or absorbed in a book or a movie.

In contrast to the spontaneous, unplanned experiences mentioned above, you can intentionally decide whether and when to go into and come out of trance. During hypnosis or self-hypnosis, you are in control. You choose when to go into trance, what to work on during trance, and when to come out. Even in the deepest of trances, (rated by self-report as well as by physiological measures), people can come out when they choose and typically remember what happens. They will not do anything that they do not want to do.

When you enter a state of deep relaxation during hypnosis, you access your creative and problem-solving abilities so that you can change. Hypnosis activates the part of your mind that believes that change is possible, no matter how stuck you usually feel. Your hypnotic mind offers suggestions for overcoming your problems and achieving your goals; suggestions that would not occur to you in your usual conscious state. You will be pleasantly surprised to discover these hidden gems of wisdom that improve your life.

What’s the difference between hypnosis and self-hypnosis?

In guided hypnosis, Merle guides you in and out of trance, offering soothing imagery and affirmations. Before beginning a hypnosis session, to help you feel safe, Merle will answer any questions you have about the procedure and give you an overview of what will happen. You will be free to come out of trance at any time and she will explain how you can do this. People rarely do this, since the trance state is so comfortable, but it can be reassuring to know that you are in control the whole time.

In self-hypnosis, you talk to yourself, usually silently acting as your own guide. People usually do self-hypnosis after they have mastered therapist-guided hypnosis several times. To enhance results, Merle will make you a personalized recording you can play at home for self-hypnosis. Doing self-hypnosis at home on a daily basis helps you stay relaxed and continues motivating you to achieve your goals.

How hypnosis can help you:

Hypnosis can intensify the power and speed with which you achieve any goals you are working on in talk therapy. Merle’s clients use hypnosis for:

Physical comfort and healing. Controlled studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of hypnosis in reducing chronic pain, increasing a sense of wellbeing in those coping with acute and chronic illness, in preparing for surgery and other medical techniques with calm and confidence.

During your hypnosis session, Merle teaches you to lower the intensity of your experience of pain, mentally rehearse and motivate yourself for optimal self-care, reduce stress by imagining successful surgery and treatment outcomes, and activate your immune system and your body’s healing powers. Hypnosis also promotes healthy eating and weight loss, smoking cessation, and other health-enhancing habit changes.

Easier, Deeper Sleep. Hypnosis, for many people, can alleviate insomnia. Merle helps you vividly imagine falling asleep, sleeping deeply through the night and waking up refreshed. She replaces negative self-talk of the impossibility of sleep with calm, soothing affirmations. Merle combines hypnosis with mindfulness meditation, and stress reduction techniques based on the latest sleep research. Many clients report that after months of tossing and turning, hypnosis has allowed them to sleep through the night and wake up refreshed.

For Peak Performance. Hypnosis helps you do your best work with confidence and ease. Does it feel as if life is more of a struggle than it should be? Are you struggling with creative blocks or terrified of public speaking or auditioning for a performance? Have there been times when your actions seemed to flow more easily and naturally? Merle can coach you to achieve peak performance, a.k.a. being “in flow,” or “in the zone.”

Whether at work, at school, in sports, or in a relationship, achieving peak performance not only eliminates negative behaviors such as self-sabotage and critical self-talk, but also cultivates the ideal mental conditions for consistent, high-quality, peak performance.

Merle uses hypnosis to help you discover, recall, and relive your most “in flow” moments, then tell your mind to automatically bring these experiences into future performances. You can then use self-hypnosis to bring flow to your current performance. This may lead to more consistent success.

Contact Merle today to learn how to put powerful guided and self-hypnosis skills to work in all areas of your life. You’ll see Merle’s contact info after the testimonial below: