# Has anyone tried hypnotherapy?



## fleur de lis (Oct 10, 2011)

I seem to have very few childhood memories. During my therapy it all appears suposition working through the pieces of the jigsaw and making the connections. I feel sometimes it's hard to fully take ownership of how things are for me due to this lack of memory.

Has anyone else had similar experiences and has anyone tried hypnotherpy for it? Or anyhting else?


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## ntdc (Jun 29, 2011)

hypnotherapy did not work for me. it does work for some people however many practitioners are borderline con artists so you have to ferret out someone reputable. which is hard because its not really regulated or anything.


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## Christina123 (May 26, 2011)

I tried an iphone app It works for me in terms of getting me to sleep. My sleeping is so much better when I use it.


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## fleur de lis (Oct 10, 2011)

Yes, I think that's what bothers me, that I would go to some con artist with a big ego and get stuck in a strange place in my head or something. 

I've never thought about using it for sleep issues which is a shocker because I have had really bad phases of poor sleep over the years, it could of really helped me for that.


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## AK32 (Sep 2, 2010)

No, but it is something I would try.


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## jamesreynolds499 (Jun 21, 2012)

My friend try hypnotherapy to get rid his addiction to cigarettes and I think it really works well.


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## Sierpinski (Jun 17, 2012)

I tried hypnotherapy, and it definitely worked for 9 days. I've also been trying self-hypnosis using a tape recorder, which gives me a lovely buzz for awhile. The problem is that I'm not using a script specifically for social avoidance. If I were to use one -- and use it over and over -- I might get a better result.


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## paulyD (Feb 16, 2011)

i beleive that to change any problem you need to combine a lot of things together. 

lots of people say cbt is the best cure. others say hypnosis is the best cure and some others say nlp is the best cure. but i beleive that a combination works best and i also beleive that hypnotherapy is a CRUCIAL component in changing any problem and i'd even say it's the most IMPORTANT component of any change programm because it gets to the root of the issue

with hypnotherapy you lay an excellent foundation for change. without it there is no foundation and change is very hard because your concious efforts are in conflict with your unconious mind. you'll still be craving ciggarettes, or whatever problem you are dealing with, and those cravings will always win no matter how much will power you think you have


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## Sierpinski (Jun 17, 2012)

paulyD said:


> i beleive that to change any problem you need to combine a lot of things together.
> 
> lots of people say cbt is the best cure. others say hypnosis is the best cure and some others say nlp is the best cure. but i beleive that a combination works best and i also beleive that hypnotherapy is a CRUCIAL component in changing any problem and i'd even say it's the most IMPORTANT component of any change programm because it gets to the root of the issue
> 
> with hypnotherapy you lay an excellent foundation for change. without it there is no foundation and change is very hard because your concious efforts are in conflict with your unconious mind. you'll still be craving ciggarettes, or whatever problem you are dealing with, and those cravings will always win no matter how much will power you think you have


I think you make a good point. I suspect that hypnotherapy worked for me -- even just temporarily -- because I've been taking St. John's wort. If I took a stronger antidepressant, the hypnotherapy might be more effective. But I don't want to fork over the cash to see a psychiatrist, especially given the awful experiences I've had with them before. But I do feel that an antidepressant makes it easier to really *believe* the hypnotherapist when they say something positive during trance.


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## Sierpinski (Jun 17, 2012)

fleur de lis said:


> Yes, I think that's what bothers me, that I would go to some con artist with a big ego and get stuck in a strange place in my head or something.


Con artists are no good, but a big ego might be good. A good hypnotherapist will radiate confidence. It's part of the hypnotic technique, actually.


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## KramersHalfSister (May 3, 2012)

I tried hypnotherapy a few years ago and I think the reason it didn't work, well I KNOW the reason it didn't work for me was because I was unable to relax. I was having a full on panic attack in the chair even though I was doing a damned good job at hiding it from the hypnotherapist. So of course when she's was saying to relax and imagine (insert scenario) that was doing nothing for me. Once I get on medication, I'm going to try again and also do some light CBT. I feel like I'll be able to take these on in a more efficient way if I'm actually relaxed when I'm doing them, especially hypnotherapy. I can go into a trance sometimes when I'm listening to music so I know that it's possible. I just have to be in the right frame of mind and a relaxed one to do it.


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## JillGreen (Jun 15, 2012)

Like any therapy, hypnosis works for anxiety if you are open to it. Of course it helps to have a very good practitioner too. I have used it successfully for me for a variety of anxiety issues. 

Jill


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## Midnight Laces (May 5, 2012)

My mom actually suggested this for me.

But my therapist forgot to bring it up again.


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## bailey346 (Jul 12, 2012)

Hey Everyone,

This is my first post. I am new here.

I wanted to let everyone know that I have a blog with information on Hypnotherapy, Anxiety, Panic, Relaxation Techniques, etc.

It will slowly build over time, but if there is anything it needs, I am always open to content suggestions. PM me if you want to see something that's not on there.

Everything is in the signature.

Thanks

Tom


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## NumeroUno (Oct 23, 2009)

Along with Meditation, Hypnotherapy is one of those psuedo-therapies that I just can't accept working. Granted, I've never tried but the feeling seems to be so split and it seems all new age hippy ish (you know what i mean haha) that it just ain't gonna work. Just seems a con like binaural beats or ''falling asleep listening to language tapes and waking up fluent'' or something. 

I've played with self hypnotherapy tapes but never given it the time or my full attention. I'd love to be proven wrong as I'm open to anything that may help me - even on a minor level. Just seems people who promote it use the excuse of ''not being open/taking it seriously'' if it doesn't work...when it might not work. Although in theory the subconcious is open to suggestion so who knows..


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## Sierpinski (Jun 17, 2012)

NumeroUno said:


> Along with Meditation, Hypnotherapy is one of those psuedo-therapies that I just can't accept working. Granted, I've never tried but the feeling seems to be so split and it seems all new age hippy ish (you know what i mean haha) that it just ain't gonna work. Just seems a con like binaural beats or ''falling asleep listening to language tapes and waking up fluent'' or something.
> 
> I've played with self hypnotherapy tapes but never given it the time or my full attention. I'd love to be proven wrong as I'm open to anything that may help me - even on a minor level. Just seems people who promote it use the excuse of ''not being open/taking it seriously'' if it doesn't work...when it might not work. Although in theory the subconcious is open to suggestion so who knows..


Hypnotherapy may have a different likelihood of success for different conditions, but you can't dismiss its clinical application across the board. Hypnosis is used in place of anesthesia in surgery:


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## NumeroUno (Oct 23, 2009)

Sierpinski said:


> Hypnotherapy may have a different likelihood of success for different conditions, but you can't dismiss its clinical application across the board. Hypnosis is used in place of anesthesia in surgery:


Interesting video. Watching the actual process around the half hour mark is intriguing. Seems far to good to be true though - can't guarentee that no anesthesia was administered I mean in this politically correct world I cannot see them using that alone - imagine the consequences of it NOT working or regaining complete feeling halfway through?

Placebo is a powerful thing though. I'm definetly looking into this more and perhaps taking a few reputable tapes seriously and seeing if it has ANY effect. I know i'll probably be told I have the wrong attitude or it's not professional but who knows..


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## percyblueraincoat (Jun 2, 2009)




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## ingenious53 (May 27, 2011)

It did not work for me, but if you want to try it I know where you can try it for free. 

Itunes....Joseph Clough....Podcast.


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## Kwirky (Jan 23, 2009)

If you are going to try hypnotherepy, make sure you go to a hypnotherapist that has a great deal of experience treating phobic conditions. I went to a hypnotherapist, and it was a fascinating experience (remembered afterwards everything that went on/was said) but she wasn't trained specifically for my type of issue, so I felt a little better but only temporarily

The other thing to be aware of is that social anxiety builds up over time and that if you have had it for years, it may take quite a number of sessions to get results and change pathways in your mind for the longer term (maybe you could politely ask if the hypno guru would make a CD recording of your session so u could listen again and again at home ). To be sure, seeing a really good hypnotherapist will cost you $$$, but if it helps, then its worth it


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## NumeroUno (Oct 23, 2009)

Kwirky said:


> quite a number of sessions to get results....To be sure, seeing a really good hypnotherapist will cost you $$$, but if it helps, then its worth it


them parts of your post are what completely puts me off the idea unfortunately and puts it on the same level as "psychic mediums" and "tarot card readers".

if you go once and feel nothing - "go again, takes time". if you go 10 times, drop a ton of cash on it you'll either get told "what works for some doesn't work for others - not open minded" or convince yourself it did something as a placebo cuz you just gone through thwts process and money for nada.


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## kazma (Jul 21, 2012)

hypnosis is just the placebo effect it will work only if you believe in it i myself have hypnotized people for fun but they have to have an open mind for it to work i have find it very hard to hypnotize very _rational minded people 
_


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## Sierpinski (Jun 17, 2012)

kazma said:


> hypnosis is just the placebo effect it will work only if you believe in it i myself have hypnotized people for fun but they have to have an open mind for it to work i have find it very hard to hypnotize very _rational minded people
> _


I must be terribly irrational then. Lol. The work I do is highly cognitive, so I hope I'm not irrational.


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## kazma (Jul 21, 2012)

no not terribly just a little bit lol convincers are used to help make it feel real for you if it work for you and you like the results good but dont spend too much money on it


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## Brendie56 (Jul 20, 2012)

My psych doc tried 4 sessions with me....  I really did feel like it calmed me, but then again I had my eyes closed, lights dimmed and a gentle talk from him. After it ended I felt anxious again.


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## Sierpinski (Jun 17, 2012)

joinmartin said:


> Hypnosis is certainly not "just the placebo effect". Shock is a form of hypnosis and people don't need to believe in "shock" in order to be shocked.
> 
> Technically speaking, you can't wake up or go to sleep without entering a form of hypnotic state and I'm guessing these so called "very rationally minded people" wake up and go to sleep. If they do, they've experienced hypnosis many times.
> 
> The only people who really should not experience hypnosis are those on drugs/alcohol, those who are no longer of sound mind and children because they have limited attention spans. Children can easily access hypnotic trances. They do it all the time. But they may lack the attention span needed to access the trance you want the to access.


I think Kazma was referring to the efficacy of post-hypnotic suggestion rather than the mere capacity to enter trance. I would not be surprised if certain personality types are more susceptible to suggestion than others. I'm not so sure I agree that irrationality is the key factor. I suspect the key factor may have more to do with yielding and choosing not to resist. A classic "skeptical personality", such as James Randi, may indeed not be a good post-hypnotic subject, but I would object to anyone saying that that sort of person defines rationality. Randi illustrates one sort of rationality. The imaginative nature of D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson illustrates a different sort of rationality.


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## Sierpinski (Jun 17, 2012)

kazma said:


> no not terribly just a little bit lol convincers are used to help make it feel real for you if it work for you and you like the results good but dont spend too much money on it


I already spent a fair amount of money, but then the therapist told me that enough is enough. It quits after a few sessions. (Dramatic contrast with other forms of therapy which drag on from here to eternity.) I have been doing some self-hypnosis with a tape recorder which can also be a pretty amazing experience. As for the "convincers" I think you mean something like the post-hypnotic suggestion of responding to the color red?? That was cool, quite frankly.


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## kazma (Jul 21, 2012)

yes sierpinski understands what i am trying to say i and a lot of others believe trance is only a post-hypnotic suggestion given to the subject i have hypnotized people without the need for trance it is more to do with the imagination as for rationality i did indeed meant skeptical and non superstitious as for "convincers" i meant tests that you cant fail at like ideomotor movement


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## kazma (Jul 21, 2012)

joinmartin classic hypnosis nlp shamanism and faith healers are all akin to religious belief they all work on faith and belief in the system same gos for chiropractors acupuncturists and many forms of alternative medicine


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## kazma (Jul 21, 2012)

sierpinski if the problems are addiction based or very deep rooted it highly likely that the hypnotic suggestions fade over time and you relapse your therapist should have known this from the beginning


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## kazma (Jul 21, 2012)

i agree shock works but only on very submissive people or who believe you to be a hypnotist and that you have the power to do so _prior to the event_ as for conversational hypnosis again this only works well with submissive people or who are in a highly suggestive state already e.g love for hypnosis to work very well the subject has to be highly suggestible or have a lot of faith and be willing to submit to it

telling yourself u can't be hypnotized is not a form of hypnotic induction it is just a stronger belief for them than being hypnotized is therefor they cant be it is all in the mind of the subject and what they believe to be true at the time


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## Tipa (Aug 13, 2011)

I think it can work, depends on who you are. If you have difficulty trusting people, getting hypnotized is a challenge, and I still can't enter deep sleep with someone else guiding, even a video recording. I think with SA it may be more challenging because I heard that hypnotism can't make you do anything that you wouldn't willingly do.

I do believe it can have positive effects. I'm a bit skeptical about the long term, but short term, if you can really release, you'll feel a lot calmer and more energized and this boost may make the anxiety easier with just that. It depends on the person.


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## KathleenRJones (Nov 8, 2015)

Thanks


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## SplendidBob (May 28, 2014)

Yeh, I did once, it just made me incredibly angry.

*edit, I don't mean the idea of it or anything, but during the process I just became inexplicably enraged and had to leave.


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## KathleenRJones (Nov 8, 2015)

I was a victim of anxiety. I used many supplements for this but nothing could help me for a long time. After trying hypnotherapy, I got a great result.


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## VeryVeryTired (Nov 17, 2015)

I know it isn't anything like having an actual hypnotherapy session but I was referred to some hypnosis videos on YouTube by a friend and I'm giving it a go. The problem so far is that I always fall asleep because this guy's voice is so calming and relaxing. It does feel like some strange, new age, hippy thing to me and I was hesitant but I'm going to see where it takes me. I'm so bad off I figure what do I have to lose? I can't afford therapy and honestly, I don't want to leave the house to go to get help right now anyway.


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## VanDamme (Jun 8, 2004)

VeryVeryTired said:


> I know it isn't anything like having an actual hypnotherapy session but I was referred to some hypnosis videos on YouTube by a friend and I'm giving it a go. The problem so far is that I always fall asleep because this guy's voice is so calming and relaxing. It does feel like some strange, new age, hippy thing to me and I was hesitant but I'm going to see where it takes me. I'm so bad off I figure what do I have to lose? I can't afford therapy and honestly, I don't want to leave the house to go to get help right now anyway.


I've heard a suggestion for meditation that might help you not to fall asleep. If you were lying down, instead try to do it while sitting. If you are still falling asleep and you feel tired when you do it then perhaps try to do it when you are the most awake.


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## Unnecessary (Nov 16, 2013)

I've done both hypnotherapy and meditation and it's worked great for me so far, and despite its esoteric connotations, hypnosis isn't anything more than a guided meditation, so hypnotherapy works better for a lot of people because they have somebody else who is helping them enter in the trance-state.
That thing that "rational-minded people" are more difficult to hypnotize is just a myth, the only people who are difficult to hypnotize are people who are unwilling to get hypnotized and people who are afraid of the concept of hypnosis in general. Rationale ain't got nothing to do with it.

When it comes to staying awake during a session, something that's worked for me is repeating in my mind everything the hypnotist says; not only does it reinforce whatever the hypnotist is telling you, it also keeps your mind busy and makes it stay focused on something (it's similar to why some people use mantras during meditation).

If anybody wants a personal hypnotherapy session through Skype, even if it's just to see what it's like, send me a PM and we'll arrange something. The only cost is going in with a positive attitude.


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