Question 1

What is Hypnosis?

Accepted Answer

Hypnosis is a natural state of consciousness characterized by narrowed focus and enhanced creative thought. 
Most people enter hypnotic trances naturally, all on their own. If you've ever driven a familiar route with no memory of the journey or "checked out" while watching TV, you've experienced a type of hypnotic trance. 
It's also a state where deeper learning can take place, making it a potentially useful state of mind for therapeutic transformation.

Question 2

What is Hypnotherapy?

Accepted Answer

Hypnotherapy takes advantage of the hypnotic state's learning potential to make desired changes in thought, perception, and behavior. 
Hypnotherapy works by communicating directly with deeper levels of consciousness, training the mind with new, more desirable patterns. 
Changing the mind isn't achieved with conscious willpower, but with subconscious re-learning.

Question 3

Why Use a Hypnotherapist?

Accepted Answer

Sometimes life's problems can feel insurmountable on your own.  By working with a hypnotherapist you can finally resolve deeper issues that may have burdened you for years. 
If you have self-limiting thoughts, troubling memories, unwanted habits, difficulty sleeping, anxiety or nervousness, creative blocks, or chronic pain, I can help you replace your old, unwanted patterns with new ones, allowing you to become your better you.

Question 4

Does hypnotherapy really work?

Accepted Answer

Yes, hypnosis is scientifically proven to be an effective therapy for many physical and mental issues and ailments. Many people have been able to quit a habit, remove a phobia, or calm anxiety using hypnosis. It can be more effective than prescribed drugs for issues such as stress, chronic pain, and smoking secession. It is an also an excellent complimentary therapy to increase the benefits of other treatments and therapies. Hypnosis can be used before and after medical and dental procedures to reduce anxiety, increase the speed of recovery, and improve the chances for a successful outcome.    The effectiveness of hypnosis speaks to the innate connection between mind and body, and the power of our own imagination and beliefs to affect our physical and mental states of being. Our thoughts really do affect our health.

Question 5

Is hypnosis safe?

Accepted Answer

Hypnosis is a natural state of consciouness most people enter into on their own, several times a day. It is generally as safe as daydreaming. Hypnosis used as therapy has been practiced safely for hundreds of years.    There are a few circumstances where hypnotherapy is not recommended, such as if you are diagnosed with schizophrenia and/or psychosis.   Please inform me if you have been diagnosed with or suffer from a mental health disorder,  have severe depression and/or suicidal thoughts, or any other serious mental health issue.

Question 6

What does it feel like to be in hypnosis?

Accepted Answer

Hypnosis is not a single state, but a continuum of consciousness that resides along a line between fully awake awareness and dreaming sleep.  It can feel like daydreaming while relaxing on the beach and then dip deeper into a highly visual, creative state you may experience on waking from a dream.    Generally you will be fully aware of your thoughts and feelings while in hypnosis, and will be able to speak and move if desired.  Some people may achieve a very deep state of trance, called somnambulism, where conscious awareness is absent.    You will likely remember the entire session once you have returned to full conscious awareness, but partial amnesia of the session can result from deeper levels of trance, similar to the way a vivid dream fades from memory as you awaken.   While the depth of trance is unique to every individual, and can vary from one session to another, the good news is unconscious learning and effective therapy can take place under even a light trance.

Question 7

I've never been hypnotized.  Will it work on me?

Accepted Answer

If you've ever been lost in a good book, daydreamed will dozing on the couch, "zoned out" while listening to music or watching TV, or been so relaxed while soaking in a tub that you lost track of the time, then you've already experienced a hypnotic trance.  Most people experience hypnosis all on their own, several times a day.      Trance is a natural state of consciousness somewhere between the fully awake state and the dreaming sleep state.  There are only a very few people who have difficulty entering this state, but for the vast majority hypnosis can be achieved intentionally and with a little practice, easily.

Question 8

What will my first hypnosis session be like?

Accepted Answer

For your first session we will spend extra time for you to tell me about your particular issue, your history and background, and your goals for hypnotherapy. I'll answer answer any questions you may still have about the process of hypnosis.    For your first hypnosis session I will guide you through a mind and body relaxation exercise that helps put you into a light state of trance that usually feel squite pleasant and relaxing. I will then guide you into a deeper state of hypnosis, but only as deep as you allow yourself to go. You will have complete control of yourself at all times. We may then begin to explore the issue you would like to resolve, but the main purpose of this first hypnosis is to get you comfortable and familiar with the process.    Many of my clients leave the first hypnosis session feeling relaxed, peaceful, and sometimes energized. They often report having a deeper, more restful night's sleep than they've had in a long time!

Question 9

Will hypnosis be effective for my particular issue?

Accepted Answer

While no therapy is effective for all people, all of the time, hypnotherapy can provide relief for many different issues, including anxiety, weight, motivation, chronic pain, fears and phobias, bad habits, sleep problems, negative self talk, and many more.    Hypnosis addresses underlying beliefs and thought patterns rooted in the unconscious mind, so any issue that has a mind component can almost always be addressed using hypnosis.    Of course, if you have a new physical issue or are suffering from deep depression or other serious mental illness then you should first consult with a licensed medical and/or psychological professional for diagnosis and treatment prior to employing hypnosis or any other alternative therapy.

Question 10

How many sessions will it take to resolve my issue?

Accepted Answer

No two clients are the same, just as no issue can be addressed in exactly the same way twice, so the number of sessions required can't be calculated in advance.  Success is dependent on your subconscious mind's willingness to change, and often times the subconscious needs a lot of convincing.  (You wouldn't be here, otherwise!)  My philosophy as a hypnotherapist is to offer a pragmatic, goal oriented approach to achieve your desired results in as few sessions as possible.   Having said that, most of my clients start to notice positive changes after only 1 or 2 sessions.  Often 3 or 4 sessions is all it takes to achieve the desired goals, and rarely will a single issue require more than 10 sessions.  Unlike traditional talk therapy that can go on for months, years, or even decades, the goal of my practice is to get you out the door feeling transformed as quickly as possible!

Question 11

Can hypnosis be used to manage pain?

Accepted Answer

Yes!  Sufferers of chronic pain can find relief using hypnosis.  In this age of the prescribed opioid many people are understandably concerned about the side effects, addictive nature, and obvious dangers of some medicines and are looking for other ways to manage their pain.  Alternative medicines such as cannabis can be effective but may still have unwanted side-effects. Hypnosis techniques for pain management are side-effect free and can be used in conjunction with, or in some cases in place of, pharmaceuticals. 
Please remember, physical pain is a signal from your body to your brain that something needs attention.  Always seek a medical doctor's opinion and diagnosis before pursuing any alternative treatments for pain to first rule out any unknown causes.  If you are seeking treatment for chronic pain I will require a signed form from your doctor agreeing that hypnosis is an appropriate alternative treatment for you.  I will provide this form to you once we have discussed your pain issue in more detail.

Question 12

Is hypnosis for pain simply the placebo effect?

Accepted Answer

The placebo effect can be powerful medicine. Pharmaceutical companies spend billions of dollars developing new drugs that never see the light of day because they aren't proven more effective than a placebo. How can a pill with nothing in it still work? While the physical mechanisms of the placebo effect is not well understood, the simple fact is that your beliefs can often be just as powerful, if not more so, than a pharmaceutical.    Hypnosis can use the innate power of your imagination to amplify the effectiveness of medicine and in some cases even replace a drug. Studies have shown hypnosis combined with placebo is more effective than placebo alone. One important difference is that while placebos rely on deception, hypnosis relies on suggestions and positive intention with nothing hidden from the client. So while placebo and hypnosis may be activating the same powerful mechanisms of the mind, they are not simply one and the same.

Question 13

What makes hypnosis different from other therapies?

Accepted Answer

Unlike traditional talk therapies that ultilize the analytical, logical, critical, conscious mind, hypnosis aims to bypass conscious analysis to interact directly with the emotional and sensory parts of the mind found deeper in the subconscious and unconscious. Under hypnosis those normally hidden parts of your mind are brought forward into conscious awareness, making it possible to transform old thoughts, patterns and beliefs into new ones.   At some level, all effective therapies work with the same unconscious belief mechanism as hypnosis. If you believe a treatment can help you, even a placebo, it will be more effective.  In my opinion hypnosis gets results faster than other therapies simply because it works directly with the part of the mind where beliefs and feelings are formed and maintained, and the mind's healing potential is activated in a more direct way. Hypnotic language is the "native" language of the subconscious mind.

Question 14

What is the difference between hypnotherapy and stage hypnosis?

Accepted Answer

The purpose of hypnotherapy is to use the hypnotic trance state of mind to achieve desired changes in thought or behavior, while the purpose of stage hypnosis is simply to entertain an audience.   If you've ever been to a stage hypnosis show you may have seen audience members doing silly, unusual things, sometimes with no memory of it. The hypnotist carefully screens and tests the volunteers so that those who eventually make it up on stage are cooperative and have a bit of the acting bug in them (plus maybe a couple drinks). They are encouraged to follow the hypnotist's bizarre instructions by the applause and laughter of the audience. Stage hypnosis can be great fun to watch!    Rest assured, you cannot be forced to do or say anything under hypnosis that you don't want to do, either on stage or in a hypnotherapist's office.

Question 15

What is your rate? Do you offer discounts?

Accepted Answer

I aim to keep my rates affordable and believe hypnotherapy services should be accessible to all. We'll discuss my rates and discount packages during your free phone consultation. Please inform me if you have a financial hardship such as unemployment or other circumstances so that I may be able to offer you a deeper discount.

Question 16

Do you take insurance?

Accepted Answer

Few health insurance plans cover alternative therapies such as hypnosis, but I am happy to provide a receipt you can submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement.    If you have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA), hypnotherapy may be eligible for reimbursement.    Also, check your employee benefits package. Many companies now offer a monthy stipend to reimburse wellness expenses. This benefit is in addition to your health insurance benefits. If your company reimburses your gym membership, for example, they may reimburse other "wellness" related expenses such as hypnotherapy.

Question 17

What does Arc Hypnosis mean?

Accepted Answer

"Arc" or "ARC" has several relevant meanings to my hypnotherapy practice: 
"Augmenting the Reality of Consciousness" (ARC), speaks to the way hypnosis harnesses the power of the subconscious mind to dissolve self-limiting thoughts, beliefs, and feelings and generate real, positive change. You can't change the past, but you can change the way you feel about it. 
Architecturally, an arc is an elegant and strong support, like a doorway or bridge. Similarly, hypnotherapy serves as an arc, bridging the goals of the conscious mind with the feelings and beliefs of the subconscious mind. Hypnosis is a way to open the door to the subconscious where real change can take root.   In storytelling, the concept of a "character arc" describes the protagonist's transformation as the story progresses. Often starting with a dis-empowered or self-limited version of the main character, or hero, the story often ends with the character having acquired new skills, experience, and permanent change by hard-won wisdom. In that same vein, if you feel limited by internal conflicts or self-imposed roadblocks, hypnotherapy can help you change the trajectory of your own character arc and embrace the plot twists of your life's unfolding story.

ARC HYPNOSIS

Stephen B. Lewis
CLINICAL HYPNOTHERAPIST

ARC HYPNOSIS

ARC HYPNOSIS

Stephen B. Lewis CLINICAL HYPNOTHERAPIST

ARC HYPNOSIS

Stephen B. Lewis
CLINICAL HYPNOTHERAPIST