Kieran Marken Clinical Hypnosis FAQ

The following are the most common questions I am asked by people when they are wondering if hypnosis is right for them. Feel free to email or call if you have more questions of your own.

Is hypnosis safe?

Yes, the trance state induced by hypnosis is completely safe and natural. It is very similar to meditation. The difference is that when meditating you go through the process on your own whereas in hypnosis there is someone there with you. In fact there are also physiological benefits associated with the relaxed state that often develops during hypnosis. The heart rate slows down and blood pressure can even drop by as much as ten points during the trance. Many people experience hypnosis as feeling as though their body has had a restful sleep.

Will you make me cluck like a chicken?

This is a question that I get asked a surprising number of times. Obviously it is the result of the antics people see in stage hypnosis shows. The short answer is that even if I could make you cluck like a chicken I would still have no reason to do it. Stage shows tend to promote the now antiquated belief that hypnosis is a way to control people. When you think about it though all of the people who are on stage volunteered to be there and they new beforehand that they would be asked to do silly things. Clinical hypnosis, on the other hand, is the process of helping people achieve the goals they set for themselves.

Will I say things that I would rather keep to myself while in hypnosis?

No you will not tell me anything that you do not want to any more than when in normal consciousness. In fact sometimes we can even work on very specific issues even without the need to tell me what the issue is. Hypnosis can be used to evoke subconscious processes which can be directed toward a specific goal even though the goal may not be specifically named or shared with the therapist. It surprises most people to discover that the trance state does not diminish any of a person's normal, protective personality traits.

What do you mean by the term "subconscious mind?"

The term "subconscious mind" is used to refer to everything the mind does that is not in general conscious awareness or general thinking.

The subconscious mind manages the following aspects of our psychological and emotional experience:

• Emotional expression
• Memories and recall
• Fantasies, dreams and daydreams
• Intuition and inspiration

The subconscious mind also manages certain elements of our physical functioning including:

• Management and awareness of physical sensations including pain.
• Awareness of body position also known as proprioception
• Regulating the functions of autonomic nervous system including blood pressure, heart rate, hormone secretion, body temperature, respiration etc.

The modern understanding of the workings of the subconscious mind is that it is intellegent, creative and focused on survival, wellbeing and individual self expression. We now understand that the trance state experienced during hypnosis provides access to internal, intelligent, creative forces that can be directed toward specific therapeutic outcomes.

How does hypnosis work?

The actual mechanisms that make hypnosis effective are still a mystery however there are a number of useful models for describing hypnosis that have been developed by researchers and clinicians over the years. The model I refer to most often describes the different roles of the two sides of the brain. This is not an actual scientific theory but just a useful way to think about hypnosis.

The left side of the brain (for a right handed person) is considered to be the side that deals with our rational thoughts such as analysing information, understanding language, making calculations and planning. It is the logical side of the brain. The right side of the brain is considered to be the creative side. It is responsible predominantly for processes such as memory, fantasy, daydreams and emotions.

Often when we try to think our way out of a problem we try to do it rationally and logically with our left brain processing. Many issues though are not logical and are the result of emotions or subconscious impressions that need to be dealt with by the creative processes of the right brain. The creative side of the mind however tends to be imaginative and lucid and it can be difficult to keep your mind focussed on the task when using this side of the brain.

In hypnosis the hypnotist helps you to move the focus of your mind to the creative side and then helps it to keep focussed on the task at hand. In a sense, at the beginning of the session, your analytical mind communicates your goal to the hypnotist who then passes it on to your subconscious mind during hypnosis. How the subconscious mind makes the actual changes is still an intruiging mystery but the results continue to speak for themselves.

What is a session like?

A hypnotherapy session takes up to an hour and a half and begins with a chat. I begin by gathering a few details about yourself, your background and what it is that you would like to achieve. We spend a little time defining the goal and perhaps discussing how hypnosis can help.

The next stage is the hypnotherapy. For this part of the session you sit in a comfortable chair and I sit nearby. I will give you a few simple instructions to follow to help you achieve the trance state and then I will make suggestions in relation to the therapeutic outcome that we have discussed. The suggestions are made in ways that are palatable to the subcionscious mind with the aim that they can be utlised by your creative processes to achive the goal you are after.

During the hypnosis some people listen to everything I say while others drift off into a kind of daydream state and wake up when we're finished. Either way is fine. It used to be believed that you had to be uncoscious in order to use the subconscious mind. We now know that subconsious processes are working along side the conscious mind all the time and therefore whether or not you are actively paying attention makes no difference to the effectiveness of the hypnotherapy.

Some people experience interesting sensations such as lightness, heaviness, warmth, tingling etc. Also the mouth can often become a little dry while in hypnosis due to the fact that the mind inhibits the production of saliva in the same way it does when you sleep at night. Imagine meditating while someone sits nearby making suggestions and you will have a pretty good sense of what clinical hypnosis is like. Once the suggestions have been made I will give you a few simple instructions again to re-orient you to the waking state. All in all most people feel relaxed and refreshed after the session.