Clinical Hypnotherapist as a partner in your Medical and Mental Health

Mental Health and Hypnosis

Hypnotherapy uses guided relaxation, intense concentration, and focused attention to achieve a heightened state of awareness that is sometimes called a trance. The technique enables change in perception of memories. It can help to recollect ignored or blocked memories that may affect or create future behaviors in the adult life.

How Does Hypnosis Work in Mental Health?

Hypnosis is considered a support to counseling and psychotherapy, because the hypnotic state allows people to explore painful thoughts, feelings, and memories they might have hidden from their conscious minds. In addition, hypnosis enables people to perceive some things differently, such as blocking an awareness of pain.

It is important to know that hypnotherapy services are non-therapeutic and not intended to take place of professional counseling, medical or psychological care and should not be used as a substitute for diagnosis or treatment of any condition. Hypnotherapist do not work on pain or diagnosed mental or physical conditions without the referral from a licensed practitioner of the healing arts per Florida Statutes Section 485.

Hypnosis can be used in two ways, as suggestion therapy or for patient analysis:

• Suggestion therapy: The hypnotic state makes the person better able to respond to suggestions. Therefore, hypnotherapy can help some people change certain behaviors, such as stopping smoking or unexplained phobias. It can also help people change perceptions and sensations and is particularly useful in treating pain.

• Exploration: This approach uses the relaxed state to explore a possible psychological root cause of a disorder or symptom, such as a traumatic past event that a person has hidden in their unconscious memory. Once the trauma is revealed, it can be addressed in psychotherapy.

If any client is under the care of a medical professional for any condition for which they are seeking hypnosis support, the client must obtain a signed, written referral from their provider prior to engaging me and moving forward with related sessions. If the Clinical Hypnotherapist is a licensed mental health practitioner and is under the care of the same client, the later is not needed.

What Are the Benefits of Hypnosis?

The hypnotic state allows a person to be more open to discussion and suggestion. It can improve the success of other treatments for many conditions, including:

• Phobias, fears, and anxiety

• Sleep disorders

• Depression

• Stress

• Post-trauma anxiety

• Grief and loss

• Quitting smoking

Is Hypnosis Dangerous?

Hypnosis is not a dangerous procedure. It is not mind control or brainwashing. A Hypnotherapist can’t make a person do something embarrassing or that the person doesn't want to do.

What are the drawbacks of hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy might not be appropriate for a person who has psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions, or for someone who is using drugs or alcohol. It should be used for pain control only after a doctor has evaluated the person for any physical disorder that might require medical or surgical treatment.

Some therapists and mental health counselors refer to the use of hypnotherapy to recover repressed memories they believe are linked to the person’s mental disorder. However, it also may pose a risk for creating false memories — if an individual is working with an untrained hypnotherapist and unintended suggestions are transmitted. For this reason, using hypnotherapy for certain mental disorders, such as dissociative disorders, remains controversial. At the Hypnosis Center of Palm Beach, we are certified board professionals with over 500 hours of training from one of the few stated licensed schools approved by the Florida Department of Education. All our Clinical Hypnotherapists are also certified and part of the International Association of Interpersonal Hypnotherapists (IAIH)

Who Performs Hypnosis?

Hypnosis is performed by a licensed Hypnotherapist or certified mental health professional who is specially trained in this technique.