Hypnotherapy
Healing With Hypnotherapy You are getting very sleepy.... If you’ve ever wondered just how accurate on-screen portrayals of hypnosis are, Stephanie Smailes is here to separate fact from fiction, as she sits (or lies down) in the hot seat of a Hong Kong hypnotherapist.
I
always imagined hypnotherapy would be like it is on TV. I imagined staring at a Sigmund Freud lookalike waving a pocketwatch as he urged me to look into his eyes. Images of stage performers commanding me to behave like a dog in front of thousands of laughing onlookers came to mind. Or lying in a dark room surrounded by New Age objets d’art watching a pendulum swing as I open up my subconscious and innermost thoughts, without even realising what’s happening. Unsurprisingly, hypnotherapy is actually nothing like any of the representations I have seen. After nine sessions, I can say with total certainty that I was completely aware of everything that took place in my sessions. I didn’t have to stare deeply into the eyes of my hypnotherapist or watch myself give up my deepest darkest secrets without restraint, nor did I hop on one leg while touching my nose on command. What I have found to be true about hypnotherapy was how effective and meaningful it was, and the difference it made in my day-to-day life. It may not be for everyone, but I do believe that if you go into it with an open mind, a willingness to change and a clear intent about what you want the outcome to be, you can have an extremely rewarding experience. Here’s how it worked for me:
26
Session
1
I met with my hypnotherapist, Olivier, to have a casual discussion about whether hypnotherapy would be suitable for me. We discussed my reasons for seeking out this strand of therapy, the kinds of difficulties Hypnotherapist Olivier Courret I was facing, and I gave an overview of my life and experiences. Olivier felt confident that hypnotherapy would be appropriate and asked me to complete a suggestibility assessment... to be answered as my 16-yearold self. Olivier explained that this helps the hypnotherapist to ensure that the metaphors and guided visualisations are ones that will appeal to my subconscious. We booked appointments for the following week, and my course of hypnotherapy began.
