By Inga Krause, Embrace Life Hynotherapy

I am a Registered Nurse, Hypnotherapist and Lightworker. Hypnosis has an incredible ability to heal. Better said, your MIND has an incredible ability to heal as most people are aware.

There are many myths and misconceptions about hypnosis and because of that, this powerful tool is too often discarded and feared. Many things in this world can be used either for good or evil. Science is a perfect example.

Even a physician’s training and skills can be used for evil as evidenced by the atrocious experiments performed by Dr. Josef Mengele in the concentration camps during WWII.

Mind control has been linked to hypnosis and it has been said that perfectly normal people have been “hypnotized” into performing evil acts which they would not normally have done.

Mind control or brainwashing can only be successful under situations of torture or chemical or electrical brain alteration with the mind being made susceptible to twisted suggestions or commands.

Hypnosis is simply a deep state of relaxation with focused attention. You are in a hypnotic trance state many times during the day like when deeply involved in a book or movie where you “tune out” your surroundings.

You are in a trance state during deep prayer or meditation. Have you ever driven home and do not remember the last mile driving and stopping at a stop light and not remembering that? You were in a light trance state. Hypnosis is an altered state of mind but completely natural to everyone.

Here are the truths about hypnosis:

#1 Under hypnosis you cannot be made to do, say or think anything that is outside your belief system.

#2 The hypnotist cannot get “into your mind”

#3 Under hypnosis you would not reveal anything that you would not want to in a fully awake state.

#4 You cannot be “stuck” in a hypnotic trance. If left alone, you would simply come out of trance by yourself or you may just fall into a natural sleep. #5 You would remember everything that was said during your hypnotic trance state, you can move, scratch an itch and even open your eyes if you wish to.

As a matter of fact, many people during their first hypnosis experience don’t believe they were hypnotized at all. Almost everyone can be hypnotized as long as you can focus and concentrate. And you are ALWAYS in control.

Why then is hypnosis so effective in healing? In a deeply relaxed state, you are able to access your unconscious or subconscious mind. The hypnotherapist only acts as a guide to help you address your particular issues.

Have you ever forgotten something and tried hard to remember? The harder you try, the more difficult it becomes until you stop trying and suddenly a bit later the answer just pops into your consciousness.

That is your subconscious at work. Conscious mind – is the thinking, organizational and decision making part and is sometimes inactive. It controls only 2-4% of perceptions and behaviors. It can process about 9 thoughts per second.

Subconscious mind is always active. It controls 96- 98% of perceptions and behaviors. It processes about 400 billion operations per second!

#1 The subconscious mind is your memory bank and stores every thought word ,deed and event of your life since birth and before.

#2 Your subconscious controls your autonomic nervous system and all involuntary functions like breathing, heart rate, digestion, endocrine function, hormone balance, etc.

#3 It is the seat of your emotions, #4 It is the home of the imagination and it carries out habitual conduct. #5 it is the dynamo that directs our energy which drives us toward our goals.

The subconscious is like a computer and can only run the software that has been programmed into it. When you hit a pothole in the road of life, the program can become corrupted.

My favorite explanation of hypnosis is that it “is an educational communicative system that allows the subconscious and conscious mind to believe the same message”.

The unconscious mind processes differently than your conscious mind and uses a different language. We speak to the unconscious using symbols, imagery and feeling states. That is why I often use metaphors during my sessions, rather than direct suggestion.

The unconscious “gets it” immediately though the conscious mind may not immediately make sense of the words being spoken. All hypnosis is self hypnosis and I always teach my clients how to use self hypnosis. Most people know that hypnosis is commonly used by people who want to quit smoking or lose weight.

There are many other conditions that respond extremely well to hypnotherapy when practiced by a knowledgeable therapist. Some of the more common uses of hypnosis are: pain control, including chronic pain conditions, anxiety, stress, depression, insomnia, grief, procrastination, PTSD, fibromyalgia, migraines, chemotherapy side effects, IBS, allergies, phobias, self esteem, preparation for childbirth, surgery and dental procedures.

“Each cell within the human body has its own consciousness. It is the switchboard of your brain that gives you command over all material substance with the human structure, for you will find that you can, through your brain concentration, reach every cell within the body and thus bring about a healing process that will give you the picture of health as you understand it in a material way” – Sol Lewis, Director of Michigan Hypnosis Institute, Radiotherapy

Hypnosis is increasingly being used to treat symptoms of diseases and conditions in highly respected medical facilities such as the Mayo clinic, the Universily of North Carolina , the University of Maryland Medical Center and many others.

I would be happy to answer any questions that you may have. If you have any questions, please go to my website at EmbraceLifeHypnotherapy.com where you can access my contact information. Inga Kraus RN C.Ht