Find Regression Hypnotherapists near you

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FAQs:

What is Hypnotherapy?

Hypnosis, hypnotherapy, and hypnotic suggestion are all names for a type of therapy that involves putting people into a trance-like state. Achieving this state is intended to promote focus in an individual. In this focused state, a person can be more receptive to suggestions, such as quitting smoking. Hypnotherapy is a therapy that spans hundreds of years and has many practitioners across the United States. Researchers have studied whether hypnosis can treat a variety of medical conditions, from irritable bowel syndrome to anxiety and depression. The goal of hypnotherapy is to help a patient learn to better control their state of awareness. In the case of depression, hypnotherapy sessions may be focused on helping a person achieve a state of relaxation. In this relaxed state, they can discuss their feelings and emotions without raising stress and anxiety levels.

What is Hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a changed state of awareness and increased relaxation that allows for improved focus and concentration. It also is called hypnotherapy. Hypnosis usually is done with the guidance of a healthcare provider using verbal repetition and mental images. During hypnosis, most people feel calm and relaxed. Hypnosis typically makes people more open to suggestions about behavior changes. Hypnosis can help you gain control over behaviors you'd like to change. It may help you cope better with anxiety or pain. Although you're more open to suggestions during hypnosis, you don't lose control over your behavior during a hypnosis session.

What is a Hypnotherapist?

A hypnotherapist is a skilled and trained professional who, by inducing a trance-like state, helps people use their subconscious mind to change behavioral patterns or ways of thinking. The client must want to change their negative thoughts, feelings, or behaviors for the hypnotherapist to be successful in helping the client.

How does Hypnosis Work?

How hypnosis works aren’t completely understood. However, it’s commonly believed that in the deep state of focus and relaxation that’s achieved with hypnosis:

- Your conscious mind is quieted.

- You’re able to tap into the part of your brain where your thoughts, beliefs, perceptions, sensations, emotions, memory, and behaviors originate.

- In this state, you’re more open to gentle guidance from your hypnotherapist to help you modify or replace the unconscious thoughts that are driving your current behavior.

What Can Hypnosis Help You With?

Hypnosis can be an effective way to cope with stress and anxiety. In particular, it may ease stress and anxiety before a medical procedure, such as a breast biopsy.

Hypnosis also may be helpful for:

1. Pain control. Hypnosis may help with pain due to burns, cancer, childbirth, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, jaw problems, dental procedures, and headaches.

2. Hot flashes. Hypnosis may ease hot flashes caused by menopause.

3. Behavior change. Hypnosis has been used with some success to treat sleep problems, bed-wetting, smoking, and overeating.

4. Cancer treatment side effects. Hypnosis has been used to ease the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

5. Mental health conditions. Hypnosis may help reduce anxiety associated with fears and phobias.

Is Hypnosis Dangerous?

Hypnosis is not a dangerous procedure. It is not mind control or brainwashing. A therapist cannot make a person do something embarrassing or that the person doesn't want to do. The greatest risk, as discussed above, is that false memories can potentially be created and that it may be less effective than pursuing other, more established, and traditional psychiatric treatments. Hypnosis also may be less effective than pursuing other, more established, and traditional psychiatric treatments. It’s not, for example, a recognized alternative to established treatments for major psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression.

What is the Effectiveness of Hypnosis?

Despite its use since the 1700s, hypnotherapy continues to have skeptics in the medical community. However, it’s becoming a more accepted and recognized form of therapy. The number of certified and licensed medical professionals incorporating hypnotherapy in their practice is increasing. Scientific evidence supporting the benefits of hypnotherapy has been limited but is growing. Some studies show “promising” results or “may be helpful in” conclusions. The strongest evidence supporting the use of hypnotic treatments comes from research on hypnosis for treating pain, IBS, and PTSD symptoms. Most medical associations and organizations state that more studies are needed to draw meaningful conclusions about the effectiveness of hypnotherapy.

How Long Does Hypnosis Treatment Last?

A hypnotherapy session usually lasts about an hour. A trained therapist uses various relaxation techniques to guide you into a hypnotic state. In this state, you are still conscious and aware. Your body becomes more relaxed and the mind more responsive to suggestions from the therapist. The therapist’s suggestions will depend on the condition or behavior you are trying to treat. Hypnotherapy can help target unwanted or unhealthy habits and possibly replace them with healthier behaviors. Examples include being able to better control pain or anxiety or adjusting negative thought patterns that could be worsening depression symptoms.

How Much Does a Hypnotherapy Cost?

The average cost of hypnotherapy ranges from $75 to $125 or more per session, but several sessions may be required to experience results. Sometimes the cost may be bundled into a broader program, such as with smoking cessation or weight loss. Insurance will sometimes cover hypnosis when treated by a licensed clinical mental health professional.

What Does Regression Mean in Therapy?

According to Sigmund Freud, regression is an unconscious defense mechanism, which causes the temporary or long-term reversion of the ego to an earlier stage of development (instead of handling unacceptable impulses in a more adult manner). Regression is typical in a normal childhood, and it can be caused by stress, frustration, or by a traumatic event. Children usually manifest regressive behavior to communicate their distress. Addressing the underlying unmet need in the child usually corrects the regressive behavior.

Regression in adults can arise at any age; it entails retreating to an earlier developmental stage (emotionally, socially, or behaviorally). Insecurity, fear, and anger can cause an adult to regress. In essence, individuals revert to a point in their development when they felt safer and when stress was nonexistent, or when an all-powerful parent or another adult would have rescued them.

Regressive behavior can be simple or complex, harmful or harmless to the individual showing the behavior and to those around them. Regression becomes problematic, especially in a hospital, when it is employed to avoid difficult adult situations or stressors. Managing regression in a hospital is resource intensive and can prolong hospital stays.

What is Regression Therapy?

Regression therapy focuses very specifically on past events and how they influence the way we behave in the present day. This is particularly relevant to those trying to overcome childhood abuse. Still, it can also apply to people who were subject to any abuse in relationships in the past.

This type of therapy involves hypnosis, which psychotherapists and hypnotherapists alike have researched. The need for hypnosis typically surrounds the fact that many practitioners1 believe that the subconscious mind can repress trauma if it was inflicted at an age before the mind could figure out how to process it. So the practitioners are typically trying to drum up memories through hypnosis.

What Does a Hypnotherapist Do?

A hypnotherapist is a trained professional who guides people in trance-like states and helps them tap into their subconscious mind. This is where most behavioral patterns and beliefs can be reprogrammed and changed.

Hypnotherapists help people who are suffering from:

- Any type of Phobia

- Anxiety

- Stress

- Grief

- Eating disorders

- Smoking addiction

- Substance abuse problems

- Undesirable behaviors

- Bad habits

The Benefits of Hypnotherapy

Hypnosis can be a great tool for those who are unsatisfied with aspects of their behavior. It may be especially helpful for those who are trying to cope with a stressful situation or habit, like procrastination, workplace anxiety, or addiction. Hypnotherapy can also be an effective treatment for overcoming fears, phobias, or other issues without resorting to medication or more invasive methods. 

The therapy can be used to treat conditions like: 

Pain

Hypnotherapy is an effective form of therapy for pain management. Doctors will sometimes even recommend hypnotherapy as an alternative to pain medication for those who they think might benefit from it. Hypnotherapy is also a good choice for those who are suffering from chronic pain. It can be used to treat and help manage a variety of physical conditions, for instance: 

- Headaches

- Back pain

- Digestive issues

- Injuries

Behavior Change

Hypnotherapy can be used to help people change their behavior, which is a great tool for those who want to be more productive at work, school, or in life in general. It can also be used to help people learn new habits and skills or overcome habits that are holding them back. The deeper, more relaxed state of mind induced by hypnosis is also the source of many of our behaviors. Hypnosis can help people change their thoughts and feelings at this level, which in turn can change their behaviors. 

Side Effects of Treating Cancer

Mainstream cancer treatments are hard on the body, to say the least. Hypnotherapy can be used to help people deal with the emotional and physical effects of cancer, such as pain, stress, anxiety, and more. It can also be used to help people cope with the side effects of cancer treatment, like nausea, vomiting, and fatigue.

Mental Health Conditions

Hypnotherapy is perhaps most associated with treating mental health conditions. It can be used to help people manage the side effects of antidepressant medications and to help people cope with the symptoms of depression. It can also be used to help people learn to cope with anxiety, which is especially useful for those who are dealing with phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or panic attacks.

The Myths about Hypnosis

Myth: Hypnosis isn’t real. It’s a form of entertainment.

Hypnosis isn’t a stage act or some magical act. Clinical hypnosis is a type of medical therapy that’s often used as part of a treatment plan that includes traditional medical approaches.

Myth: You lose consciousness or have amnesia when you’re hypnotized.

Most people remember everything that happens during hypnosis. You remain aware of who you are, and where you are and remember what happened during a hypnosis session.

Myth: You’re under the control of your hypnotherapist when you’re hypnotized.

Your hypnotist or hypnotherapist guides hypnosis, but hypnosis is something you do for yourself. You can’t be made to do anything against your will. You won’t reveal any information that you wished to remain secret. You don’t lose control over your behavior. Hypnosis makes it easier to experience suggestions but doesn’t force you to have certain experiences.

Myth: Hypnosis is nothing more than deep sleep.

Hypnosis isn’t sleeping. Some deeper forms of hypnosis could make you appear to be asleep because your body is very still and quiet, but you aren’t asleep.

Types of Regression Therapy

These are some of the different approaches to regression therapy:

1. Hypnotic Regression Therapy: While all types of regression therapy involve hypnosis, this most general type does not necessarily include mentions of past lives or year-by-year age regression. It intends to help patients access their subconscious minds through hypnosis.

2. Age Regression Therapy: In this type of regression therapy, therapists induce amnesia in the patient and then ask them to return to past years. 

3. Past Life Regression Therapy: This hinges on the belief that we carry over many of our traumas from our past lives.

What to Expect from Hypnotherapy

Before you begin, your healthcare provider explains the process of hypnosis and reviews your treatment goals. Then the provider typically begins by talking in a gentle, soothing tone, describing images that create a sense of relaxation, security, and well-being.

When you're relaxed and calm, your healthcare provider suggests ways for you to achieve your goals. That may include, for example, ways to ease pain or reduce cravings to smoke. The provider also may help you visualize vivid, meaningful mental images of yourself accomplishing your goals.

When the session is over, you may be able to bring yourself out of hypnosis on your own. Or your health care provider may help you gradually and comfortably increase your alertness.

Contrary to what you might see in movies or during a hypnotist stage act, people don't lose control over their behavior during hypnosis. They usually remain aware during a session and remember what happens.

Over time, you may be able to practice self-hypnosis. During self-hypnosis, you reach a state of relaxation and calm without a healthcare provider's guidance. This skill can be helpful in many situations, such as before surgery or other medical procedures.

Regression Therapy Risks & Concerns

Risks of regression therapy include:

1. Revealing false memories of traumas or events that are not real.1

2. Some false memories could lead to legal action, such as memories of the alleged abuse.

3. Unearthed or false traumas could be harmful to a person.6

4. Reframing events in regression therapy might be dishonest and the person could become numb to trauma instead of addressing it directly.

5. A person might not want their pain to be released. In this case, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which focuses on how thoughts and beliefs affect behaviors and emotions, might be more effective.

How to Get Started with Regression Therapy

If you are interested in this type of therapy, we recommend seeking out a hypnotherapist that is also licensed. Also, consider their other areas of expertise.

While there isn't just one hypnotherapy certification program, make sure you look for a therapist who has undergone some amount of clinical training. Many undergo 40 to 100 hours of hypnotherapy workshops and more than 20 hours of individual training under the supervision of a practicing hypnotherapist.

The American College of Hypnotherapy even requires 220 hours of courses and clinical experience. You can search their site to see their certifications or ask them via email or phone call.

During your first appointment, expect a session similar to traditional therapy in terms of updating the therapist on your background and reasons for seeking treatment.

From there, your therapist will talk to you about your goals for the session, as well as your long-term goals for hypnotherapy. Then they will guide you through hypnosis, often by using repetitive verbal cues.

As with all forms of therapy, feel free to ask as many questions as you want to get to know your therapist. You can come prepared with a list of questions and even ask if you can set up an introductory phone call ahead of your first appointment.

How to Find a Hypnotherapist

First, look for a healthcare professional who’s properly trained, licensed, and credentialed in a healthcare field such as medicine, dentistry, psychiatry, psychology, social work, or nursing. This practitioner should have additional training in hypnosis and hypnotherapy techniques. 

Hypnosis should be used along with their mental health and medical training as an additional treatment tool. Ask the practitioner you intend to see about their training, credentials, and license to practice hypnotherapy. Also, ask if they’re experienced in the condition(s) you’re seeking care for.

To find a hypnotherapist near you, talk to your healthcare provider or call or search websites.

You’ll want to find a therapist you feel comfortable with and trust. Don’t hesitate to try a different therapist if you feel a hypnotherapist isn’t the right fit for you.

Sources:

Sofia Health

Healthline

Mayo Clinic

Cleveland Clinic

Very Well Mind

Very Well Health

Career Explorer

RTT

NIH

Mantra Care

 

The content herein is provided for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Medical information changes constantly, and therefore the content on this website should not be assumed to be current, complete or exhaustive. Always seek the advice of your doctor before starting or changing treatment. If you think you may have a medical emergency, please call your doctor or 9-1-1 (in the United States) immediately.