August 2009
Michelle Lia
The use of hypnosis as therapy sparks interest in me and perhaps in many others. I wonder what such therapy consists of, as well as what kind of help and success it offers. Coincidentally, I met a woman in a store a few weeks ago. We started chatting about this and that, and during our conversation I found out that her husband, John Owens, an American, is a hypnotherapist. I took opportunity to ask him for an interview… to satisfy my curiosity as well as yours.
Hypnosis is a state where the conscious mind is bypassed by the hypnotherapist so he or she can program the subconscious.
The AMA (American Medical Association) officially recognized hypnotherapy as useful and beneficial in 1958. I started doing hypnotherapy in 1998 while still maintaining my full-time corporate job. About two years later the business was thriving so I left my main job and focused on my hypnotherapy practice. This was when I started to consider myself, for all intents and purposes, a hypnotherapist, as many others have done before me by taking this path. However, I soon found out, after working with a variety of people, that my studies over a 20 year period into the human brain, behavior and personality, would take a different route. I realized that more than coming to me to simply break a habit, my clients sought healing on a mental and emotional level. Many of their issues went back many years, even to their childhood, and they never found healing. Oftentimes I am the last resort. The techniques I use are geared to helping my clients achieve a productive life and reach their true potential by healing both their conscious and subconscious mind.
When I first start working with a client, I first want to get a clear picture of what is going on in that individual’s life – both in his personal and professional life. I then start to dig for more details. This helps the client more because it is difficult to use hypnotherapy effectively in any situation without first understanding the true cause of the problem. When I find out what the real issue is, I start to work on the conscious first through coaching, and then I use hypnotherapy for the subconscious.
Hypnosis is a two part process. First comes the induction to put the client into trance. Then comes the suggestions – the words or programming used to reach goals, break habits and reduce stress. There are a number of inductions that different hypnotherapists use, preferring one or a combination of some over the others. I created my own technique – the JOImethod – after using different inductions during my sessions and finding they were too cumbersome or did not help the client achieve the desired level of relaxation so I could work positively on the subconscious.
My technique works for me and my clients. It relaxes them and at the same time takes into account their busy lifestyle. In other words, I created an induction that can be performed in a short time and is convenient for clients who do not want to spend hours from their day at my office.
When I developed the JOImethod I took into consideration that I would not use certain techniques as they use in stage hypnosis. These are techniques that work only while the hypnotist is in the same room with a client. I wanted to find a way with which I could make an impact on a client even if they were away from my office, their home, or out of the country. There are times when, for instance, a client does not want to be hypnotized; or cases where people such as senior citizens suffer from certain ailments because of which the traditional hypnotic techniques would not work on them.
My induction is different because I think of myself a healer first and foremost, and I use hypnosis as one of my tools – in fact, it is my favorite tool.
My clients usually go into trance within 5 minutes, which leaves me with 55 minutes of programming time. When a person is in trance, he or she feels comfortable and relaxed, and their subconscious is open to suggestions in relation to their goals (as discussed prior to the session). Sometimes the clients are aware of what is going on around them; sometimes they are not. I always discover the reason why they have come to be in their current situation. For example, why they have lack of self-confidence, or certain phobias.
Yes, if the correct induction is used. Oftentimes I get calls where people admit to me that they are hard-headed and cannot be hypnotized. When I use my induction there will be no problems between me and the client. After the session, the client feels as though they have taken a relaxing mental and emotional massage and their stress, tension, or pent up feelings are eased or even eliminated while, at the same time, they feel they can succeed with their goals.
Hypnosis can be used to treat any emotional issue on the personal and professional level. I focus on inner peace, balance and harmony every time, by countering and discussing issues relating to the emotions, careers, or relationships. Some clients will need more than one session, depending on what we need to work on together. With time I start to see the changes. I see a new person who is more self-confident after being stifled by his/her environment or society.
I often work on issues such as bad habits, alcoholism, eating disorders, weight loss/gain, anger, career choices, creativity, emotional and/or relationship issues, and sports performance enhancement. I also deal with stress by providing a mental and emotional massage.
Hypnotherapy does not only help people reach their true potential by eliminating bad habits and overcoming obstacles. It is also a tool for mental and emotional healing by easing anxiety, depression, obsessive thoughts and panic attacks that overwhelm us because of the pressures in our lives.
Hypnotherapy is also a way to reprogram an individual or group of people to conquer mental and emotional problems, including feelings of guilt, excessive timidity or anger.
In my practice I use the 90/10 rule. This means that I do 90% of the work while the client does 10% of it. Therefore, after the session is over, I give the client some homework to do before the next session.
For example, if I know that a client needs to get out more and enjoy herself, I advise her to do so. If I see that she has creative talent, I ask her to draw a sketch or painting and show it to me at our next meeting. This way the therapy wheel will turn more smoothly because many people who come to me find themselves locked in a lot of negativity and I work to get them out of it.
When I first started my practice in America I was becoming successful. However, when the economy started to falter, so did my business. On the other hand, I am impressed by the amount of people who have sought my help and continue to seek my help here in Malta. When I got here I placed an advertisement in the classifieds section of a local newspaper and from that same week I started receiving phone calls and emails. I feel that if people can afford to come to me, then hypnotherapy will be a successful tool because many need this service.
In America I worked with various doctors and I would like to do the same thing in Malta. In my case, I will help the patient with the mind and body connection. Over the years I have helped clients who suffered from multiple sclerosis (MS), cancer, and heart disease.
I remember one client in particular who suffered from MS so she was in constant pain. She told me that she felt the pain even when she was asleep. Thanks to hypnotherapy, I was able to help her manage her pain for short time periods by teaching her specific techniques. She was very impressed with the results, especially when the pain was gone. She was used to living with uninterrupted pain and had lost hope of ever getting rid of it.
Another way I can help patients is when they need to stop smoking because they suffer from a heart condition – but they find it difficult to do so. I can help them with this habit over several sessions. Between 60% and 70% of sick patients end up in hospital because of stress related issues. I believe that I would be able to help them eliminate this stress so they can be several steps closer to healing.
May 23, 2009
Dolores Bundy
Perception can cause a small or thin woman to see herself as a large, or an attractive woman to see herself as unattractive. It can cause a healthy person to see themselves as unhealthy, or an otherwise loving relationship destroyed.
“Full conscious awareness is where we spend most of our waking hours,” explained John Owens, certified hypnotherapist and student of Dr. Milton Erickson’s techniques.
"In this conscious state, our minds are attentive, uses logic to reason, evaluates, assesses, judges, and makes decisions. And sometimes when making life changes, the conscious mind can often get in the way," says Owens, adding, "But in the hypnotic state, the doorway between the conscious and the subconscious is opened, memories become easily accessible, and new information is stored."
In the hypnotic state, you are not really thinking in the traditional sense. You are experiencing without questioning, without critical judgment or analysis. And the hypnotist can make suggestions that are very likely to stick because your conscious mind is not getting in the way. You are not judging or being critical of the suggestions.
Hypnotherapy can help boost self-confidence and heighten self-motivation and discipline. It has been helpful in assisting in the process of behavior modification in children and adults, control PMS symptoms, increase memory capacity and recall, assists with treatment to strengthen the immune system and response to relaxation, and maximizes the achievement of better grades in school or college.
Maury M. Breecher, Ph.D., M.P.H, confirms that hypnotherapy is also noted to deal with such conditions as the pain and nausea associated with cancer and chemotherapy and HIV/AIDS.
G. Edwards Riley, M. Div., CH, Certified Master Hypnotherapist, and C.J. Newton, MA, recently published in the Mental Health Journal that hypnotherapy has also been known to deal with more serious situations. In the White Paper Empirical Findings on the Uses of Hypnosis in Modern Medicine, Riley and Newton take a critical look at the benefits for symptoms of Asthma, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea, The Pain of Cancer, Fybromyalgia, and other conditions.
In the United States, alone two-thirds of the adult population are overweight, one-third smoke cigarettes, and 70 percent suffer from some form of insomnia. Hypnotherapy can deal with a number of health and non-health related issues, such as habit control for smoking, nail biting, control of fears and phobias, addictions, depression, emotional problems, weight loss and weight management, stress management , and sports performance enhancement.
In 1958, hypnosis was approved by the American Medical Association as an ethical medical treatment. According to a study conducted in Europe and America, it was found that approximately 50 to 75 percent of the patients who visited doctors had pain that was originated from either a mental or emotional illness.
In the hands of a trained certified hypnotist one can expect to have some results to different forms of problems, says Edward J. Nichols, PhD., clinical/industrial psychologist who studied at Leopold-Franzens University in Austria. “For example, smoking cessation, weight loss, pain management and some forms of stuttering. ”On some occasions recall of traumatic events is possible, but that’s not always accurate.
"Also, panic attacks have been addressed successfully,” he says. “Essentially you can desensitize someone as a stop gap measure to the problem: e.g., claustrophobic youth placed in a jail cell has a panic attack. The hypnotist is giving the suggestion but the persons themselves are actually accomplishing it. You want to choose someone who has first gained your trust. Once hypnotized, the therapist can guide you through something by suggestion—your unconscious acceptance of the suggestion is because you want to do it. You must be a willing participant!”