This worksheet describes what a session with a professional hypnotherapist can look like and how to find one. It is not a self-guided script. In the worksheet’s description, the therapist leads you through a spoken monologue that relaxes the body and mind while keeping the mind in a state of subdued alertness. It says hypnosis may promote relaxation and can be a useful stress-relief technique, and notes that people seek hypnotherapy for concerns such as stress, anxiety, chronic pain, and gastrointestinal problems.
Hypnosis complements medical and mental health care and does not replace it. Talk with your doctor or a licensed professional about whether it suits your situation.
The PDF walks through these steps:
- List what you would like to address, such as stress, quitting smoking, or weight loss.
- Decide what kind of practitioner interests you. The worksheet notes that social workers, counselors, and psychologists can be certified in hypnotherapy, and some combine it with talk therapy.
- Look around. You might start with the National Board of Certified Hypnotherapists’ website or ask people in the mental health community for recommendations, then ask about areas of specialization.
- At the first appointment, expect to talk about your life and concerns so the session can be tailored to you. A short trial session may be possible.
- In the session, you settle into a comfortable position, close your eyes, and listen. Afterward the therapist eases you out of the trance, and the worksheet suggests getting up slowly.
- Plan how often to meet. Maintenance for stress may take a session or two a month, while a specific goal may need more frequent sessions at first.
The worksheet cautions that hypnosis can bring up strong emotions, such as the urge to cry or feeling light-headed afterward. It also says a hypnotherapist does not take control of you and that stage hypnosis is showbiz. It describes hypnotic regression, which sometimes aims to reach repressed memories, as controversial; many practitioners avoid it, so discuss it with your practitioner if it interests you.
For history, the worksheet traces hypnosis to the 18th-century physician Franz Mesmer’s “animal magnetism” and to James Braid, a Scottish physician who developed what he called hypnotism in 1841. It adds that Freud began as an enthusiast before turning to psychoanalysis.
