And now open your eyes

I had my first hypnotherapy session. It's something I've been interested in for years. At one point, I was hoping to get some help with my fear of flying which I managed to overcome in a different way. I don't actually know what made me google hypnotherapists last weekend, but I did and contacted one and arranged a complimentary consultation. I got a good 'vibe' from her so decided to try it.

I don't have a clear objective for this. There are a number of things I discussed with her, primarily around stress management. I was quite worried that it wouldn't work on me and apparently ~70% of people she sees have the same worry. At the start of the session she asked questions and I talked a lot. About what I was hoping to achieve, about how stress affects me and about my upbringing. She took notes but never commented on anything. Given the limited amount of time (we talked for about 45 minutes before the hypnosis started), we didn't go into much detail.

The hypnosis started with a 'typical' relaxation bit, which I had heard in a number of meditations before. Throughout the experience I felt fully awake and could hear her speak to me very clearly. I could also hear the clock ticking. I felt quite disappointed. Everything she said where positive enforcement messages based on what I had told her. It seemed all a bit obvious. I did feel very relaxed though and my body twitched a few times - the way it does when you are about to fall asleep. That apparently is a sign for deep relaxation. Never did I feel close to falling asleep though, which I thought was interesting as I have fallen asleep a number of times during meditations and other relaxation exercises.

After she asked me to open my eyes, we talked about how I had felt. While I didn't know how long this had gone on for, I was very surprised that it had been 40 minutes! It hadn't felt that long. When walking home, I felt really relaxed and at peace and the experience seemed quite removed. Even though I felt wide awake during the hypnosis, I couldn't/can't actually recall all the things she said to me at the time. So, in a way, it felt more like hypnosis afterwards than it did during.

I have another two sessions booked next week. Will keep you posted. I'm not sure whether or not it has already had an impact. I do feel though, that I don't react with my usual anger in certain situations (e.g. on the tube). I'm not sure whether this might be because the fact that I went to see a hypnotherapist has just made me more aware of the issues I am trying to tackle and I therefore think more before I react. In any case, if this continues, I will have achieved my objective! And I am still very much intrigued about how this works. She mentioned that three sessions are often sufficient - when you compare that to people seeing a therapist for years, it seems the more efficient approach (for certain issues only, of course).