FIRST hypnosis session

The first important factor determining your success is your choice of hypnotherapist or hypnotherapy provider. Provided that you have made a good choice and your hypnotherapist is well trained (i.e., A Certified Hypnotherapist), they should know how to help prepare you for your first session by providing you with the information you need to know about hypnosis, hypnotherapy, their experience, and credentials, as well as what to expect during the session; basically, everything that you need to know to put you at ease.

Any experienced hypnotherapist can tell you that proper preparation prior to the hypnosis session improves success, it helps to reduce concerns about the process and sets you up for what to expect and what the experience will feel like. Fear of being hypnotized will always reduce the probability of success of any hypnosis session. When you have a realistic expectation of what being hypnotized feels like, you will be more comfortable and satisfied with the experience, during and after the session.

The next main factor that will contribute to success in your first hypnosis session is, of course, you—and how you mentally approach the session. Presuming that I have done my job as discussed above, and you have asked all the questions you feel you need to ask, you should feel comfortable in moving forward and experiencing hypnosis.

Here is what you need to do: you need to adopt an easy-going, accepting attitude for following instructions.

Almost all hypnotic inductions contain some suggestions for relaxation. However, contrary to popular opinion, physical relaxation is not required for hypnosis to occur. It has become my opinion, after conducting thousands of hypnosis sessions as well as supervising and training hypnotherapists who have conducted thousands more, that physical relaxation is only encouraged (through suggestion) so that a kind of mental relaxation can occur. This mental relaxation is a major part of what helps you to experience the benefits of hypnosis.

This mental relaxation is sometimes called “contention.” This “contention” does not have anything to do with conflict or tension. In fact, it is quite the opposite. This “contention” is a mental state in which the person in hypnosis is hanging on the hypnotist’s every word. In the process there comes a point where the client is asked to “relax your mind.” The hypnotic induction is a way of helping you to first (generally), relax your body, and then use that relaxation as a model for relaxing your mind and creating the hypnotic state. When you follow the instructions of the hypnotherapist, your conscious mind becomes less critical of the instructions and suggestions given. Once this has been accomplished, your hypnotherapist can help you become successful for whatever you came in to see a hypnotherapist for. Therefore, it is essential that you don’t overanalyze the process. Analysis and mental criticism are the opposite of the mental relaxation that you want to create. 

Just as muscle tension is the opposite of physical relaxation, mental rationalization and analysis are the opposite of mental relaxation.

The deeper you allow yourself to go into hypnosis, the more benefit you will receive from each hypnosis session.

Let me give you an example. Even though I learned how to do hypnosis many years ago, it was only about 5 years ago when I decided that it would be beneficial for me to have the experience of being hypnotized by someone else. Up to that point, I was always the hypnotist; I had never been the client before. So, I contacted a hypnotherapist that I knew (I thought that would put me more at ease), and arranged a session to work on something that was important to me at the time.

As I sat waiting for my appointment,, some anxiety (fear) started to set in. I was not afraid of hypnosis. I was not afraid of the hypnotherapist; she came to me highly recommended by someone that I highly trusted. I was afraid that I would mess the whole thing up! I was afraid that I would be too analytical and be too focused on how she was conducting the session to allow the process of mental relaxation to occur. I was concerned that I would not be able to put aside my analytical, rational thinking long enough to experience what I hoped to experience.

It was then that I sat down and had a little talk with myself. It went something like this:

“Okay, do you really want to do this or not? You’ve already committed to yourself you are going to do this. Don’t go ahead with this unless you are willing to follow instructions” Then the dialog when something like this, “only you can get in the way of having some success here. So, what are you going to do? I know you are a trained scientist. I know you are a little stubborn. I know you like to be in charge and in control, but you can’t do that right now, that is not how it works. It is going to cost you the session fee no matter how it goes.”

Then it happened. I decided that I was going to be the best hypnotic subject that this hypnotist had ever seen! It was just a decision. But it was just the decision that I needed to make.

I had decided that I was going to give her a chance to do her work. I was going to allow her to be in charge for a little while. I was going to follow her instructions and just adopt an easy-going, accepting attitude for whatever she suggested. And, when I wasn’t sure of what to do or of what she was doing, I was going to relax entirely and give her the benefit of the doubt!

Was I doing this for her sake? No. How well I did in the hypnosis session was going to have very little effect on her life (she was going to make her session fee regardless). I was there because there was something that I wanted to accomplish, and the only way I was going to be able to accomplish that was to follow her instructions and adopt that easy-going, accepting mental attitude.

And, that is just what I did. I had a great hypnosis session, It was a profound experience and an important part of my education as a hypnotherapist.

So, what can you do to make the most of your upcoming hypnosis session? 

Sit down and have a little talk with yourself, and then decide to adopt that easy-going, accepting mental attitude and follow all of the instructions of your hypnotherapist without rationalizing or analyzing. Really let your mind relax as your body can relax, and you will have done your part! Then you will get the very most out of your hypnosis session. That’s my best advice.