I was falling faster than ever before. It was as if I was drifting asleep rapidly, yet I wasn't sleeping at all. I was lying back in the biggest leather chair I had ever seen, as comfortable as ever. I was making my way toward my own dreams while a woman on the other end of the room narrated my thoughts. She constantly snapped and clapped her hands while guiding my mind to think only positive thoughts about being behind the wheel.
After a serious car accident when I was younger, I needed help with my fear of driving. When I got to therapy, I was not sleeping, although I didn't quite feel awake. I was being hypnotized. Not hypnotized with a swinging watch or laying on a couch with Freud; rather, I was drifting into sleep while a therapist calmly guided my thoughts.
Hypnotherapy is a concept that has been stereotyped by many who have never done it. But after speaking with several professionals about hypnosis, they said it is headed for popularity among those who are willing to give it a try.
In 1958, hypnotherapy was approved by the American Medical Association as a form of therapy. Kathi Sullivan, a trained hypnotist at Now Hypnosis, 758 Lois Dr., Sun Prairie, Wis. said. She added that hypnosis is a profound state of relaxation and concentration that people assume is taboo, but now it is becoming mainstream. She said since hypnotherapy is becoming better known, more people are turning to this kind of help.
On campus, students tend to have a stereotypical view of hypnosis. Many believe it will not work for them, but the real problem is they are not willing to give it a try.
Hypnosis is not magic, but it can be magical and it can be a very effortless change,\ said Marta Baker-Jambretz, a hypnotist at the Power of Possibilities, 5105 Caton Lane, Waunakee, Wis.
For students, pressure during test-taking is a common problem, and hypnosis can help. Other issues commonly treated with hypnotherapy are problems with eating, smoking or even relationships. For example, someone that dates the same type of people and has unhealthy relationships time after time can greatly benefit from hypnosis. Baker-Jambretz said the ""sky's the limit for what you want to work out.""
Sullivan said how it works is a hypnotist starts out by working with a patient's subconscious mind then gently guiding their thoughts as they relax.
""It's empowering to the person ,and they are in control of what they can do and how they can handle certain things in life,"" she said. The difference between this form of help and regular therapy is that a normal counselor or therapist works with the conscious mind, but the hypnotist works with the subconscious.
At a counselor, the patients are completely aware of the feedback they are getting from a professional therapist.
But under hypnotherapy, the counselor will focus on a person's subconscious mind—the inter-mind that does not respond to what that person is being told. This mind takes in a mass amount of information that can lead him or her on a path to help.
As much as hypnosis can be a big help, it also can be very costly. Sullivan sees her patients a minimum of three times, costing around $290 total, and insurance does not cover her work.
But since most college kids don't have that kind of money to blow, there are options.
Michael Glowacki, a hypnotist at Body Mind Solutions, 5609 Medical Circle, Suite L20, in Madison, usually gives a 30-minute free consultation session for his work before he starts charging. He will then let the person know if he or she could benefit from hypnosis and will actually turn people away if he believes they are not in need of help.
Fortunately, students can train themselves to become a personal hypnotist or can have a friend trained for their benefit.
The site www.hypnosisonline.com sells a collection of self-training CDs and DVDs for a lot less than a hypnotherapy session. Many sites, such as this one, offer a free MP3 download sample to try out.
Another useful site that is cost efficient is the Oxford Hypnotherapy Guide online. This site offers personal guidelines to follow before learning self-hypnosis* as well as instructions and a list of places to start looking online.\
