Hypnotherapy

• Hypnotherapy helps people to forget their unhappy memories so that they can move on with their lives.

• Hypnotherapy differs from hypnosis, but most people are unaware of that.

• Hypnotizing a person into forgetting a memory is possible, but not how it is shown in movies and TV shows.

• Hypnotherapy is a wider concept compared to hypnosis.

• Hypnotherapy may also incorporate relaxation techniques.

• Often, memories related to forgotten memories can cause gaps in a person‘s memory.

• Hypnotherapy can also remold a person‘s memory.

• Forgetting bad memories often helps people to overcome phobias.

Often, bitter experiences leave marks on our memories that we wish we could forget and move on with our lives. Hypnotherapy is often confused with hypnosis by people, which is not a correct assumption. Both hypnosis and hypnotherapy are used to make people forget bad memories, which is why they are seen as the same thing. Posthypnotic Amnesia (PHA) is commonly used by hypnotists who make people forget a particular memory until they hear a specific cancellation cue (canceling the hypnotic order) that would make them remember that memory again.

Before we move further, we would like to make it clear hypnotizing a person to forget a particular memory in his/her brain is possible in real life. Still, it cannot be done the way you see it in movies or in TV Series like The Vampire Diaries, where a vampire can look into the eyes of a person and, using hypnosis (they call it compulsion), order him/her to forget what they saw moments ago. One needs to understand how hypnotherapy works in practice to distinguish what happens in the fictional portrayal of hypnosis from things happening in a real hypnotherapy treatment.

Compared to hypnosis, hypnotherapy is a wider concept. Using hypnosis to create therapeutic change, hypnotherapy is a form of psychotherapy. Hypnotists use different hypnotic techniques to enable a person seeking hypnotherapy to achieve a “heightened state of consciousness” in which he/she can concentrate his/her attention on achieving the goals for which he/she seeks hypnotherapy. Depending on the hypnotherapist’s approach, hypnotherapy may incorporate relaxation techniques into the hypnotic induction without diminishing the receiver’s focus.

In the Greek language, hypnosis means “to sleep.” However, in hypnotherapy, a hypnotherapist doesn't need to put the receiver in a trans or sleep-like situation. In movies, eye closure is often promoted to focus the attention inwardly. However, in real life, the hypnotherapist does not encourage the receiver to sleep during the treatment session. Hypnotherapists define hypnosis as the ability to access the subconscious mind holding many of the automated “patterns” of thoughts, beliefs, behaviors, and emotions that can remain hidden from the conscious mind. Some of these patterns are negative.

Hypnotherapy can enable the receiver to perceive his/her situations with different thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. In hypnosis, a receiver is more receptive to the hypnotherapist’s suggestions regarding accessing those negative automated “patterns.” The hypnotherapist encourages the receiver to re-imagine them in alignment with the positive therapeutic goals he/she (receiver) wishes to achieve. Along with many phobias, hypnotherapy can treat various conditions like anxiety, depression, panic attacks, smoking cessation, stress, and weight control. The treatment process requires the active participation of the receiver, in which he/she can recall some of the therapeutic suggestions used during hypnosis. Forget what you see in movies. In the state of hypnosis here, you cannot be made to do anything against your will. Sometimes, people suffer from trauma related to childhood tragedies or due to betrayal in relationships. They wish to forget the memories associated with painful memories. Hypnotherapy is used to make people forget such memories. Hypnotherapy is often seen as guided meditation, where the therapist tells the therapy receiver to focus on particular thoughts.

However, no hypnotherapy can permanently make someone forget a bad memory. It could not have been considered an ethical practice if such therapy had existed. Bad memories forgotten via hypnotherapy remain hidden in the subconscious mind and may or may not re-emerge in the future. However, many times a bad memory is connected to many memories. People who remember other memories related to memory they forgot experience gaps in their memories. Hypnotherapy is often used for remolding memories so that gaps in memories are minimal.

Many times, forgetting bad memories helps people to overcome phobias. For example, a person witnessing a fire accident as a child might be afraid of fire. Forgetting that memory can cure his phobia. Hence, hypnotherapy is also helpful for people to overcome post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Experts affiliated with HelloDr can not only provide hypnotherapy, but they can also connect with you to explain how real hypnotherapy is different from what they (general people) think and how it cures phobias and enhance self-esteem. Feel free to contact HelloDr any time.