Hypnosis and hypnotherapy have had a bad reputation from early on. It’s no wonder, with dramatic stage hypnosis magic-type tricks, and the media that would have us thinking the hypnotist or hypnotherapist will be able to make you “Cluck like a chicken” “Bark like a dog” or do some sort of funny or embarrassing trick every time someone mentions a specific word.
Old movies would show men using hypnosis to get women to date them (or do things they may not otherwise do). All sorts of wild, scary and amusing depictions of Hypnosis can be found in movies and other media.
No surprise that people may be leery!
Hypnotherapy is sometimes considered a more new-age treatment just to help you relax, align chakras or end unhealthy habits with energy or mindfulness. While Hypnotherapy does work well for these things, it has much deeper roots and many other uses as well.
The practice of Hypnosis and hypnotherapy has been around for hundreds and possibly even thousands of years. We will discuss the history of hypnosis and hypnotherapy in the next article.
Modern day hypnotherapy has been scientifically studied, tested and approved by the AMA (American Medical Association), the BMA (British Medical Association) and the APA (American Psychology Association). Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy, when conducted by a trained practitioner, is deemed completely safe, without negative side effects. However, it is contraindicated for Schizophrenia or Seizure disorders. Although, studies are being conducted on how Hypnotherapy may help in these areas.
We all go into a state much like hypnosis daily; at times such as just before we fall asleep, or daydreaming and miss an exit on the highway, even being so focused on a movie or good book that you don’t notice the time passing. It’s not magic or mystical, and you are always in control. Please see my previously posted article “what is Hypnotherapy” .
If you have any questions or concerns, I’m always happy to hear from you. Please contact me using the contact form or directly at Pamela@HypnoBreakthrough.com
References: American Hypnotist examiners association, American Medical Association, American Psychology association, British Medical Association, and Institute of applied psychology.
What does all this mean? Is this something you need to be concerned about?
If you start down this road in a search, you will find all different sorts of information but mostly ads from psychic mediums, shamans, reiki masters and so on.
In my mind, “Healing ancestral lines” has more to do with letting go of old limiting beliefs, patterns and values passed down for generations under the guise of tradition, or culture. Of course we do not want to lose our culture, or family traditions. However, many of these are no longer serving us well, and in fact, may be damaging and holding us back from moving forward in our lives. A lot of this is guilt, shame or even just secrets passed down the line. The “skeletons in the closet” are usually not those of strangers.
If you have this experience, you know the kinds of things I’m referring to. If you’re stuck and just can’t seem to figure it out. You may want to take note if you’re repeating mistakes of your parents or grandparents, or if your siblings have similar issues, then this may be the case.
A Necklace of Ancestors
I do believe different healing modalities and therapeutic practices do help greatly. All are valid and some work well on their own, or together as complementary practices.
Sometimes simple things such as journaling, getting creative with drawing or painting can help. Also more mystical or esoteric modalities such as clearing chakras, or auras, calling upon universal energies, spirit guides or angels to assist, using plant medicines with a shaman guide or even past life regression – just to name a few… all have value for some, but not for all.
Just as in western medicine, there isn’t anything that is going to work the best for everyone. That’s why there are so many different types of medications for the same disease, or symptoms. We each have to do our own research, talk with professionals and experienced practitioners and decide what feels right and true for each of us. What helped your friend or neighbor, may not be the best for you. If you just aren’t sure, I would suggest first just trying what is the least invasive, and disruptive to your life, what’s most readily available to you. Also praying and/or meditating on this just sitting with the thought of what may be most beneficial to you and see where your mind takes you.
Hypnotherapy has been found to be very helpful in letting go of blocks and obstacles, from limiting beliefs and values past down from generation to generation. Inner child work may also be involved, self love and confidence building, untying knots and cord cutting. Your subconscious, your own inner knowing will always serve you well with the right intentions and positive instructions. I wholeheartedly trust this.
During your complimentary consultation, we will have a discussion about any and all that you are comfortable sharing regarding the issues, and most of all, how your life would change if this was healed. Based on our discussion I will recommend a number of sessions this may take. Of course this will be individually tailored as we go, depending on severity of issue and personal need. Of course results vary per individual as well.
The consultations are always no-cost and no-obligation, and upon request will include a short deep relaxation session to get a feel for how I conduct sessions.
Please always feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns. Or just share your thoughts on this article or others.
A breakdown can be anything from a bad day, a full on anxiety attack or a complete breakdown in life.
A bad day: When nothing seems to go right, or as planned. You don’t feel completely well, cranky and nothing seems to help. You just want the day to end.
Calming tea, a good book, maybe a few episodes of a show you have been following. Or a hot soak in an epsom salt bath, and right to bed. These are all good ways to end a bad day.
A full on anxiety attack: You may or may not have experienced this, it can happen to anyone whether or not you have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Sometimes fear can take over, everything piles up and we feel out of control.
This can look different for different people from the outside. However on the inside, it feels like a heart attack, or the walls closing in, or a war going on inside our minds and bodies. Mostly we need to feel safe, and understood, to deal with this.
A complete breakdown in life has us feeling as though we are stuck, and may never get out of this rut. We may be a dark or very low place. At this point many turn to substance use or even abuse to numb the pain. This can lead to a domino effect of other disorders with life long consequences.
A breakthrough can feel like an epiphany, an “Aha moment” suddenly you realize, the proverbial light bulb lights up in your mind, you’re inspired and excited. YES! EUREKA! I GOT IT!
`Breakthrough!` an original work by Pamela Topjian. Share under CC.
A feeling of jumping up out of the water and catching your breath after a dive in a pool. The feeling of a great night’s sleep waking refreshed and renewed. A feeling of being ready for the day. Or after a time of being depressed, stuck, lost in life, something comes along that feels right, feels like a positive change and you may see a glimpse of a light at the end of the tunnel.
There are many metaphors for a breakthrough. One of my favorites is the lotus. It grows from beneath the mud in the bottom of a pond, and has to go through the dark water reaching to the light at the surface of the water to finally bloom.
The sun through the clouds, the bird through the egg, plant through the seed or plant through the earth, the caterpillar to butterfly ……
The Phoenix bird who rises from the ashes to fly away in flames (okay thats a myth but still a good breakthrough and transformation metaphor).
All of which can happen for us as well. The same feeling anyway…. I do have a personal story of transformation, of a breakdown and then breakthrough. It is my belief we do not have to have a total break down before we can fully break through. We don’t have to go through the darkest storm for the clouds to clear. We can start to clear those clouds before they develop into a storm.
Why “Breakthrough Hypnotherapy” for my own practice, is because of my own life, as I mentioned I do have my own story and I do fully, and wholeheartedly believe that we often go through difficult times in order to help others. My hope is that I can assist others with empathy and understanding because of my own life experience.
I would have never believed while in the lowest time of my life I would be where I am today.
Hypnotherapy is a great tool to help you break through the dark times, get out of that rut, or to reach your goals and finally feeling whole, and free to live your own life.
Please reach out with any questions or concerns, or just your thoughts on this, or other articles on the website. I would love to hear from you.
Contact me today using the contact form on the home page, text anytime at all 916-400-0889 or email Pamela@HypnoBreakthrough.com
Consultations are always free of charge with no obligation. Your information is never shared in any way. I look forward to hearing from you.
Do you find yourself overwhelmed with thoughts and feelings such as: I’ve lost control of my life, how can I protect my loved ones, what if I lose my job or my home, or end up in the hospital?
How much of this is even real? Who can we trust to give us the right information, how dangerous is this virus? I’m lonely, I miss my social life, my friends and family… How can we all be so divided?
Pamela discusses fear and how to cope with it.
You are not alone. Many of us are feeling fearful for so many reasons, and it’s no wonder. I recently posted a poll on twitter asking about how people are feeling. The choices were: hopeful, bored, lonely, fearful – the results showed the highest at 40% feeling fearful. That is almost half! I knew then that I needed to address this.
Fear is defined by Webster’s as an unpleasant, often strong emotion caused by anticipation, or awareness of danger.
There are many ways to help us all cope. Little things, such as limiting our news and social media time. Having a routine if you’re working from home: shower, get dressed, make yourself a good breakfast, clean up, have your work times, and break times.
Be sure to get outside each day. Take a walk around the block or (if it’s safe and allowed in your area) walk or ride a bike on a trail. If you cannot leave or it’s hard to do so, get outside each day just outside your home.
Grow something! In pots on your patio, balcony or a garden – flowers or vegetables, whatever makes you happy. Watching new life grow helps our mental well being.
Keep active with Zoom meetup classes, or participate in streams on YouTube or Twitch. Start a new hobby, or learn something you have always wanted to but didn’t have the time. Get creative, playing, having fun and being silly.
Call a friend or loved one. Yes, on the phone. Call – make a date, a phone date. We are social beings, even those that are introverts or have social anxieties, we as humans need some human interaction. If you have any spiritual practice be sure you are integrating that into your day, journal, meditate, pray, read from spiritual or holy books.
All of these suggestions are ways to ease anxiety, help us cope with feelings of fear.
Deep relaxation in any form, is always helpful for stress; releasing fears, allowing for happiness without guilt or shame, even in uncertain times. Hypnotherapy is a great way to help with all of this, as well as to integrate healthy mental and physical habits into your daily life.
Hypnotherapy is effective through phone or Zoom, allowing you to have your sessions peacefully in the comfort and safety of your own home.
Contact me now with any concerns or questions or to book your free consultation. Pamela@HypnoBreakthrough.com Text or call 916-400-0889
When we talk of heart health we usually think of terms of diet and exercise. In terms of numbers that you get from visits with your PCP/MD. I’m here to talk about a different type of heart health. Love. Love of self. Self Acceptance, forgiveness and gratitude.
Very few of us have had a fully healthy childhood, or get through life unscathed by past relationships, grief or heartbreak in some form or another. Many of us end up enduring some sort of trauma in our lifetimes. For some, it seems life is one traumatic experience after another. Coping and sometimes just surviving is all we can hope for. Anxiety, Depression, PTSD and CPTSD are all too real, and oftentimes debilitating. These issues can have a domino effect of other problems that can alter one’s life forever.
There are seemingly endless types of therapies and treatments. However, sadly we don’t seek them out until we are already in a very low or dark place. There isn’t one treatment or therapy that is best, it’s very personal and individual. I often hear people state such things as: ‘that it didn’t work for my friend/loved one’, or ‘I tried (this/that) type of (therapy/treatment) and it didn’t help.’
Truth is, that nothing is going to be the perfect fit for all. Also, you will always get out of any type of therapy or treatment what you put into it. You have to want it more than you want to stay where you are in your heart and mind. (Read that again)
Self love and heart healing, begins with self acceptance and self care. Self care on the deeper levels, besides just soaking in tubs, and getting out in nature and so on. While all of that is important and helpful, true self care is learning to love yourself again. Learning self acceptance, healthy boundaries, knowing your own ethics and values and priorities in life. Then acting in a way that supports those. Be willing to be vulnerable, truly authentic, be open to seeing and acknowledging the good, the bad and the ugly, as well as the beautiful!
Are you ready? Are you willing? It may not be easy, but it will be worth it! Hypnotherapy is one type of therapy that can have a profound effect on self love and heart health.
Contact me to find out how, consultations are always free!
If you search for “Hypnotherapy” in google, or any search engine, you will find a few definitions.
Definitions: Merriam Webster: Hypnosis is a trance-like state of altered consciousness that resembles sleep but is induced by a person whose suggestions are readily accepted by the subject.
Wikipedia: Hypnotherapy is a type of alternative medicine in which hypnosis is used to create a state of focused attention and increased suggestibility during which positive suggestions and guided imagery are used to help individuals deal with a variety of concerns and issues.
WebMD: Hypnosis or Hypnotherapy is guided relaxation, intense concentration, and focused attention to achieve a heightened state of awareness.
However, in my own words, and what I was taught during my training and hypnotherapy education; Hypnotherapy utilizes the hypnotic state (known as the healing state, or twilight sleep) as a therapeutic model. A person goes in and out of this state every day. Such as just before falling asleep, or as they are “daydreaming” and miss an exit on the highway, or being so engrossed in a movie or book they may lose track of time or other usual activities around them.
Hypnotherapy is a straight pathway to the subconscious, where every experience over your lifetime is stored, including where blocks and limitations that have been developed throughout a lifetime of experiences. Some, in fact many, we may not even be consciously aware of.
This isn’t always a traumatic experience, something as simple as telling a child “Big boys don’t cry” can lead to a man who is emotionally unavailable, or keeps his feelings to himself and later becomes addicted to alcohol or cigarettes to keep his emotions at bay. This can lead to a domino effect of life long issues in adulthood. This is just one of an infinite number of examples.
What can I expect during a Hypnotherapy session?
You will first be asked to just get seated or lay down in a comfortable position. If you’re in your own space, be sure you are not going to be disrupted for about 30 mins. Using ear buds, headphones or just speaker, anything that will enable you to hear me without having to hold the phone. Playing soft music without vocals is helpful as well. ( spa or meditation music works well for this and can be found on you tube if you don’t have any of your own) When you’re feeling ready, I then will talk you down into a state of deep physical relaxation, while the mind goes into a dream like state. This is known as the healing state of consciousness, much like just before you fall asleep, daydreaming or focused intently on a project or good book. This is achieved by using a soothing tone of voice, repeating words, and positive suggestions, in a calming manner. I make it clear that I am addressing the subconscious, your own inner knowing that we all have and that knows us better than we know ourselves. It is your own inner wisdom.
Hypnotherapy is just as effective by phone in your own space
You are always in full control and able to stop the session at any time. (although most people don’t want it to end) Your subconscious will not allow you to do, or say anything that goes against your moral or ethical values in the waking state. This is a common misconception due to hypnosis in the media.
While you are in this state of deep relaxation, we then address the subconscious mind to balance the whole system and bring a sense of calmness while removing blocks and obstacles related to what we had previously discussed in our consultation, and before the start of the session or in previous sessions. You will then be guided to become fully aware back to your full waking state feeling refreshed, renewed and revitalized at the end of each session.
After the session we have a bit of a discussion where you are always welcome to share as much or as little as you like. You are never obligated to share anything you are not comfortable sharing. This is one way in which Hypnotherapy differs from other forms of more traditional therapy.
Personally, I am a nurse and have facilitated over 100 hypnotherapy sessions thus far (at the time of this writing) I have heard it all, be assured that you will never be judged or criticized for anything that comes up. Also that your information and anything shared will never be shared with anyone else. (unless you yourself write a review or testimonial)
Some people even fall asleep, and that’s fine too. I will continue because I trust that your subconscious is still paying attention. If you are in your own home I will ask before the session that you set an alarm if you need to be anywhere after the session and if you would like me to let you sleep or be sure you’re awake before I hang up or end the zoom meeting. I do many phone sessions in the evening or even night, so you do not have to continue with your day and just bask in the ‘after hypno glow’ and sometimes go right to sleep for the night.
Please know that you will always get out of any therapy or wellness program what you personally put into it. There may be “homework” or suggestions made for between sessions to help in your overall wellness. You have to want to change and make adjustments in your own life away from the sessions as well.
Any questions or concerns always feel free to reach out. You may use the contact form on the home page or email me directly at Pamela@HypnoBreakthrough.com
Thank you so much for being here.
Please take care, inside and out. Pamela Topjian LVN,CHt
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