Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's):

What is modern hypnosis?

As you know, modern hypnosis is simply a deep relaxation state of the mind and body where, since the critical part of the brain is pushed aside, positive suggestions can be offered to the subconscious mind that result in positive changes.

What is the difference between the conscious and subconscious mind?

I don't want to get in the very technical and boring definitions of the conscious and subconscious mind but in a general way the subconscious is the part of the brain that functions in a more automatic way. I like this example Don Mottin, a very gifted hypnotherapist, gives:

Do this little game. First, say the alphabet out loud. Try it. Notice how fast it comes out. This is the subconscious at work. Now, I am going to make it easier for you. I am going to diminish your task. You only have to say every other letter!! Do it. Unless you have done this many times before, your conscious mind had to do the work; you had to think of what you were saying.

Who discovered hypnosis?

If you look at the history of man, you can only conclude that hypnosis is as ancient as the human mind itself. Instinctively, man has always used hypnosis since it is a natural and very comfortable state.

Why do people fear hypnosis then?

Because of the negative images portrayed in the past by cinema, television and some hypnotists who wanted to impress people by presenting hypnosis with all kinds of false claims. People also think they will be controlled by the hypnotist. Nothing can be further from the truth. The hypnotist does not have powers, merely the knowledge. He can guide you into hypnosis but there is nothing you will do against your will, you mind knows what is good for you. If you look at hypnosis shows, nobody is being dragged to the stage, they are all volunteers and now have the perfect excuses to do very absurd things saying to their friends: "The hypnotist made me do it!" Truth of the matter is if a person did not want to be hypnotized, there would be no show at all…

What does modern hypnosis have to offer that we haven't really heard of?

A 100% natural method, proven effective, with no side effects, to change your life in a positive way. What more can you ask for?

How can hypnosis help me?

By listening to a specific recording specially designed to help you in a provided field, you should see an improvement in your behavior and beliefs very rapidly. Since we do not learn at the same pace (remember your experience in school, there were the fast learners, the average, and the slower ones). We do not know how many times you have to listen to the recording before you feel and notice an improvement. Some people say you should listen to a hypnosis program for 21 days, others are saying as few as five days. If you skip days, no problem the message will be imputed anyway so you do not have to commit to this every day. As a matter of fact, some people experience changes in their lives after just one session. One thing is for sure, if you listen to the recording "motivation for work" for over twenty-one days and you do not notice any difference, maybe you should ask yourself if you are really at the right work place.

The other way of having hypnosis help you, by modifying or changing behaviors you are not particularly fond of, is by seeing a skilled hypnotherapist for a private session. This way the hypnotherapist can work specifically with you on the problem at hand.

That brings us to the number one condition for hypnosis to work: motivation. The person has to want to change a given behavior or belief. This means her subconscious mind is ready to accept and make the changes. This is why a hypnosis recording should NEVER be given as a gift because the will has to come from the person herself. Let's face it, if Mrs. Smith gives Mr. Smith a hypnosis recording or even better pays for a private session with a skilled hypnotherapist to stop smoking, the odds that Mr. Smith stops smoking are next to none. He has to be the one who is ready and willing to change. In the same manner, I highly recommend to never give a recorded hypnosis session for weight loss to a friend. The interest has to come from the friend. Plus this way, you are seriously testing your friendship!

Tell us about the history of hypnosis?

The history of hypnosis can be found on many websites so there is no point in going through it completely. We can tell you that hypnosis can be traced to the dawn of civilization. The very first recorded surgeries with hypnosis as the only anesthetic go as far back as the early 1800s. We have a lot more to discover and understand about how the human brain functions. Modern hypnosis has come through in helping many problems that remained almost hopeless in the past. Dave Elman in my opinion was a great hypnotherapist who taught doctors and dentists the many applications of hypnosis as in pain management. It has been an impressive experience to hear a recording of Dave Elman help a man with a 40 year stutter get rid of it in less than 30 minutes in a single session. Stuttering is a condition that can be greatly improved or even eliminated rapidly with the help of hypnosis. Very often, the person suffering from stuttering would benefit from consulting with a skilled hypnotherapist because the root of the problem is often found in a trauma that happened in the childhood. So far, nobody really picked up where Dave Elman left and it will be a great step forward when someone continues his work and restarts teaching dentists and doctors the many applications of hypnosis.

In your opinion, what is the most powerful hypnosis tool ever invented?

That is a given one!!

Take a moment to think of what in your opinion is the most powerful hypnosis tool ever invented.
Is it the hypno-disk? Is it the pendulum? Is it the pocket watch?

Yes, that's right: television!! Actually all media holds a powerful hypnotic power over you. How else would you explain why more than half the North American population is overweight? How would you explain that it costs millions of dollars to put on a commercial during the Superbowl and that companies are fighting for the spots and making money out of it (not on the exact moment, but isn't it surprising how you just want to buy a specific model of car when spring comes?). This is why if you listen to your little hypnosis recordings for twenty or thirty minutes every day but then you turn on your television and watch it for four hours every day and they show you how much of a good time you are going to have if you eat this and how popular you are going to be if you drink that, well the hypnosis might not feel like it's working. Let's face it, they have teams of hypnotists so I don't even compete with them. That is why weight loss is such a hard battle to fight.

Furthermore, next time you go to the store, notice how some magazines offer you in their first pages "the new secret and miraculous way to lose weight " and then the last pages are filled with triple layer chocolate cake recipes. They have been in business forever and they will be for a very long time. That is what I call self-generated business.

Didn't you tell us that hypnosis could not make us do anything that would be negative for us?

Yes, I did and it is true for the very most part. But since you have read this far, allow me to share the two exceptions to this rule. The first one is if your subconscious mind is imputed with negative messages before it is mature enough to assume its protective function, which is at a very early age. It is also true for people with limited intellectual capacities. For example, if a young child is being constantly fed the message that he is "a no good, unwanted child, a burden…etc." then he will incorporate this message in his profound belief system. These beliefs of being unworthy or not good enough will then be the basis for this person's life behaviors and poor self-image and can result in addictions, recurring difficulties in personal relationships and more. Rest assured that even such profound negative grounds can be modified and improved notably with the help of hypnosis. Listening to recordings is one way, but sometimes private sessions with a skilled hypnotherapist can greatly improve the situation.

The second exception of when hypnosis can make you think or do things that are not good for yourself is if the negative message is repeated over and over to your subconscious. In a way, it's as if the mind gives up and says: "All right, I have seen this message so often, it didn't feel right to me but I encounter it so often it must be true." This is where television, and all forms of publicity, have succeeded in making us accept all kinds of harmful and negative behaviors, overeating being the most obvious one. Stop and think of this for a minute, over half the North American adult population is overweight. If you look at civilizations when television was not invented, the rate of obesity was almost nonexistent. Imagine that you are watching your favorite comedy show, you are laughing, you feel like you are almost part of this happy and warm group and then in a very fast and subtle way, your mind sees a commercial of pizza or chips and then back to your happy people. What happens when you are lonely, or bored and you want to feel you are part again of this fun and loving group, your brain thinks it's in the pizza and the pizza ends up …in your stomach.

Television commercials are usually 30 seconds in duration because they don't want you to realize that this is different from the program you are watching, they want your subconscious mind to associate laughter, pleasure and happiness with their products…and it does.

You are lucky because I have just given you a very powerful gift right now by bringing to your attention something you knew all along, that is to say that television is bombarding you with hypnosis and the more you watch television, the more your behavior is modeled by the commercials you see. Now that you know, you can either choose to be critical when you see a commercial or better yet, take a little walk (good for exercise). I personally feel it easier to almost never watch television, providing me with a lot more free time