The Holistic Guide to Hypnotherapy

Hypnosis is fascinating! Imagine being able to lead a person into a trance-like state. But hypnotherapy is even more fascinating; imagine using that state to reprogram a person’s subconscious mind to improve their lives! In many ways this is an unconventional book, and I am happy about that. It attempts to cover a wide range of topics, from hypnosis to nutrition to spirituality—so too much focus could not be given to one subject. This book, after all, is a holistic guide to hypnotherapy. However, I believe I have given sufficient detail for each topic. Because of its unorthodox nature, purists may resist a lot of the information included, and that is OK. Others, particularly the metaphysical types out there, will find that a lot of the writing resonates with what they believe. As you read use your intuition, take what resonates with you, and leave the rest. I have given scientific proof for many claims, and virtually none for others. Some items cannot be substantiated, in the same way that hypnosis cannot be ‘proven’. When man has a knowledge that is right and gives right results but cannot be explained, we call it insight, perception, or intuition . . . it is subtle knowledge. With regard to facts that cannot be substantiated, consider that over 90% of your mind is, supposedly, subconscious and 10% or less, conscious. Scientific proof cannot be found to substantiate this claim. However, intuitively this seems correct. I accept this as approximately true. At the risk of being repetitive, if you do not agree, don’t take it in. Simply discard it, read on and absorb what does resonate with you. Much of hypnotherapy is a generalization science, and not a specific science. Let me give you an example of this: nobody can verify if past life regression (PLR) is a factual science. Even though I have seen its effectiveness, one cannot define whether it is a previous life the client has experienced, or whether the experience has been passed down through the genes of hereditary descendants, or whether the client is tapping in to cosmic intelligence to undergo the virtual experience of PLR. But, irrespective of whatever the scientific process might be (or not), the results are positive. The client’s issue is resolved. And so the end justifies the means. Just because we cannot prove how it works does not undermine the fact that it works! I would love to know the mechanics of why it works. Until then, I am satisfied to use the modality because I know it is effective. Throughout the book I use a new expression—“Consciousness Engineers”—to describe hypnotherapists because that’s what they are; the client’s consciousness creates their reality, and the hypnotherapist adjusts that consciousness. Our consciousness highly impacts our ability to fight disease and illnesses. Our subconscious is not aware of illness, disease and behavioral disorder—it vibrates at too high a level. Because it vibrates at a low level, it is our conscious mind, our ego, which creates this “dis-ease.” This might be too metaphysical for the left-brained hypnotherapists out there. For this reason, I scanned the book and banished most elements on consciousness to the second section: to Book II Consciousness Engineering. I recommend you read this first, before reading Book I, as it provides a foundation for some of the metaphysical discussions. The observant reader will notice certain threads repeating themselves in many chapters; threads such as nutrition, balance and vibration. Everything is connected to everything else, and so reference is made to these phenomena in various chapters, multiple times. Throughout the book there are circular threads—such as consciousness, self-creation, health, neuroplasticity and “what-you-think-is-what-you-become”—because they are all inextricably linked. This is why a holistic guide to hypnotherapy has to include consciousness engineering. Your body is a lower form than your mind. You can fix the body, but it is a temporary fix if you have not fixed the mind. The mind is the source of all disease, illness and behavioral disorder. The emphasis of this guide is on fixing the conscious mind, the source of all behavioral disorder, illness, pain, and unhappiness. At times this book, with its holistic broadness and metaphysical slant, might seem like a self-help guide. Again, “take what you like, and leave the rest.” In some cases, I talk about healing the client; elsewhere will refer to healing you, the hypnotherapist. If it aids you, then you know it will work on your client! Physician, heal thyself . . . At times this book might seem like a new diet book. Nutrition is a most important factor in our everyday lives. What we eat leads to who we are, and how we behave. Food can be our medicine, and food can be our poison. Our nutrition affects our behavior more than anything else. It is shocking to see how many mental and physical illnesses are linked to hypoglycemia, or hyperglycemia. We then make matters worse by treating these illnesses with allopathic medicine. • For readers currently learning hypnotherapy, I hope this book helps you in many ways. • For the amateur hypnotherapist, I hope it gives you vital information that leads to your being more confident, having more resources, and delivering a better service to your clients. • For the established professional hypnotherapists out there, I hope that, within the confines of these pages, you find several golden nuggets of information, and/or verification of your own brilliant ideas and concepts. As hypnotherapists, we deliver a much-needed service to the world. Too many people are in pain, and we have the wonderful gift of unburdening those tortured souls.