Managing the Mind

For some, hypnosis might conjure up images of vulnerability—of having one’s mind controlled and being made to act silly in front of a crowd or divulge deep, dark secrets. In reality, however, it can be a powerful tool to help the body heal both physically and psychologically. When you use the unconscious brain purposefully for what you want, it becomes extremely powerful, says Susan Slack, a certified hypnotherapist at Slack & Young Institute of Hypnosis in Edina. “It’s such a benefit to have your unconscious brain working with your conscious brain,” Slack says. “It’s when we’re happiest.”

But just what can your unconscious brain help you accomplish? Due to injuries caused by a car accident, Staci Paulson attended prolotherapy (injections of dextrose—sugar—into ligaments to help with chronic pain) sessions, but she had a hard time getting through the appointments because of the pain. Though she wanted to quit treatment because the pain was so unbearable, at her dad’s recommendation, Paulson looked for a hypnotherapist and found Slack. With the help of Slack’s calm, soothing voice and anesthetic-like therapy, Paulson’s prolotherapy sessions are pain-free, and she’s a believer in hypnotherapy.

Besides helping heal the physical body, hypnotherapy can also help kick habits such as smoking. The therapy uses hypnosis to get at the subconscious brain in order to change a behavior or feeling, which means it can work well for reaching a goal that has been a struggle, Slack says. “All of our change occurs at an unconscious level,” she says. “Hypnosis is just one of the ways to get to the unconscious.”

Smoking cessation is one of the most popular ways hypnosis therapy is used. The Internet provides some unique resources for this. An online stop smoking clinic that uses hypnosis just launched September 3. The website allows users to access a one-hour hypnotherapy program twenty-four hours a day. And you don’t have to pay if it doesn’t work for you.

Hypnosis works by allowing a person to set aside the part of the mind that works to process things critically, says Craig R. Lang, a certified hypnotherapist who has his own practice in Brooklyn Center. Hypnotherapists call this “suspension of disbelief.” It’s what allows us to accept and enjoy fantasy stories that we read. Selective thinking, or being able to control what you choose to think about and focus on, is the other ingredient.

Like other types of therapy, it’s difficult to say exactly how much time or how many sessions it might take for someone to experience results. For example, Slack sees clients who want to lose weight for several sessions. It all depends on the person, though, and “everybody changes at a different pace,” she says. Still, Slack says that change is fairly rapid once hypnotherapy begins. For phobias,  one two-hour session oftentimes gives clients the results they want.

Both Slack and Lang describe their practices as complementary therapy, meaning what they do is in addition to medical treatment. By no means is either trying to bypass or replace the work that medical professionals do, and they’ll be the first to explain that hypnotherapy isn’t a medicinal treatment. That said, some hypnotherapists don’t accept insurance for their services. But check with individual health insurance providers to see if it’s fully or partially covered.

The power of hypnotherapy is all in our heads: “Our unconscious brain is brilliant,” Slack says. “It doesn’t make mistakes.” Given the brain’s potential, all anyone needs is a little help tapping into the power grid.

For more information on how hypnosis and hypnotherapy work, visit:
+ Hypnosis.com
+ Mayo Clinic
+ Cleveland Clinic