Online Hypnotherapy
It is estimated that hypnosis techniques have been around for over 5,000 years. Modern Kappasinian Hypnotherapy has been around since 1967. But this is now the 21st century and many things have changed. Many of the techniques that have proven so successful over the years have not changed, but technology has now given us new ways to deliver them and engage clients.
It was never really necessary for the hypnotherapist to touch the client, although the occasional touch on the forehead between the eyebrows at the moment of entering hypnosis, or the occasional touch of the wrist during an arm raising induction was not uncommon. In the vast majority of cases, however, the hypnotherapist never needs to touch the client, nor even be in the same room. The process works fine as long as the client can hear the instructions and the hypnotherapist can see and hear the client.
A video/audio online meeting environment such as Zoom, run over the internet easily provides all that is needed to discuss issues, to get answers to questions, to explain concepts and how hypnotherapy works, to provide instruction and monitor the client as hypnosis is induced and as therapeutic messaging is delivered to help a client with achieving their goals.
What happens if the internet service is lost while under hypnosis?
Nothing bad happens. The client simply falls gently into a normal sleep and shortly after, wakes up in a normal way. It is important to realize and remember that the state of hypnosis is a normal state that all people go through naturally before they go to sleep each night. It's an intermediate state between waking and sleeping where the client is fully aware, but the mind has drifted to focus on other things than the current room and chair they are sitting in. If you've ever missed your exit while driving on a highway, then you've probably been in a hypnotic state. It's no more mysterious or strange than just that!
Do I need special equipment to do hypnotherapy online?
All you need is a quiet place to sit comfortably without being interrupted or disturbed for an hour, a computer with a built-in camera and microphone (almost all laptop computers for the last 20 years have had a camera and microphone built-in), plus the ability to access the internet. No special software is required. We use Zoom meeting software which you can access with just any normal browser that you use to access the web/internet.
How does the process actually work - physically, literally?
We may have an initial phone call for introductions, and to establish the basics of what the issue is and the suitability of hypnotherapy to fill that need, etc. and then to set up a time for a session. When we have agreed upon a day and time, you will receive an email with an invitation link. At the designated time, you find a comfortable, quiet place in your home where you won't be disturbed for at least an hour, turn on your computer, find the email, click on the link and the rest is automatic.
Within a few seconds, you will see a screen containing two videos. One video shows you, and the other video shows me, both in real-time. We can talk, and we can see and hear each other, facial expressions, gestures, etc. I can also share documents and presentations to show you, etc. It's best if you can arrange the viewing angle and distance of the laptop / camera such that I can see from your hands and arms up to your face so that I can monitor the effects of actions during the process.
The lifting of a finger (Ideo-motor response) can be used as indicators of subconscious responses, anchors can be taught and used, inductions and deepeners such as arm raising, fingerspreading, light-heavy, EFT-Tapping, and many other techniques can be done depending on needs.
What happens in a typical session?
In most sessions, we have a frank, open, completely confidential private session one-on-one. This is called the "cognitive portion" of the session. Then we will have an induction process into the hypnotic state in which I am speaking and you are following my instructions in terms of breathing, visualizing, placing your hands or arms in certain positions, etc. until I can tell you are in the correct state level for the kind of therapy you need. (some therapies need deeper levels, some are better at lighter levels in order to communicate back and forth) Then, while you close your eyes and listen, I will begin speaking about a journey and you follow along in your mind's eye. You are completely aware of everything and just following along. While in this process, I begin to weave "post hypnotic suggestions" into the narrative. These suggestions are where the therapy comes into the hypnotherapy process. This is all explained in the first session, which typically lasts longer than subsequent sessions, because of the discovery, the explanations and set up work.
Then, when the hypnosis session is brought to a close, I will bring you back up to normal waking (Beta wave) state, and we sign off.
How long does a session last?
Most sessions normally last an hour or so. The very first session usually lasts 90 minutes, or sometimes longer. Allow 2 hours just to be sure we have plenty of time to cover everything and answer any of your questions. This is because this includes the initial discovery, the E&P (Emotional & Physical Suggestibility) questionnaire and scoring for both suggestibility/ learning style, and personality compatibility, the explanations and presentation of how Theory of Mind works, and what hypnosis and hypnotherapy are, so that you have a complete explanation of how everything works. Also the first induction itself takes a little longer because it uses a different method which takes longer but is most effective for the first time.
Is it recorded?
No. Not usually. But you can turn on recording yourself, if you like. In case you want to view it again later.
What happens in the first session?
We begin by discussing the reason you are seeking help. What the specific issue is, how long it's been going on, what caused it (if known), how it affects your life and happiness, etc. This could be anything from fears and phobias like a fear of dogs, or dentists, or a fear of taking exams, or stage fright, or public speaking, claustrophobia, etc., to an addiction to smoking, drinking, gambling, or food cravings for sugar and carbs, to behaviors like biting your fingernails or procrastination, or past-life regressions, or also improving personal performance enhancement for things like sports and athletics. There is a very long list (Over 140 items) of all the things that hypnotherapy can help with.
But there is also a list of problems that hypnotherapy alone cannot solve. There is a large book called the DSM 5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Version 5) that lists out all those types of problems. They may include things such as Schizophrenia, Paranoia, Psychosis, or family counselling, marriage counseling, sex therapy, etc. These things might require a medical specialist such as a psychotherapist or psychiatrist. Once we can identify what your need is, I can identify whether it lies within the scope of practice for hypnotherapy, or whether instead, I could offer a referral to a mental healthcare doctor in your area. In some cases we work together, where you need to have a referral from your doctor to allow me to work with you. I act as a coordinated team with your doctors to provide what you need to live a better life.
Please know that I am a highly principled, highly ethical professional whose main interest is in seeing you get the right help to achieve the goals you would like to achieve. Therefore I do not offer services which are deemed to be outside the scope of practice for hypnotherapy as defined by the AHA. That said, there are still quite a lot of things that fall within the purview of vocational and avocational self-improvement which the AHA standards for hypnotherapy allow are within the normal scope of practice.
In the first session only, I will explain the process, the capabilities, the limits, show you some diagrams on a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation to help you understand how the mind works and how hypnotherapy works, I will have an initial set of questions designed to deliver an "E&P Score" and then we begin our initial induction into a hypnotherapy session. For this initial session, I will usually give a few general post-hypnotic suggestions, but not necessarily tuned to your specific problem, since that will require some time to build a treatment plan, write some customized scripts for your personally. Those will come in the 2nd and subsequent sessions. That portion may be 20 to 45 minutes or so for this initial session.
I then bring you back up and out of the hypnotic state. We recap what we have discussed, what happened during this session and set a time for the next session which will be shorter, but more specifically tuned to your specific problem or goal.
How many sessions are required?
That is hard to know since it is different for different people and for different types of problems. For some things like smoking cessation, there is a 6-session plan that often works, but will take longer for some people depending on a number of factors. Weight loss probably takes the longest time, but it depends upon how much weight the client would like to lose, and lifestyle issues, stress issues, etc. However there are some things such as fears, which can sometimes be eliminated or greatly lessened in 2 or 3 sessions in some cases. So there is no definitive, concrete answer for this. It really depends upon the person and the problem at hand.