Frequently asked questions and answers FAQ

It's hypnosis process in which we help people tap into their mental connections, memories and life potentials to realize their own therapeutic goals. Hypnosis is monitored from the very beginning misconceptions and myths.

Integrapy follows the understanding of Milton H. Erickson, who also understood hypnosis as a special form communications, which allows the client to use his own thinking, understanding, emotions, in a way that best matches his scheme of life.

It's hypnosis a human phenomenon and is as old as a human (a history of hypnosis). Despite the fact that it is being researched very intensively, there is still no common agreed-upon definition that most people agree on.

Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic interaction between a client and a therapist using clinical or conversational hypnosis. These are therapeutic procedures that are carried out while the person is in a hypnotic state. In most countries, it is understood as a form of psychotherapy and not as an independent therapeutic approach. Therefore, some professionals do not use the term hypnotherapy and instead call it therapeutic hypnosis.

Hypnosis can be understood as a state in which the ability to respond to ideas is increased. Hypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis for medical or psychological problems.

A hypnotic state can be achieved by most people who are properly motivated and have the right attitude towards hypnosis. In fact, hypnosis is a naturally occurring phenomenon that almost everyone has experienced in various daily situations, such as watching TV, listening to music, and driving a car automatically.

However, hypnosis is not suitable for people with heart disease, epilepsy, severe asthma and psychosis.

When hypnosis is used and combined with therapeutic suggestions or procedures, it has therapeutic value. A hypnotist (stage hypnotist) can hypnotize a person but does not perform any therapy, in contrast, a hypnotherapist (practitioner of therapeutic hypnosis) incorporates therapeutic suggestions or procedures into the hypnosis process in order to effect change in the individual.

A fully qualified hypnotherapist is a professionally trained psychotherapist, doctor, social worker, psychologist, or other health professional who uses hypnosis. Competent and ethical performance of activities requires knowledge of modern psychotherapy and clinical skills.

Some practitioners of hypnosis and hypnotherapy may refer to themselves as hypnosis practitioners, primarily to avoid violating regional and licensing laws regarding the use of the term therapist.

Professionally trained therapists use therapeutic hypnosis to treat diseases or symptoms of diseases. A hypnosis practitioner who helps a client improve their career prospects or performance (coaches, "coaches") should not use procedures and approaches that could be classified as therapeutic - we can claim that they are useful and useful, but not therapeutic. A stage hypnotist is a practitioner of hypnosis, but not therapeutic hypnosis.

A general principle in the medical profession is, "If you are not qualified to treat a problem without hypnosis, then you are not qualified to treat it with hypnosis." Unfortunately, there are few meaningful regulations specific to the practice of hypnosis. Thus, people without academic degrees or proper clinical training can take a short course in hypnosis, usually learning formulaic approaches, and then start offering services as a "hypnotist" or "hypnotherapist". It is important that you work with someone who is well trained and licensed, a health professional (doctor, social worker, psychologist, psychotherapist) who uses hypnosis in their work, and not someone who is just a hypnotist.

Different types of hypnosis practitioners will use different hypnosis techniques, delivery styles, and therapeutic procedures and approaches based on their background, training, clients, and practice environment.

In itself, hypnosis as a process has no intrinsic therapeutic or beneficial value, but it does have a naturally relaxed physiological state, ie. the state of parasympathetic response produced by some types of relaxation hypnosis has intrinsic therapeutic and beneficial value in itself (similar to some meditative practices).

For hypnosis professionals who are aware of the value of this tool, there is no more complicated question. Some of the obstacles to wider recognition and acceptance are well known:

1) outdated, myth-based views of hypnosis that discourage people from learning about hypnosis;

2) the often arbitrary opinion of clinicians that common human problems (such as anxiety and depression) are “diseases” that must be treated biologically;

3) lack of exposure to hypnosis during clinical training to learn about its strong empirical basis or therapeutic merits

No, hypnosis itself is not dangerous. On the contrary, it is a relaxing and invigorating experience. However, like any tool, be it a hammer or medicine, it can be used incorrectly, which can have negative consequences. How? The first lesson you learn when studying hypnosis is that "whatever you focus on, you strengthen". So can a well-intentioned but uneducated doctor make you focus on things that are unimportant or even upsetting? Yes. Therefore, it is important to choose your therapist carefully and to be aware that you can reject any suggestion that you do not find helpful. You are in control!

Although personal approaches to applied hypnosis are generally more effective than impersonal approaches of recorded sessions, the value of recorded sessions is still high. Often used as a supplement to personal therapy, these sessions provide important opportunities to stay focused on your goals and actively do things that will help you achieve them.

No. Hypnosis is not a reliable tool for enhancing or restoring memory, as the entire mental health profession learned the hard way during the years of the so-called "memory wars," when therapists treated almost all symptoms as evidence of hidden memories of childhood abuse. Memory is a subjective process that can be intentionally or unintentionally distorted by persuasive suggestion. You don't need to be under hypnosis for this, as this is simply a vulnerability of human memory in general. Misinformation presented by someone credible, who has no apparent motive to deceive, can lead people to believe that things have happened to them that never actually happened to them. This can even happen in an extreme form, when memories of "past lives" are restored, which may seem real, but are clearly the product of suggestions that people who are inclined to believe in them accept without criticism.

I have a very simple answer to this question in the form of an opposite question: How long does a really good idea last?

The answer is a resounding no! This sad but persistent myth stems from the fact that most people encounter hypnosis recreationally rather than in a clinical setting. Stage hypnotists and television and film scriptwriters portray hypnosis as a form of "mind control," and that's how it may appear to the untrained eye. If there was a type of people called “hypnotists” who could control people, the world would be completely different. No, you do not lose control of yourself in hypnosis. If that were the case, it wouldn't be of much interest to clinicians like me, because no one ever seeks help by saying, "Please help me lose control of myself." What appeals to me about hypnosis is the way hypnosis consistently empowers people.

Hypnosis is a natural state of mind similar to daydreaming. People are often surprised that they can hear what is being said and can move or speak if they want to. Everyone experiences it differently and an individual's feeling may vary each time they enter hypnosis. Some describe hearing every word the therapist says, while others find their minds wandering; many people lose track of time during hypnosis. How conscious or unconscious you are during the procedure does not matter and does not affect the effectiveness of the session. Relaxation is not essential to hypnosis, but most people describe being very relaxed during and after the session and that the session is more enjoyable than they expected.

The therapist will ask you what brought you to therapy and what you would like to see or feel at the end of the session. He will explain to you what hypnotherapy is, how it works and what you can expect from the sessions. After the consultation, the therapist will lead you into hypnosis using the method he thinks is most suitable for you. After the session you may feel more uplifted, light and most likely very relaxed. Because the hypnotherapist will work with your subconscious, the changes are often very subtle, so you may just notice a very positive change in how you feel.