Clinical Hypnosis

Clinical Hypnosis for Physical and Emotional Difficulties

Emotional difficulties are never without a physical component, given our unity of mind and body.  The more I work with patients using clinical hypnosis, the more astounded I am at its power to heal.

If we go into trance, we go into an internal place where we are unconcerned with time and therefore we are in the present moment. The stillness of each moment allows us access to the place where our wisdom resides and allows us to risk being trustingly receptive to new ideas and possibilities; hence the potential for change.

In trance, you will remain aware of your conscious mind, while a skilled practitioner will know how to “talk to your unconscious mind” so as to encourage a connection with yourself that is profound and productive. The hypnosis fosters receptivity of direct or indirect suggestions that can release old ways of being and facilitate new ways of being. If your sense of yourself and others is adequately reframed, the impact on what felt like a difficulty can shift enormously.

Using Clinical Hypnosis to Find Solutions to Gynecological Issues

Often people come into a session wanting to know if the physical issue with which they are struggling is “their fault.” To feel blamed for miscarriage, sexual difficulties or infertility, for instance, is to feel even further debilitated and stressed than the presence of the problem itself.

The mind/body connection is a two-way street. Emotional experiences cannot help but land in the body and create the worry for some people that you have caused or are contributing to the problem. Conversely, physical circumstances always come linked with an emotional component.

You are not responsible FOR your gynecological problem because hormones flow and messenger molecules travel through our bodies in a way that is out of our conscious awareness. But you can choose to be responsible TO your gynecological issue by allowing yourself to “listen to your body” mindfully and honestly. This is best accomplished with guidance.

Symptoms are the body’s wisdom, and with clinical hypnotherapy it is entirely possible to go into a deeper relationship with yourself than is customary where you can access your own insight, intuition, wisdom and self-healing capacities.

Of course, top notch medical treatment is essential. But clinical hypnotherapy goes a long way toward reducing the stress that is a companion to any diagnosis. And the stress-reduction aspect of hypnosis alone can go a long way to contribute to the healing process.

Clinical Hypnosis as an Adjunct Solution for Infertility

I have had the privilege of working with a great number of women who have been in the throes of an infertility struggle. Enormous stress accompanies infertility treatments. For many women the pharmaceuticals alone create an emotional ordeal, never mind the invasiveness of IVF procedures. Impact on your feelings of well-being and impact on the marriage is virtually universal.

Clinical hypnosis actively connects mind and body. It is appropriate under various circumstances. It can be used to facilitate mental and physical relaxation. It can be used to foster receptivity and positivity prior to retrieval and in preparation for embryo transfer. Hypnosis can help you maximize your readiness and longing for a pregnancy and can even be used to unearth hidden doubts and obsolete beliefs.

I have used clinical hypnosis with patients who suspect that there could be an emotional block to conception, particularly if there is no diagnosis. Often people come into a session wanting to know if their infertility is “their fault.” This is a huge and important concern. To feel blamed is to feel even further debilitated and stressed.

Hypnosis can help get to the underlying belief system which makes demands on the mind/body connection. The belief system would be unconscious. How could you be responsible for something which is unconscious? I like to think of this as not being responsible FOR your infertility, but you can choose to be responsible TO it. This means that with guidance, you can make the unconscious conscious. And while we could never “prove” that there was an emotional obstacle, to uncover unconscious processes can relax the body with the relief that comes when we get to what is real. Nature loves the truth. It is likely that hormones flow differently then.

There are many instances when there is no emotional block, rather the infertility itself creates such tension that it is easy to blame yourself for not conceiving. Self-blame is a mistake. It does not help.

I make personalized hypnotic audiotapes with which you can practice relaxation, visualization, and whatever serves your personal needs. Hypnosis can potentiate treatment at any stage of your cycle, with or without IVF. It can be used with male partners in various ways and/or with the couple simultaneously to harmonize goals.

During the nerve-wracking “two-week wait,” hypnosis can serve to keep you feeling positive even as your conscious mind cooks up doubts. The option of hypnosis can mitigate the enormous and understandable tension.

Clinical Hypnosis to Empower You Through Labor and Delivery

The last trimester of pregnancy, labor and delivery and the post-partum period, taken together, represent a transition that is as dramatic as our own birth or death. I remember vividly how when my peers and I were about to embark on motherhood, we ruminated on how a baby could possibly fit down the birth canal.

It is universal to worry about what it will feel like to have your baby pass through you and arrive in the world. The idea that we are built for it seems irrelevant. We cannot help but anticipate loss of control, discomfort, violation of privacy and fear of the unknown.

The program whereby you can learn to use clinical hypnosis to facilitate childbirth is psychoeducational. It is designed to empower you to use your creative imagination to ride the waves of the contractions. You will have many techniques at your disposal which will facilitate the management of anxiety and discomfort. It is comprehensive, taking into consideration the psychological, social and spiritual aspects of this transition as well as the birth process itself.

Word has gotten out as to the effectiveness and benefits of using hypnosis and it is sought after by many pregnant women. Of late, it is also appreciated by certain open-minded obstetricians and their staff as a boon to their job, a boon to the mother who can manage with minimal or no anesthesia, and a boon to the baby who is likely to be born more alert and more quickly due to the mother’s active participation.

In five one-hour sessions, some of which will be taped to facilitate practice, you will learn about the vast capacity of your mind to empower your journey through the stages of labor and delivery with confidence. Using hypnosis to facilitate childbirth can make all the difference. See below for the protocol (syllabus) for the classes.

Stress reduction groups at NYU are ongoing; contact Helen at 212.758.0125 for specific dates.