Let me say right up front that this writer has never had a hypnosis treatment (officially). That being said, I have talked to a lot of patients who had medical hypnosis treatments and researched documentaries on hypnosis. Although each hypnosis treatment session will be slightly different, overall it won't be too different from going to see your doctor, therapist or pastor.
Meet Your Hypnotist
If your doctor or therapist isn't already a licensed hypnotherapist, then you will be going to a licensed hypnotherapist who will work with your doctor or therapist (or both). They will look and dress like an ordinary person, often in standard work clothes and a white coat. Their eyes also will look like regular human eyes. They've also heard every hypnosis joke in the book.
Relax
Despite the stereotype, in a medical hypnosis treatment, you won’t be told to "look into my eyes". You often will focus your attention on a bright spot in the room, sometimes a pen, a painting or even the stripes of sunlight on the wall. You're encourages to take deep breaths and relax. The hypnotherapist will help give friendly suggestions to help you relax.
The Trance State
The goal of all this relaxing is to put you into a hypnotic trance, which isn’t the same thing as sleep. It's the period right before you fall asleep. In this state, your subconscious will best absorb and remember suggestions. Perhaps you overeat because you find food gives you comfort in times of stress. You know you shouldn’t overeat when you're stressed, but you do it anyway.
In a case like this, a hypnotherapist would put you in a trance and then suggest that your stomach feels full when you are stressed. Perhaps he or she may also suggest that you are like a willow tree, which can bend to the ground without breaking in fierce winds. Ideally, when you become stressed, you tend to get comfort from imagining yourself as a tree rather than plunge head-first into a gallon of Moose Track Double Churned.
You Wake Up
After a bit of suggestion planting, you are gently encouraged to wake up. This takes a lot longer than just a mere snap of the fingers. Most people remember their hypnosis treatment sessions, but some do not. An average hypnosis treatment session takes about an hour. Your hypnotherapist will talk about scheduling another appointment (if it's necessary). And then you pay and go home.
