FAQs
Is hypnosis a way to control others’ minds? It seems like a mystical process. Can you make me cluck like a chicken?
Hypnosis has been used as a healing modality for thousands of years. It dates as far back as Ancient Egypt and Greece, where people would enter “sleep temples”, and participate in a drumming and chanting ritual that would allow them to go into the state of trance. A priest or priestess would be the guide, allowing the individual to connect to their belief system, in order to make the necessary changes they wanted to experience in their everyday life.
Today, Hypnosis gets a bad rap from media and entertainment. False stereotypes of what a hypnotist can do made for exciting depictions in a number of films, as far back as the early 1900s. It’s no wonder there are so many misconceptions about what hypnosis is, or how it works.
Outside of the media, “stage hypnosis” is another flavor of this craft that is used for entertainment purposes, and it is very different from the healing modality I practice. In reality, all hypnosis is predicated on the client (patient, or participant) wanting to be hypnotized. Even if you’ve seen a hypnotist on stage seemingly putting the participant under a spell, that person was chosen specifically because they were very ready, and wanted, to be put in that state.
The work I do with my clients relies on them being willing to go into a deep place of focus – the state of trance. Unlike what you might see in Hollywood or on stage, I am here to help my clients find their best selves through the resources they already possess within them. My purpose is to empower the people I work with.
In session, you will have full awareness of everything that you are experiencing in the physical space (whether you are in your own home or in my office), as well as in your mind. You will be aware of the words I am saying and the questions I ask. You will have the ability to respond to me, to laugh, cry, and move your body. You will simply be doing all these things from a hyper-focused state. The usual distracting thoughts that we all experience during most of our waking hours, will be much further from your mind. It is this state of focused awareness, that allows the trancee to bypass their doubts and find beautiful, resourceful solutions.
My job is to help you find within yourself, whatever it is you need to empower you to make the changes you want to see for yourself. Clucking like a chicken is never part of that process.
Who is hypnosis for?
This work is for anyone who would like to update some of their patterned behaviors and impulses.
Anytime you notice yourself behaving compulsively, or reacting in a way that’s different from how you’d like to, that’s a sign you are operating on a thought pattern that isn’t serving you well. You might even catch yourself, and think “here I go again” as you see yourself participating in a behavior you promised you’d break free from. It’s not your fault – our impulses have been set in place as a way to protect us, make us feel loved, or distract us from pain. Your mind and body are protecting you in the best way they learned how, when you were learning the rules of interacting with the outside world.
So, if you’d like to change that impulse, behavior, or thought pattern, then working with hypnosis can be very helpful. We begin by finding the initial thought that triggers that lighting-fast internal response. Then in trance, where your critical mind isn’t intercepting your thoughts, you’ll be able to uncover a more productive reaction that will lead to a positive outcome for you.
If you have a history of bipolar disorder or psychosis, please speak to your psychiatrist before beginning work with a hypnotherapist.
Here is a list of the behaviors I offer help with:
Changing unwanted compulsive behaviors such as eating, shopping, smoking, etc.
Upgrading your Self Worth, and discovering your Authentic Self
Releasing shame
Relieving childhood trauma
Overcoming procrastination
Enhancing physical and athletic performance
Conquering fear of public speaking
Future visioning
What happens in a session? How is hypnosis different from psychotherapy?
“I repress a lot of stuff and I’m scared that therapy will make me sad. I’m just bad at dealing with uncomfortable stuff.”
Do you sometimes feel this way? If so, you are in the right place for gentle, collaborative change.
Each session will begin with us talking about what you are currently experiencing in your everyday life, and what you wish to work on. Once I guide you into trance, I will ask you questions, and you will be responding from a calm, resourceful state of mind. Each person’s style of conversational trance is a little different, but you will probably talk a lot less than you normally would in a psychotherapy session.
The difference between hypnosis and talk therapy is that while we may end up going into a triggering experience in your past, you are unlikely to come out of it feeling bad or sad (please ensure your space feels comfortable and you will not be cut short since the session will be held virtually, via Zoom).
Everything my clients do in session is experienced through the lens of resourcefulness. We don’t go “poking around” just for the sake of finding out why you behave a certain way, or why you have a specific fear, and leave it there. In trance, if we go into a past memory, it is done with the intention of experiencing relief before the end of the session. You will use your own creativity and imagination to both understand yourself better, and resource yourself with positive feelings. At the very least, we can take the “sting” out of these old traumatic events. It is very important you stay with me to the end of the session, with no interruptions. I will never have you bring up a painful memory, and take you out of trance, not having resolved it in some way.
At the end of every session, you will leave somewhere between relaxed and exhilarated. Your subconscious mind will continue processing and integrating your experiences in the coming days and weeks.
Where are you located?
I am located in Brooklyn, New York, however, all sessions are now remote, via Zoom. As long as you have a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted and are able to relax, you can do this from the comfort of your own bedroom!
Does it work via Zoom as well as in person?
The beauty of hypnosis is that there is nothing mystical about it — it is our natural ability as humans to point our attention to one thing or another. Going into trance can be as easy as watching a TV show or scrolling through social media on your phone, so you can do it anywhere. All you need is a good internet connection and a calm space where you will not be interrupted. As long as you have those two things, we can do this change work from anywhere in the world. Check out the testimonials page to learn how others experienced this remote healing work.
Will I need multiple sessions?
The optimal number of sessions for you will depend on what we learn from, and how you react to, your first session, as well as what we determine to be the long-term goals for your particular journey.
Our first session together can be up to two hours long. The mind needs to get used to relaxing, and then be willing to engage with the images, sounds, and sensations it shows you. Each one of us experiences the world a little differently, so a long session will allow both of us to explore and recognize your specific way of recording, and then decoding, what you perceive.
How many follow-up sessions you’ll need, if any, will depend on both your goals for hypnosis and the work you’re able to do on your own time.
Hypnosis can give you a real shortcut to changing a behavior or thought pattern. You can see how to shift your perspective, and what you will need to do, to materialize the change in your life. During each session, I will take you through a powerful emotional experience. Your homework will be to remember what you saw and felt, and to remind yourself of that vision on a regular basis. We are trying to rewire your brain. Those neural pathways get rebuilt, just like a muscle gets trained at the gym. You have to do the repetitions. If you can remember what you see in trance on a regular basis, then one session can be all you need. For a lot of people, it takes several sessions in a deep trance state, as they have to acquire multiple resourceful experiences “under their belt”, to then be able to recall a positive state of self-trust in their conscious state of everyday life.
In trance, it’s so much easier to see the possibilities and find solutions to old problems that we otherwise can’t seem to crack. Trance state is an amazing place to do your future visioning from, as your critical mind will be at rest. As such, you may decide to do hypnosis on a regular basis to allow yourself to enter into this inspired state as part of your regular monthly, quarterly, or yearly self-care routine.
What should I do after?
Try to remember what you experienced with all of your senses (see, hear, smell, taste, and touch) and recall these as often as you can. Rehearsing these positive experiences can be done even just once a day for a few seconds, first thing when you wake up, right before going to sleep, or any time in between. I used to remember my positive future memory whenever I felt like crap at work, which happened to be most days, so I didn’t even have to remind myself to remember.
Personally, I’m also a huge proponent of journaling, as it allows me to see my thoughts laid out in front of me. Journaling can also be a type of trance – we can follow our train of thought without interruption from the distracting thoughts that swoop in and out as we navigate everyday life. If you’re not used to writing by hand, or find that hand-written words can’t keep up with your thoughts in real time, you can always type your entries instead. Journaling is especially helpful immediately after a session, as that’s when the details of your experience will be most vivid. This written record will then serve as a guide as you continue to put into practice everything you learned in trance.
What are your policies?
Payment must be made no later than 48 hours before your session takes place. Please provide at least 24 hours’ notice for cancellations or any scheduling changes. Changes made without 24 hours’ notice will be charged the full price of the session. Please purchase your session in the online shop, and book your time slot via the calendar link you will receive in your inbox.
At this time, all appointments are done via Zoom, so please make sure you have a comfortable, quiet space available to you for the full time, where you will not be interrupted, including roommates, children, or pets.
First-time clients: Upon making your booking, you will be emailed an intake form. Please fill this out as soon as possible, but in no event less than 24 hours before your session. Please allow up to two hours for your first session. Subsequent sessions will typically last 90 minutes.