Change your mind; change your life

Hypnosis can assist in lowering blood pressure, decreasing chronic pain and decreasing the symptoms and exacerbations of most disease and disorders.

by Julie Funke — 

Can you name a noninvasive therapy that’s now used in the treatment of cancer, arthritis, anxiety and even heart disease? Complementary in nature, this therapy is embraced by retirees and Generation X-ers alike. With its roots in Shamanism, as well as ancient Egyptian and Asian dynasties, Edgar Cayce used it as a tool to manifest more than 14,000 readings. Give up? It’s hypnosis.

Available only to royalty and the wealthy for centuries, hypnosis is seeing a dramatic surge in popularity as the holistically minded seek less invasive ways to improve their health, and the allopathic medical world realizes that the mind plays an important role in the overall health of the physical body. Medical doctors are now recommending hypnosis to speed up the healing process, using it in lieu of anesthesia and for patients unable to tolerate (or unwilling to take) medication.

Patients embrace hypnosis not only to manage disease, pain and stress, but also to integrate mind and spirit through regression therapy, and guidance in soul-growth experiences. Some biological diseases and disorders have roots in the mind and spirit; therefore, using the subconscious mind to assist in the healing effort is a logical approach. Hypnosis can assist in lowering blood pressure, decreasing chronic pain and decreasing the symptoms and exacerbations of most disease and disorders.

While the conscious mind is factual, logical and narrowly focused, the subconscious mind is the land of dreams, desires, tendencies and possibilities. Combining relaxation therapy with suggestion harnesses the mind’s power and greatly increases the patient’s ability to manage their lives, enabling them to heal and to grow.

For those looking to modify behavior or enhance their lifestyle, hypnosis is a natural choice. Smoking cessation and weight control programs, stress and focus management and even self-esteem building are possible.

Hypnotherapy also can be used as a complement to, or in place of, meditation. For those who have difficulty achieving clearness and stillness of mind, guided meditation can be used as a tool to reach deeper relaxation by inviting the patient to create a visualized environment from which they can then move into the meditative state.

Also, what about the soul’s purpose? Investigating one’s spiritual path through hypnosis may be just what the doctor ordered. Opening the consciousness to past-life adventures and lessons can assist in finding one’s life path. Karmic issues can be more easily identified and resolved through past-life observations. Patients often feel a closer connection with their higher power after experiencing a few sessions of hypnotherapy. Hypnosis may assist in connecting with spiritual guides.

A typical session lasts about one hour. The therapist and patient begin with a discussion of direction and issues, followed by a relaxation segment. The hypnotherapist then uses messages of suggestion to the patient’s subconscious mind, encouraging that part of the mind to take the ideas which improve the patient’s life. The therapist then brings the patient gently back to a higher state of consciousness. The patient feels very relaxed, as if waking from hours of sleep.

By accessing our higher power, we all have the ability to heal our bodies, minds and spirits. Hypnosis can be the tool to begin healing your life today.

Julie Funke is a certified hypnotist in Scottsdale, Ariz. She specializes in lifestyle modification and enrichment, holistic health and Edgar Cayce concepts of healing. 

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 28, Number 2, Apr/May 2009.