by Helen Penny

Created on: October 02, 2008   Last Updated: October 11, 2008

Are you searching for a more effective life-change tool than good old will power? Hypnotherapy offers a significant boost to our everyday efforts. A hypnotherapist cuts through the surface layers of mental chatter - to-do lists, plans for the future, random thoughts, anxieties, daydreams - to offer helpful, agreed-upon suggestions to the deeper layers of consciousness while a client is an a state of relaxation and receptive awareness.

Some hypnotherapists are psychiatrists or psychologists with additional training in hypnotherapy, while others have studied hypnotherapy exclusively. Each state has different requirements for hypnotherapy professionals. California requires 200-300 hours of hypnotherapy training and hands-on experience for licensure, while New York requires no license. Hypnotherapy schools offer a variety of in-person and online programs ranging from a few months to a year or more. Practitioners can gain additional credibility through certification from a national organization such as the American Board of Hypnotherapy. Some clients choose an experienced psychotherapist for hypnotherapy, while others contend that practitioners focusing exclusively on hypnosis have more knowledge and experience.

During a hypnotherapy session, client and practitioner discuss the client's experiences and what she hopes to gain from hypnotherapy. Once client and therapist set clear goals, the actual hypnosis begins.

Using a gentle, soothing voice, the hypnotherapist guides the client into a very deep state of relaxation that may appear similar to sleep. Rather than sleep, the goal is a state in which the client is open and receptive to the suggestions offered under hypnosis. Using guided imagery and other techniques, the hypnotherapist creates a picture of how the client's experience of change will unfold in positive and comforting ways.

Clients often see detailed images and feel that they are having experiences in the same way they would during an intense daydream. A hypnotized person is not completely under the therapist's power and will retain the ability to speak up and end the session anytime he feels it is necessary. After the session, the client has the opportunity to ask any questions or discuss the experience. The hypnotherapist may follow up with instructions for home practice with a recording.

Does hypnotherapy actually work? Yes, according to research. A 1999 Harvard Medical School study showed a significant reduction in healing time for patients with broken

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