Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy is the practice of hypnosis, or manipulating a person’s behavior by means of hypnotizing them to portray a certain behavior, discontinue a habit, or learn to think in a different way. Hypnotherapy was popular in the 1800s, especially in Europe. Hypnotherapy took the place of the drugs that we have used more recently; anesthesia and pain medications did not yet play a role in the world of medicine. The invention of these types of medicines were strong contributing factors that turned hypnosis from a legit practice to a side show, and back to a practice but far more controversial.
Many are eager to know exactly how and why hypnotherapy works. The traditional view people have of hypnosis is a person that is put into a trance in front of a crowd by a hypnotist and a black and white spinning circle. During this performance he or she may do something embarrassing, such as squawk like a chicken. This perception could not be farther from actuality. The idea of hypnotherapy is basic: a person is relaxed, the subconscious is revealed, and through this impressionable state of mind specific behaviors can be altered. Positive suggestions and thoughts enter the subconscious which can contain negative feelings and emotions a person is unaware of, and the mind is changed for the better.
Hypnotherapists view the subconscious without boundaries, which is why so many problems can be eliminated through hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy can cure people of their insomnia, phobias, bad habits such as smoking and compulsive overeating, depression, and a wide array of other negative behaviors and thoughts.