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The
watch is swaying back and forth as you are getting sleepy, very
sleepy. Well, not exactly.
In
a real hypnosis session, you would be more likely to focus on a
spot on the wall, or an object in the room, than a pendulum. And
the hypnotist would use different words. But you would be deeply
relaxed. Then, the power of suggestion would take over.
Jean
Fain, a hypnotist and clinical social worker in private practice,
uses techniques pioneered in ancient Greek healing temples to cure
patients of smoking habits, overeating, phobias, pain, even warts.
Hypnosis can also be used to enhance careers, improve academic performance,
cure addictions, build self-esteem, stimulate weight loss, even
reduce sexual inhibitions. Fain was "absolutely shocked"
when she took her first hypnosis seminar and discovered that it
really worked. A nagging pain from a canker sore disappeared when
she tried out the technique on herself.
Just
be sure to wake yourself up
Self-hypnosis? You actually can try this at home, and there are
websites that walk through the steps. You have to make sure to practice
your suggestions ahead of time, and draw the line at the end of
each session so you fully wake up or fall asleep or whatever you
mean to do next.
Fain
teaches her clients who want to quit smoking to hypnotize themselves
to deal with the inevitable cravings they experience after quitting.
"Self-hypnosis enables patients to draw on their higher motivations,
rather than the weaknesses that lead them to reach for a cigarette,"
Fain said.
You
will always remember your first smoke
Hypnosis enhances four important abilities: access to memories,
feelings, thoughts, and problem-solving skills. So, for example,
smokers undergoing hypnosis can actually re-experience how awful
they felt after their very first cigarette. The hypnotist can then
plant a suggestion that every time the smoker smokes, he will be
reminded of that first experience and become aware of the damage
being done to his body.
Where
am I? Who am I?
The drawback is that when you remember some things more vividly,
you can forget others. Fain discovered this herself after that first
miraculous cure at the seminar.
"After
a successful trance to decrease the pain of mouth sores from eating
Mexican food, I was about to get on my bicycle to ride back to my
hotel, but I couldn't remember the combination," she said.
"I had never forgotten it before. I tried and tried, but couldn't
recall it, and eventually I had to have the lock cut off my bicycle
with a bolt cutter."
The
next day the instructor explained that hypnosis randomizes thoughts
and disturbs mental chronological order. He told her she should
have hypnotized herself again to remember the forgotten combination.
You
are getting very wealthy
A session lasts 50 minutes, and Fain can treat most problems in
fewer than 10 sessions – a bargain compared to years of analysis.
"People will pay for hypnosis out-of-pocket without blinking
an eye," she said. That's a major plus for a health practitioner
in these days of managed care.
Fees
range considerably, but a hypnosis session typically costs $100,
higher than psychotherapy from a licensed social worker but lower
than a session with a psychiatrist or psychologist. Qualified hypnotherapists
earn between $50 and $150 an hour, and can supplement their income
by $350 to $500 a week by taking on just a few clients. A full-time
professional, licensed hypnotherapist can earn $75,000 a year.
Over
time, hypnotists can work toward certification from the American
Board of Hypnotherapy or the International Association of Counselors
and Therapists, although these certifications are not required by
law. Fain has taken many workshops and meets regularly with a hypnosis
mentor/supervisor. Seminars in clinical hypnotherapy cost between
$400 and $500.
So
if you were fascinated by ouija boards and ESP games as a child,
or are absorbed by the mysteries of the subconscious, hypnosis may
be your dream job. So, dream on! (Just
remember your combination when you wake up.)
-
Elaine Gottlieb, Salary.com Contributor
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