Frequently Asked Questions about Hypnosis

Hypnosis is tool that brings you into a natural state of relaxation and focused awareness, which opens up your mind to new thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and beliefs.

If you've ever been "in the flow" with a creative project, or fully engrossed in the emotions of a book or TV show, or even lost in your own daydreams while driving on the highway, you've experienced a hypnotic trance.

This natural state of consciousness allows you to quiet your inner critic, so that your subconscious mind becomes open to the changes you desire.

In each Doddle session, I'll help guide you into this wonderful state of consciousness. From there, I'll offer something called suggestions, which may take the form of direct verbal suggestions (think: affirmations), as well as powerful guided imagery to help you create subconscious changes.

Hypnotherapy is nothing like what you see in the movies. It is NOT:

❎ Mind control or manipulation (you remain in control)
❎ Sleep (you stay fully awake)
❎ Dangerous (it's a natural, common state of consciousness that you can go in and out of at will)
❎ Embarrassing (these sessions are ALWAYS done with your best interest in mind, and you cannot be hypnotized into doing something that goes against your morals or values)

Absolutely not! Hypnosis is often depicted in the media as a form of manipulation or control, and that is simply not true. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis, meaning that although I am guiding you through a session, you are the one who creates and shapes the experiences that you have.

In fact, hypnosis sessions like in the Doddle App make you more in control of your own mind than ever before, because it allows you to directly access your subconscious without the buzzy thoughts and beliefs from the outside world that have gotten in your way. 

As a hypnosis practitioner, it’s my job to offer you suggestions, and that’s all they are. They aren't commands or demands, they’re simply suggestions, and you have full ability to accept or reject any suggestion that is offered as you go through a hypnosis session. Just like if I were to tell you to take a deep breath right now, you could choose not to. It’s the same in hypnosis. 

Hypnosis isn't a belief system. It's science. In the same way that you don't have to "believe" in Tylenol for it to reduce your pain, you don't have to believe in hypnosis for it to help you transform your life.

When I tell people what I do for a living, I often get responses like: "Oh, I just don't believe in that stuff." What they don't realize is that hypnosis is a heavily researched, science-backed clinical tool that has been shown to create some of the most powerful changes that people can experience within their minds and bodies, whether they believe in it or not. In fact, many of my clients don't believe it'll work at all when they first try it, and they're shocked to see the results!

Nope, you're awake when you are in hypnosis!

Even though your mind and body are highly relaxed, and you might look like you’re asleep, you are in fact awake and able to open your eyes and walk away at any time during hypnosis.

You may hear hypnotists use the suggestion "sleep" in their sessions. This is simply a tool to suggest a deeper state of relaxation in the mind and body, rather than actual deep sleep.

If you'd like guidance to help you fall asleep or overcome insomnia, there is a library of Sleep Hypnosis sessions in Doddle that are designed to help you drift off to sleep with ease. 

An oversimplified explanation might describe hypnosis as a customized, guided meditation with a specific goal.

However, there's more to it than that. 

Many meditation techniques aim to focus and strengthen the conscious mind by increasing a person's conscious focused attention on the present moment. For example, you might consciously focus on the sensations of your breath, a mantra, or physical sensations. 

In doing this, meditation allows you to cultivate a sense of deep acceptance for the present moment, and over time it will become easier for you to strengthen your focus and accept the circumstances in your life without judgment.

Hypnosis, on the other hand, accesses the subconscious. Using relaxation and focus techniques in hypnosis, you are likely to become less concerned with the present moment surroundings as you disconnect from this present reality, so that you can open up your mind to new ideas, transformation, and change. 

In other words, meditation is about accepting the present moment, and hypnosis is about changing it .

That being said, a lot of folks find the experience of hypnosis to be quite similar to meditation (and hypnosis is easier to do!). Both are deeply relaxing, empowering, and leave folks feeling calmer and more confident. Everyone responds differently to hypnosis, so give it a try and see how it feels for you.

Yes! Hypnosis is a heavily researched, science-backed clinical tool. It has been shown to help with...

• pain management
• replacement for anesthesia
• recovery from chronic illness
• migraines and headaches
• behavior change
• adopting healthy habits
• addiction
• fears and phobias
• athletic and artistic performance
• insomnia
• anxiety
• nervous system regulation
• depression
• trauma recovery 
• irritable bowel syndrome
• skill enhancement
• pregnancy
• public speaking
• creativity
• exercise and strength
• productivity
• confidence
• resilience
• self esteem
• stress management
• goal setting
• happiness
• beliefs
• and so much more

Hypnosis feels different for each individual.

Some folks go into a deep trance, in which the rest of the world feels like it disappears around them as their imagined experiences become perfectly vivid.

Other folks remain more "conscious" and aware of the present moment as they go through the session - which is completely normal. Research shows that the depth of your trance does not determine the effectiveness of the session.

You will continue to think thoughts. As your conscious mind wanders, your subconscious mind is able to take in everything it needs to from the session.

Some people experience physical sensations, like a gentle tingling, heaviness or lightness, all of which are normal and will fade on their own.

Most people describe the experience coming out of hypnosis as wonderfully calm-yet-energized, as though they just woke from a cozy nap.

Most importantly, hypnosis is fun. It's highly imaginative, creative, and freeing - so give it a try and see what the experience is like for you!