Last night, my boyfriend and I went to the fair. He wanted to watch the hypnosis show, which I had heard of but never seen before (always been too occupied riding the daredevil rides). If you’ve never seen a stage hypnotist, it really is incredible. His audience volunteers were alternately sleeping, dancing, and acting out various emotions and reactions at his suggestion, all without realizing it consciously, and without even the insight that they were hypnotized.

We came back for the later show, because Troy wanted to be chosen to be an audience participant. He wasn’t selected, but the show still held our captive attention even the second time around. Hypnosis is a strange and seemingly improbable phenomenon, but there the evidence was, busy making fools of themselves on stage.

I’d never really looked into hypnotism as an option for healing oneself, and held an attitude of suspended disbelief about its use and efficacy in therapy. I visited a therapist once who offered hypnotherapy, but at our first meeting he said he didn’t think I was a good candidate for hypnosis, or perhaps that hypnosis wasn’t effective with my particular problem, hearing voices. I didn’t continue with him, so that was the end of that, and I hadn’t really thought about hypnosis as an option for my own healing until Troy pointed out all the CD’s the stage hypnotist was selling, including hypnosis sessions for quitting smoking, deep relaxation, pain relief, improved memory, weight loss, relationship improvement, and others. We ended up leaving the fair with the CD for deep relaxation, and tried it immediately when we got home.

This morning, I downloaded some more hypnosis audio programs, and listened to one for stress relief. All day I’ve felt incredibly calm, well-balanced, and free of the constant strain and worry that often hampers the flow of my days (i.e. anxiety about an upcoming responsibility or task that keeps me from being able to enjoy and relax during pleasant and routine daily activities). It feels like I got realigned or ”tuned up”, and all the noise in my head that comes from stress, anxiety, worry, and apprehension has been cleared. I had a really deep meditation this afternoon after listening to the tape – I was finally able to stop, relax, and just be in the present moment, with no striving, craving/desire, or pushing to “get things done” — all the usual hindrances that keep me from fully enjoying and living life in the present moment. I really do feel a difference – I’ve even had some minor anxiety about the lack of stressed thinking going on in my head — I’m having to adjust to this new absence of the constant internal pushing and worried thinking that usually motivates me and drives my day. 

I’m curious to know if there are hypnotherapists out there who treat voices with hypnosis — whether that would or could be effective. I wasn’t able to find anything on the subject using a quick google search.