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Imagine Hypnotics  Phone: 919-745-1225  E-Mail
Your Raleigh Hypnosis Center - Serving the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Nearby, NC areas

What is Hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a profound state of relaxation, focused mind (concentration) and heightened sensory awareness. It is a receptive state characterized by openness to suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination. It's not like sleep, because the client retains their conscious state during a session. It is most often compared to daydreaming, or the feeling of "losing yourself" in a book or movie. You're conscious mind simply takes a step back and defers to your unconscious as you tune out most of the stimuli around you. You focus intently on the subject at hand, to the near exclusion of any other thought. Under hypnosis you cannot be made to do anything you do not truly desire to do, or anything which violates your moral or religious convictions. When under hypnosis you are in total control.

Can anyone be hypnotized?
A high percentage of people are hypnotizable. The rate of induction and trance level will vary from client to client - some people relax very quickly while others may take a little more time - but a trained professional hypnotherapist has the skills and techniques to guide their client to the appropriate level of relaxation to ensure a productive and beneficial session. In many cases a light trance is more than sufficient to bring about transformational change. Anyone who has read a book and watched TV or been to the movie theater has been self-hypnotized (all hypnosis is self-hypnosis). This is because when reading, watching TV or seeing a movie (or driving your car or mowing your lawn for that matter) you are intently focused on the subject at hand. This focused mind and concentration is a hypnotic state.

How does hypnosis work?
Hypnosis taps into the realm of your unconscious mind. For example, unlike your conscious mind which deals with your "rules" and "logic", your unconscious mind stores memories of being hurt or injured, repressed memories, thought patterns, desires, feelings and emotions which trigger behavior at the conscious level. To change a habit or behavior, we need to re-frame the triggers and anchors to drive positive outcomes. This can be done by working with the unconscious mind which stores the current unwanted set of triggers and anchors and reorienting them. This is why "willpower" which is a conscious state, fails when people try to stop smoking or lose weight; whereas hypnosis has been found to be highly effective in helping clients to quit smoking and to lose weight. Your unconscious mind is where your true power to change exists.

Is hypnosis safe?
Yes, very safe. Hypnosis is a natural relaxed state of mind. Contrary to how hypnosis is depicted on TV, movies, and stage acts, you can not get "stuck" in hypnosis (you would simply fall asleep and wake up rested) or made to do anything against your will. It simply does not work that way. Your conscious mind never leaves, is always on standby and you are in control. Hypnosis is a safe and enjoyable experience.

What can hypnosis help me with?
Hypnosis can address a broad spectrum of client wellness goals such as managing stress, grief, anger, fears, enhancing a wide array of personal development objectives like self-confidence, self worth, self esteem along with strengthening performance and motivation in areas such as school study habits, career building, athletic prowess, smoking cessation, weight management, exploring your spirituality and so much more.

Will hypnosis work in a single session?
There are times when one hypnotherapy session can be effective in achieving your goal. However, hypnosis is a tool and it may be unrealistic to expect lasting results in just one session. Sometimes multiple sessions may be required to achieve your desired objectives.

What do I need to do to prepare for a hypnosis session?
All that is required is an open mind and a willingness to make positive change! We will spend approximately 20-30 minutes understanding your goals and then simply sit back, relax, and enjoy the progressive hypnosis process. It's best to wear clothing and foot wear you feel very comfortable in. Avoid consuming caffeinated drinks two hours before your session since caffeine can interfere with the body's ability to relax (e.g., coffee, energy drinks, caffeinated colas, etc.).

Will hypnosis work if I don't want to change or resist change?
Like many other ventures in life, your success rate diminishes when you are not energetically pursuing your goals. Hypnosis is highly effective when the client is highly motivated. When a client truly wants to make a change then success exponentially increases. If a client is not making the change for themselves, but to satisfy someone else's desire for them to change, then the probability of true change and success will most likely fall short.

Do you work with adolescents?
Yes of course! The key to working with teenagers is the desire to change must be their personal choice. When it's their choice they are committed to making change. Personal commitment as a part of any wellness process can not be overstated. It is the most important aspect of goal achievement. If the adolescent feels there is no issue or they don't want to change and they are coming to a session to accommodate the wishes of a parent or guardian, then this resistance will impact the odds of success.

What is the success rate for smoking cessation?
For clients who are personally committed to quit the success rate can be 100%. Therefore, the success rate is directly linked to the client's level of commitment. A hypnotherapist facilitates the change session but the client is responsible for their personal commitment and dedication to make the change. If a client is coming to quit because they are being pressured by a spouse / partner to quit, motivated by future dates (birthdays, New Year's resolution, etc.) or simply have not convinced themselves it's time to change (i.e., client subliminally resists change) then the odds of quitting diminish considerably.

I noticed your smoking cessation program requires payment in advance. Why is that?
The payment in advance policy helps us determine the client's level of commitment to participate in all of the prescribed sessions. Success increases dramatically when the client completes the entire program. We have found clients who invest up front are actively investing in themselves. This investment when combined with the effectiveness of hypnosis as a proven tool to make true change significantly enhances goal achievement and client satisfaction.

Can hypnosis help with alcohol cessation?
It depends. If the alcohol issue is alcohol abuse then hypnosis can be effective. If the client's situation is alcohol dependency (i.e., addiction or alcoholism) then hypnosis probably won't be as effective. With alcoholism, it is highly recommended the client seek appropriate medical / specialized counseling and treatment. The following WebMD link contains additional information on the difference between alcohol abuse versus dependency: Alcohol Abuse and Dependence - Topic Overview. Here is an interactive screening tool to help assess your level of interaction with alcohol: Alcohol Screening Questionnaire. Additional information is also available at the Alcoholics Anonymous® web site.

Can hypnosis help me remember misplaced items?
Yes but you need to be the very last person to have touched or moved the item. For example, a client loses a ring. They come in for a hypnosis session where they regress back and recall exactly where they placed it. The client remembers placing the ring in an old jewelery box in the attic. But afterwards, and unbeknownst to the client, their spouse cleaned the attic and moved the box containing the ring to the garage. The client's recall under hypnosis is 100% correct but since the box was subsequently moved, finding the ring still remains a mystery because they were not the last person to handle the item - that is of course unless the spouse who cleaned the attic remembers the box and where they placed it in the garage!

Do you record sessions or can I record my session?
With the exception of the past life regressions, we do not record sessions. The primary reason is because once the unconscious has accepted and validated the changes (reorients and re-frames) we do not wish to "relive" or playback emotional states or unconscious agreements which were reached. The objective is to make the shift and move forward. Going back and revisiting a session has the potential to impact your progress via conscious mind interference.

Can I have a family member or friend sit in on my session?
All sessions are one-on-one. This is to ensure the highest level of client confidentiality. The only exception would be joint or group sessions which are specifically designed for multiple client participation.

Can regression lead to "false memories"?
False memories refers to recall which is not real but constructed thought. False memories are rare but can can potentially manifest in one of two ways: 1) if the person conducting the session is inexperienced and asks the client leading questions. Questioning under hypnosis should always be asked as open ended questions - never leading, and 2) if a client is under the influence of drugs or alcohol they may experience constructed thought. No hypnotist should knowingly conduct a session if a client is suspected of being impaired. This is why it is highly recommended that anyone seeking a hypnotherapist should do their homework and select a properly trained, certified and experienced practitioner. At a minimum, the hypnotherapist should be certified by a major association like the International Association of Counselors and Therapists (IACT) or the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH).

Are past life memories real?
The benefits to the client from a past life session can be very profound. When I facilitate sessions it is apparent to me the insight and wisdom experienced by the client is streaming through a higher realm of consciousness. After a session, many of my clients comment on how their past life memories were free flowing and spontaneous versus what is referred to as constructed recall. The spontaneity and "sense of knowing" aspect of the experience is a very common theme. Constructed recall is not spontaneous or free flowing since it takes time for the mind to piece together or construct images, scenes or events.

To illustrate - what if I asked you to tell me all about a single scene from a time, place or era you have no knowledge of? You would need to stop, get oriented and think about how to construct that moment in time. For instance, tell me what you're doing at that moment? How old are you? Where are you located? How do you physically look? What is your emotional state? Are you a man or a woman? How are you dressed? Who are you interacting with? What's your profession? It would quite challenging to construct a cohesive moment. Now what if I ask you to do that 4-5 more times to describe other moments on the time line of a life which you have no conscious awareness of? Then once you create all those scenes, I ask you to integrate all those events and tell me the purpose and life lessons you learned from what you just constructed. It would be extremely difficult - if not impossible - to create a cohesive and connected storyline. But with a past life regression, that same exercise spontaneously comes together resulting in a seamless and integrated experience with the client being fully aware of the purpose and lessons from that past life and the relevance to their current life situations.

In the end, the determination of "real or not real" is a question each individual client will need to decide on their own. In my opinion, it is far more meaningful to focus on the benefits a past life experience brings to the client in the form of expanded consciousness, higher self-awareness, greater insight and new pathways to healing and opportunity.

Each past life regression session is approximately 2-2.5 hours.

Do you facilitate life between lives (LBL) sessions? Yes, I do facilitating Life Between Lives (LBL) sessions. This is a very exciting addition to our program. For those unfamiliar with LBL, Life Between Lives is a way of experiencing your soul's existence in the afterlife in between incarnations (your soul's life in the astral or spirit world). I received my training from The Michael Newton Institute™ (TNI).

For additional information please visit my LBL page.

How does hypnosis differ from meditation?
Both hypnosis and meditation bridge the unconscious / conscious connection, with meditation typically being without content and not goal driven. Hypnosis on the other hand is focused very specifically on content and achievement of the client's goals. Unlike meditation, which is wonderful for relaxation and quiet time, hypnosis helps a client create new behaviors that lead to the goals they set for themselves.

How does hypnosis differ from Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)?
Many NLP coaches and practitioners work primarily with the conscious mind whereas hypnotherapy works at the unconscious levels. Due to your conscious mind's filters and metaprograms, NLP behavioral change approaches must first get past the conscious mind's gate keeping functions to reframe and implement the desired changes. This is not always easy and in fact can be very difficult. At Imagine Hypnotics we apply various NLP techniques and modeling (Milton Model) at the unconscious level where behavioral change can take hold without interference from the conscious mind. This is because hypnosis reorients and implements the desired change at the unconscious level - unlike NLP which works primarily with the conscious mind. Remember, your unconscious mind is the source of your triggers and anchors which drives your behavioral patterns at the conscious level.

How does hypnosis differ from psychotherapy?
Hypnosis uses trance, suggestion and instruction to adjust and correct unwanted habits of thought, feeling and behavior at the mind's unconscious level. Psychotherapy is the diagnosis and conversational treatment of a psychological issue at the conscious level. In other words, a psychotherapist treats people who have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder by dialoguing and communicating with the conscious mind to affect behavioral change. Hypnosis on the other hand addresses the habits of functional (mentally healthy) people wishing to improve their lives by affecting change at the unconscious level. It should be noted that many psychotherapists fully embrace the benefits of hypnosis and will employ both traditional psychotherapy along with hypnosis to assist in improving their client's state of mental health and well being. To accomplish this, many psychotherapists will refer their clients to an experienced and certified hypnotherapist.

It's important to emphasize that hypnosis is not a replacement for medical treatment. Those under the care of a psychotherapist or doctor should not ignore their therapist's or doctor's advice or treatment for mental health / medical issues. Clients should always consult with their physician or therapist before making any changes in his / her prescribed treatment.

How does hypnosis compare to other forms of behavioral change?
Based on a 1970 study by Dr. Alfred A. Barrios, PhD which was published in "Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice" stated "... the average success rate for hypnotherapy was 93% after an average of 6 sessions. This was compared to a 38% success rate after an average of 600 sessions for psychoanalysis and 72% after 22 sessions for behavior therapy."

Is hypnosis recognized by the medical and health professions?
Yes, hypnosis is recognized by many medical and health care professionals. The number of professionals utilizing hypnosis as part of their approach to comprehensive wellness is increasing as the benefits of the mind / body connection becomes more and more evident to both the practitioner and their clients.

Is hypnosis a licensed profession in North Carolina?
The State of North Carolina has not adopted education and training standards for the practice of hypnotism. Statements of credentials is for informational purposes only. Hypnotism is a self-regulating profession and its practitioners are not licensed by the State of North Carolina. Imagine Hypnotics highly recommends anyone seeking a hypnotherapist select a properly trained, certified and experienced practitioner. At a minimum, the hypnotherapist should be certified by a major association like the International Association of Counselors and Therapists (IACT) or the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH). Imagine Hypnotics is certified, experienced and skilled in hypnosis and in excellent standing with both the IACT and NGH.

What are your fees?
Please see the Our Program page to obtain our fee schedule. You can also call us at 919-745-1225 or email us at imaginehypnotics@imaginehypnotics.com. Our fees are competitively priced and all of our consultations are free of charge. Please note our pricing is session based versus per hour which benefits our client's pocket book. For clients seeking multiple sessions we will be more than happy to arrange package pricing at discounted rates.

What are your hours of business?
Monday through Friday we having evening hours from 7pm - 10pm. Our weekend hours on Saturday and Sunday are 11am - 4pm.

What are your payment options?
We accept personal checks, PayPal (imaginehypnotics@imaginehypnotics.com) and cash. Credit card payments are accepted through PayPal. Payment is due upon completion of the client session unless an alternative payment schedule has been agreed to by our office (if you require alternative payment options or schedules, please contact us and we will do all we can to work with you). For multi-session therapies like weight management, the full package price is due upon completion of the first session. The smoking cessation program requires payment in full prior to the first session. A $35 returned check fee will be added to any checks returned by the bank.

Have more questions? Give us a call for a free consultation at 919-745-1225 or email us at imaginehypnotics@imaginehypnotics.com.

At Imagine Hypnotics our clients receive the personal care and attention they deserve.

Imagine Hypnotics - Positive Change from Within