Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Isn’t hypnosis dangerous?
A. Consider this. Everyone enters every attainable level of hypnosis every day. Sometimes it benefits us and sometimes we cause ourselves problems. When you daydream, get lost in a book, watch TV, or just sit and worry, you are entering into profound levels of hypnosis (altered states). The thoughts you think, or the ideas you are exposed to at such times can profoundly alter your mind and body, either to your advantage or to your detriment. In my opinion, you have only 2 choices:
1. Learn how to use your altered states for your benefit.
2. Continue to use your altered states unawares and unwittingly.
Q. I don’t think I will be able to relax enough to “go under.”
A. First, you don’t “go under” when you are hypnotized. You are fully aware of everything around you, but very relaxed and focused. If someone has told you they became unconscious during their hypnosis session, that just means they fell asleep. Sleep is not hypnosis.
Q. I am afraid I will reveal things I don’t want anyone to know about while I am hypnotized.
A. Hypnotized individuals are always aware of what they are saying. You will not say anything nor do anything that you wouldn’t say or do under normal comfortable circumstances.
Q. How long does it take to get an appointment with you?
A. I usually have openings within one to two weeks.
Q. Can I have a private consultation with you before I try hypnosis?
A. You can contact me by phone or email, free of charge, and I will be happy to answer your personal questions so that you can make an informed decision regarding an hypnosis session.
Q. How many sessions of hypnosis will I need?
A. Obviously the number of sessions will vary with individual needs. Some goals, such as quitting smoking, are completed in as little as a single 2-hour session. More complex goals may take three or four sessions of 1 to 2 hours length. The important point is that this is not long-term work. I am accustomed to achieving gratifying results very quickly. If, after a session or two, I see no evidence of positive change, I prefer to inform the client that hypnosis may not be the right tool for them. Fortunately, this is not a frequent occurrence in my practice.
Q. Does mainstream medicine recognize hypnosis?
A. In 1958, The American Medical Association (AMA) officially recognized hypnosis as effective, and directed all medical schools to allocate at least 120 classroom hours to hypnosis instruction. In 1961, the AMA reiterated these instructions by recommending that medical schools provide 144 hours of training to be given over a 9 - 12 month period, at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Unfortunately very few medical schools have ever implemented these recommendations. As a result, in the United States hypnosis has emerged as an independent profession which is nationally regulated and legally endorsed by the majority of the states.
Q. Are you an MD or a psychologist?
A. I think it is important for you to know that I am neither an MD nor a psychologist. The practice of hypnosis is not a normal part of the training in either of those professions, but, as mentioned above, has become an independent profession. I have a BS degree in education from North Carolina State University. I began my hypnosis training at the Eastern Institute of Hypnotherapy (EIH), a state-approved facility in Virginia where I earned my basic certification, and later my master certification, in hypnosis. I received advanced hypnosis certification after additional training with the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH) in New Hampshire. I spent six years practicing hypnosis in a private medical office (Women's Health Care of the Virgin Islands which later changed its name to Health Care Connection, P.C.) under the guidance of an OBGYN, a Family Physician, and a Family Nurse Practitioner. Every year I must submit evidence of continuing education to NATH, (the National Association of Transpersonal Hypnotherapists) and NGH (the National Guild of Hypnotists), in order to maintain my certification and training at a high level. In 2001 I was certified as a Life Between Lives Hypnotist by NATH and am now a certified practitioner and instructor for TNI (the Newton Institute for Life Between Lives Hypnotherapy).
Q. Will my insurance pay for hypnosis?
A. I suggest you think of my services as something you want to pay for personally. That will both protect your privacy and help you value the work you are doing even more. My experience has been that, in general, insurance companies tend to not cover alternative services even when the policy wording has specifically stated that they will. Fortunately hypnosis is much less expensive than nearly any other modality because it tends to produce satisfying and permanent results in a very short time.
Q. Do you offer workshops or classes?
A. I occasionally offer workshops and classes at Evergreen A Center for Balanced Living (formerly Evergreen Cove Holistic Learning Center) please check their calendar www.evergreeneaston.org), where I am an affiliate practitioner and teacher. My most popular offering for the general public has been a six-week class in Self-Hypnosis. For many years, I have taught this class in a number of different venues. Therefore, if Evergreen Center for Balanced Living is not currently offering the class, and you have an interested group, I will be happy to discuss the possibility of conducting this class at your location.
