what is hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy, also known as hypnosis, is a form of psychotherapy that uses hypnosis to help treat a health concern, symptoms, or behavior. It is a state of deep relaxation and focused concentration that allows you to be more open to suggestions to making healthful changes in your perceptions, sensations, emotions, memories, thoughts, or behaviors. During hypnotherapy, a trained and certified hypnotist or hypnotherapist guides you into this deep state of focus and relaxation with verbal cues, repetition, and imagery. Hypnosis usually is done with the guidance of a health care provider using verbal repetition and mental images. Although youre more open to suggestion during hypnosis, you dont lose control over your behavior during a hypnosis session. Hypnosis can be an effective way to cope with stress and anxiety, pain control, and to gain control over behaviors youd like to change. Hypnotherapy is recognized by the scientific community as an effective healing tool, although how it works is still something of a mystery.