In this fast-paced world where stress and burnout often lurk, a groundbreaking solution is quietly making waves — hypnotherapy for corporate wellbeing. As companies strive to prioritise the mental and emotional health of their employees, this age-old practice is emerging as a powerful tool to foster resilience, enhance productivity, and create a harmonious work-life balance. Sonia Samtani tells #legend all about the art and science of hypnotherapy
By delving into the depths of the subconscious mind, hypnotherapy offers a unique and effective approach to address workplace challenges, bringing about profound transformations and unlocking the untapped potential of individuals within the corporate realm.
What is hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy is a treatment that helps you access the unconscious mind and make positive changes in your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. A hypnotic state is one of focused concentration in which you are neither fully awake nor fully asleep, and can therefore, be influenced with less mental resistance.
The purpose of this type of therapy is to experience a sense of detachment to the “chatter” of your mind, especially the prefrontal cortex which can often feel like the “toddler” of the brain – erratic, demanding, chaotic, noisy. The prefrontal cortex is the “voice” we hear as we go about our day. Some familiar examples include to-do lists, musings on our actions, judgements on ourselves and others, resentments, cravings, re-running old conversations, imagining future scenarios and so on.
Why is hypnotherapy useful in the workplace?
Lots of corporates (as groups) or individuals in senior roles have turned to hypnotherapy for three major reasons. First, to create acceptance with the decisions they have made (often tough ones that bring a sense of shame and guilt). Second, to resolve the insomnia and sleep issues that can come from a stressful job. Third, to create a sense of separation from the leader and the team so that they can act as a leader, and create stability, security and growth, instead of being entrenched in the team and their emotions.
“I started hypnotherapy journey for challenges in my personal life but as I unveil layer by layer my belief system and get to the core of who I truly am, the deep understanding of my life purpose empowered an amazing shift in my career path. Changes and breakthroughs also became natural as everyday I’m creating rather than doing a job or finishing a day. Thanks to hypnotherapy, everyday is now inspiring, effective and empowering as synchronicity also leads to incredible business outcomes. It enabled me in seeing new possibilities and stepping into the unknown with trust and power instead of anxiety and stress which is necessary for winning in the modern business world.”
Where do our thoughts come from?
The daily internal monologue we experience doesn’t come from our subconscious, but it is influenced by it. Think of the subconscious as the blueprint from which we make decisions and the lens through which we see ourselves and the world. The conscious mind is driven by instant desires, pressures, physical needs and external factors. The subconscious steers us from a place of our core emotional and psychological being – be that security, fear, ego and all the things in-between. Your subconscious can operate from a place of judgement, both good and bad and this in turn influences our emotions and behaviours.
So, what’s the point of “hypno”?
Hypnotherapy or “hypno” is a technique that helps you get out of your own way to achieve the things you want. It’s a form of therapy that is rooted in psychology and psychotherapy and has become popular among high achievers, those engaged in corporate wellness programmes, and anyone looking to break old patterns and move forward.
When your conscious mind is quietened in a state of hypnosis, the subconscious can be accessed and you can focus on your deepest core beliefs. This is a natural state of consciousness in which your logical and analytical faculties are reduced sufficiently, allowing the deeper levels of your subconscious mind to be accessed for healing and growth.
What does hypnotherapy feel like?
Hypnotherapy induces a trance-like state to help a person achieve a heightened state of relaxation and focus, where they can release blockages and access their inner resources. In this state, you bypass the judgment of your critical filter and the barriers of your defence mechanisms. As a result, you are more open to suggestions, and you can access “files” of your subconscious mind where your belief systems are stored, and make adjustments in alignment with your desired changes. It means letting go of limiting beliefs, trauma, and breaking unhelpful patterns that might be holding you back, professionally and personally.
How does it work?
A therapist will guide you into an altered state of consciousness, take you through processes to release your suppressed emotions and change the way you have perceived your experiences so that you are more at peace and can create more empowering belief systems. A therapist typically uses visualisations, suggestions, imagery, and breathing to make the necessary changes. When a person is in a hypnotic state, their eyes are closed, their eyeballs roll back, they breathe deeply, and their brainwaves change from beta to alpha, to theta. It is in this theta wave state that the therapy element of hypnotherapy takes place. Your therapist will walk you through scenarios and together, shape your views, release judgement, and achieve acceptance.
Also see: Manifesting love, luxury, and prosperity in 2024
Eat a live chicken, anyone? What hypnotherapy is not
One of the biggest misconceptions with hypnotherapy is that it is mind-control, and that you are bestowing all your power to a therapist who can “make” you say or do things beyond your control. This could not be further from the truth. Hypnotherapy works the same way as meditation. The therapist guides you to focus intently on something, which induces a trance-like state, the body relaxes and you feel like you are in a day-dream. Your conscious mind is aware of what is happening, while the therapist makes guided suggestions to take you to the root of your issues to help you achieve your therapeutic goals.
In the hypnotic state, your brainwaves turn to theta, your defenses are down (in a good way), and you are more susceptible to suggestions that in your conscious state you may brush-off. The person undergoing hypnotherapy remains in complete control throughout the process.
What can you get out of hypnotherapy?
Your hypno experience will be as unique as your mind, as will the outcomes. Some of the most common reasons for having hypnotherapy include: confidence issues, addiction, childhood and adult trauma. It is also rising in popularity among high achievers as a way to “unlock” their true potential by moving past limiting beliefs.
Photos: Stock images
