'I'd hardly slept for 18 months': How two hours of hypnosis ended my insomnia nightmare

Here's an article on the use of hypnosis to treat insomnia, from the London Daily Mail.


My shopping basket had enough sleeping aids to tranquillise a hippopotamus. Kalms and Nytol tablets, alongside pillow mist - infused with soothing essential oils of geranium, rose and thyme - and candles labelled 'Relax' and 'Peace' to burn before bedtime.

The woman at the counter gave me a sympathetic smile but I was too exhausted to respond. I was desperate for a decent night's sleep.

My insomnia - a condition that affects nearly a third of Britons at some point - had such an innocuous beginning. A trivial argument with a friend in August 2006 had left me furious and unable to sleep as I replayed the conversation over and over in my head.

At 4am I crept into the lounge and put on the TV. Eventually the noise of the programmes drowned out the conversation going on in my head and I fell asleep.
That should have been the end of it, but it wasn't. For the next night, and every night after, the same thing happened. I'd go to bed at 11pm and find myself getting angry or upset at things that had gone on during the day. By 4am I'd be on the sofa, watching TV and drifting off.

Throughout 2007, I existed on three or four hours' sleep a night. I was moody, irritable and constantly close to tears.

I bought all sorts of miracle cures including homeopathic pills and tapes of soothing music. I had long baths, exercised more and cut down on alcohol, as experts advised. Nothing worked.

By January this year I was worse than ever. I dropped off to sleep quickly but woke between one and three in the morning. It was unbearable.

Even giving up my stressful job on a newspaper in May didn't help, and by July I was begging my GP for sleeping tablets. As he wrote a prescription for a powerful tranquilliser, I asked him about hypnotherapy - something I'd seen on the internet.
Hypnosis is a trance-like mental state induced by verbal suggestions that aim to get the patient into a state of deep relaxation. The suggestions can be made by a therapist or be self-induced.

Hypnosis is recognised by the British Medical Association and has been used successfully as a treatment for irritable bowel syndrome, as an alternative to chemical anaesthesia, and to treat skin conditions.

And many therapists claim to be able to treat insomnia.

So, would it help me? 'It works for some patients,' my GP said, shaking his head. 'But I wouldn't ... '

The tranquillisers did work and I enjoyed nights of blissful sleep. But as soon as I skipped a dose, the insomnia returned. I realised if my mind was stopping me sleeping, it was my mind that had to be treated.

So a few days later I was at Philip Batchelor's practice in Greenwich - the closest to my London home - agreeing to be put into a hypnotic trance.

The long-held popular view is that hypnosis is a form of unconsciousness and that the hypnotherapist is able to access all those thoughts and feelings that we are not aware of but affect our lives.

However, experts now believe hypnosis is a wakeful state in which the attention becomes focused, causing a diminished awareness of the surrounding environment and a heightened state of suggestibility.

Batchelor claims 80 per cent of his patients need between one and three sessions to help them sleep again. Of the rest, half need more than three sessions and the others don't respond.

'The effects are permanent,' he says. 'If clients do return because their sleep pattern has become disturbed once again, then it is normally because something new has happened to cause that.'

Personally, I was willing to try anything. Batchelor asked me to follow a crystal pendant he waved in front of my eyes. Next he asked me to lie down and his gentle voice calmed me.

As he coaxed me to breathe more deeply and told me to relax each part of my body in turn, I began to go into a trance. All I heard were odd phrases telling me how relaxed I was.

Then, from being in a blissful state where I was so relaxed that I could hardly move, the moment I heard Batchelor say 'In a minute, I'll bring you round', I was fully alert as he counted down from three.

A slightly dizzy, lightheaded feeling remained for about ten minutes after I sat up and I needed a big glass of water to quench my raging thirst.

After the hour- long session, which cost £65, I left with a CD to play at home to reinforce the treatment until my next visit five days later. Batchelor warned that I might need two or three sessions.

The night after the second session I woke up - but at 7am with sunlight pouring through the curtains. I felt elated. It's a fluke, I thought, until the same thing happened the next night, and every night after that.

Whether you can receive hypnotherapy on the NHS depends on your local Primary Care Trust. Chelmsford GP Les Brann prescribes it for his patients but he warns it won't work for everyone.

'With naturally short sleepers, no amount of therapy is going to make any difference,' he says. 'And waking early in the morning is often a sign of depression, so the GP would need to ensure there wasn't an underlying reason such as that.

'The people I would refer are those who normally sleep well but are going through a bad spell for a reason such as a bereavement or divorce.'

Four months on and I am still sleeping well. Insomnia was ruining my working life and relationships but now I feel able to cope with the stresses of everyday life. I am calmer, happier and just annoyed that the cynic in me stopped me going to hypnotherapy sooner.

Oh, and I've thrown out all those herbal remedies.



If you're interested in trying hypnosis yourself and you're located in the Los Angeles area, visit Gregory Stacy's website at http://www.hypnotistlosangeles.com/ and make an appointment for a free consultation to answer any of your questions.

More People Try Hypnosis to handle Economic Stress

Here's a story from Texas' The33News about people turning to hypnosis to help them through the current economic troubles.

More people are choosing the soothing sounds of a hypnotist's voice to block out the dire din of Wall street news.

"In the last month or so, I began getting calls from people having anxiety. Anxiety and stress or anxiety and depression," Hypnotist Phillip Dickerson said.

He uses hypnosis to convince clients to focus their thoughts on the positive things in their life to regain control.The TV news business is pretty stressful, so I let him try his craft on a cynical reporter.

I remember a voice saying, "lifting, lifting, lifting.... down deeper, deeper, you're doing very well."
It was relaxing, but I'm going to need a few more sessions.

We talked to workers about how they are dealing with economic stress in the workplace.

"You can't just forget about it, it's definitely constantly on everybody's mind, the future is unpredictable, yeah, I can say it is definitely a factor," said commuter Bobby Bond.

Melissa Martin uses exercise to deal with stress, "yeah, I play a lot of tennis," she said. "So I think that helps a lot with my stress level."

Howard Daniels said he copes by, "giving myself positive thoughts, just block it out of your mind, think of nice things, just be thankful for what you got already."

That is exactly the same advice Dallas Hypnotherapist Shawn Mash gives to his clients.

"What is hypnosis? Hypnosis is the science of the effect of suggestion," he said.

Mash can hypnotize clients in six minutes. Then he plants post-hypnotic suggestions.

"Anybody who has ever worried or become anxious, suddenly they feel trapped, because they can't get out of that loop. And what I do, I break the loop," he said.


If you're interested in trying hypnosis yourself and you're located in the Los Angeles area, visit Gregory Stacy's website at www.hypnotistlosangeles.com and make an appointment for a free consultation to answer any of your questions.

Hypnosis FAQ

Here is a very good general Q&A about hypnosis taken from Hypnobabies: Hypnosis for Pregnancy and Childbirth.

What is hypnosis?

Hypnos means sleep. However, it is not sleep but an altered state of consciousness in which you are extremely relaxed, mentally alert, focused and receptive to life-changing suggestions.

Are there different types of hypnosis?

No. Hypnosis is hypnosis. You may have seen what is dubbed as stage hypnosis where an individual is made to perform silly or fun entertainment. Some of this is faked.

How does hypnosis work?

During hypnosis, the conscious mind is given a rest and temporarily suspended. The subconscious, which never sleeps, is highly aware and takes over. Positive suggestions are given directly to the subconscious mind and are more acceptable because the usual critical analysis of information is bypassed.

What is the purpose of using hypnosis?

To eliminate pain, reprogram thought patterns and help a person heal his own body. People have used hypnosis to stop smoking, overcome fears, manage stress and rid their body of disease. It is sometimes used to explore the past and access a spiritual life.

What will I experience during hypnosis?

Thought processes will slow down. Your body will begin to relax. Your thoughts may wander, drift, and your body may feel as if it is floating. Deep relaxation sets in, but your subconscious mind will continue to be very focused, and open to positive suggestions.

What is visualization and guided imagery?

Life experiences cause images to be stored in the mind. Imagination creates images in your mind from something remembered. When a hypnotist suggests that you "see," "imagine," "observe" or "notice" situations during hypnosis, your subconscious mind does exactly that using images previously stored in your memories.

Is music necessary during hypnosis?

No, but the human brain is an amazing thing. And it can mimic the vibration of sound it hears. The music that hypnotherapists use during hypnosis sessions is designed to take the brain from beta wave (the awake state) through alpha wave (a state of increased relaxation and creativity) into theta wave (doorway to sleep and where the subconscious mind is receptive to suggestions).

Who can be hypnotized?

With the exception of severe mental limitations, anyone who wants to be hypnotized can be hypnotized. If a person finds himself unable to be hypnotized, it is because he fears losing control and choosing not to follow directions.

Will I remember what happens in hypnosis?

Yes, you will remember everything you want to remember.

Can I get stuck in hypnosis?

No. It is impossible to remain in the state of hypnosis.

Will I do something to embarrass myself?

In hypnosis, a person cannot be made to do anything he doesn't want to do.

Why choose hypnosis?

You are able to access parts of your mind that are normally unavailable during the conscious state. Hypnosis is a tool you can learn to use to promote wellness.

If you're interested in trying hypnosis yourself and you're located in the Los Angeles area, visit Gregory Stacy's website at www.hypnotistlosangeles.com and make an appointment for a free consultation to answer any of your questions.

Hypnosis Might Help Hot Flashes

Here's an interesting article from healthnews.com about using hypnosis to treat hot flashes.

Stare into my eyes and breathe deeply, when I whistle you will act like a chicken and when I clap my hands you will be back to normal. Hypnosis—to the general public—seems to be nothing more than an entertaining, off-the-strip Las Vegas act for a few bills in the hat that’s passed around. In ancient ayurvedic medicine or Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) however, hypnosis is much more than a sidewalk act. Hypnosis is a trance-like state of focused attention in which the subject isn’t unconscious, just concentrating on a deep mental image that takes them out of their present awareness. Usually done using a pattern of organized verbal suggestions, hypnosis is a way to invite a person to relax without using drugs.

The practice of hypnosis can alter your experiences and bring changes in emotions or behaviors and can also alter the state of your body. Hypnosis has long been used to treat irritable bowel syndrome as well as skin conditions and is sometimes used instead of traditional anesthesia.

With breast cancer being the second most common cancer in the world following tobacco’s favorite lung cancer, studies are constantly being done to ease the pain following chemotherapy and the after effects of hormone therapy in order to enhance the quality of life for breast cancer survivors. With amost three-fourths of breast cancer survivors experiencing hot flashes, they are a major side effect during and following various cancer treatments and can be disruptive enough to ruin or challenge normal everyday activities. Hot flashes are caused by decreasing estrogen levels within a woman’s body which make the internal thermometer confused. When the body goes through a “hot flash” the heart rate shoots up and she starts sweating, then you get weak followed by the chills. Hot flashes are known to cause frustration in menopausal women’s lives by messing with their hormones and shocking the system from hot to cold throwing the mind on an emotional rollercoaster. A lot of times hot flashes can cause sleeping problems. There have been other suggested treatments for hot flashes but a new study looks to alternative methods to cool women down.

In a study done at Baylor University, 26 survivors were given hypnotic relaxation over five weeks versus 25 breast cancer survivors who did not go under hypnosis treatment. All of the volunteers before the study had breast cancer, did not have any sign of the disease at the start of the trial, and were reported to have up to fourteen hot flashes per day over a month. Each hypnosis session lasted for almost an hour, five times a week, focusing on coolness and relaxation and after each session the women were encouraged to continue to use visual relaxation techniques at home on their own.

Funded by the National Cancer Institute and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and published in The Journal of Clinical Oncology, the study showed primarily positive results. The women who received hypnosis had a 68 percent decrease of hot flashes (around 4 fewer hot flashes per day), a main symptom of menopause.

Baylor’s professor of psychology and neuroscience, Gary Elkins reported the findings that anxiety, insomnia, and depression were also diminshed in the study and these reports are significant because hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is not highly recommended to breast cancer survivors because of the greater risk for new tumor growth. Baylor University isn’t done conducting it’s investigation into easing hot flashes. The National Institutes of Health has given the school a $2.6 million grant in approval of a five year trial involving 180 women, half of which started menopause biologically and are going through hot flashes.

The study only lasted five weeks, but the hypnosis group proved to be less anxious, more positive, and with an improved sleeping pattern, they seemed to have a better time living through their hot flashes instead of under their control. With the positive outcome of this study, researchers approved the use of hypnosis as an effective alternative treatment for breast cancer survivors—and menopausal women—so if you’re experiencing hot flashes, it’s your turn to close the windows and tune into your internal visual therapy methods to cool you down.

If you're interested in trying hypnosis yourself and you're located in the Los Angeles area, visit Gregory Stacy's website at www.hypnotistlosangeles.com and make an appointment for a free consultation to answer any of your questions.

"There is nothing to fear but fear itself... or is there?"

Here's an interesting article from www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk about using hypnosis to treat phobias.

SOME of us are scared of spiders, others faint at the sight of carrots – but what exactly are phobias, and what can we do to cure them? Jemma Walton found out.

FOR as long as she can remember, Julie Fisher suffered from a phobia of earwigs. If she saw one she would start to sweat and shake, and she really didn't know why.

It wasn't until she started to train as a hypnotherapist that she realised why she had such an aversion to them – and what she could do to get rid of her phobia.

Phobias normally stem from a traumatic experience you had under the age of 12," she said.

"You may have been exposed to something that really upset you – such as a spider in your bed – and your subconscious will file that away.

"From then on, whenever you encounter what upset you, your subconscious will tell you to act in the way you acted the time you had that bad experience.

And so when you see a spider, or even when you think you see a spider, your unconscious kicks in and makes you faint or sweat or whatever. And that will go on and on, and that is what a phobia is.

"For me, I remember playing in the garden when I was little, and suddenly I came across this earwig that turned on its back, and hundreds of tiny earwigs came out of it.

"That upset me at the time, and from then on, I hated earwigs."

But Julie came to think about her childhood experience, and was able to deal with her phobia using therapy. She now tries to help other people banish their phobias at Equilibrium Wellbeing Centre, on Shrewsbury Avenue, Woodston, Peterborough.

"You can have a phobia of anything," she said. "From insects through to social situations. I treated one woman who was scared of dangling things, and a man who just couldn't bring himself to speak in front of people.

"With a phobia the conscious part of your mind, the rational part, will often be telling you to stop being silly. But the conscious mind only makes up 10 per cent of your mind.

"The other 90 per cent is your unconscious mind. That is much more powerful, and contains everything you have ever experienced. This is the part that remembers the bad experiences and creates phobias.

"What we do is train your subconscious to react differently to the thing that you have a phobia about, so that eventually you don't feel the phobia any more, you don't have the physical symptoms."

Julie treats phobias in a number of ways, including hypnotherapy. One is through the "magic cinema'' technique, where she will talk through a person's reaction to their phobia with them, and ask them to look at themselves fainting or screaming and sweating, as an outsider.

They will then learn to analyse the problem, and gradually reprogramme their subconscious to react differently to their phobia.

"Every phobia can be dealt with, using a mix of psychotherapy and hypnotherapy – some can be dealt with in one session, but most people will need around three. "We don't choose our phobias, they choose us, but they can be helped."

If you're interested in trying hypnosis yourself and you're located in the Los Angeles area, visit Gregory Stacy's website at www.hypnotistlosangeles.com and make an appointment for a free consultation to answer any of your questions.

Hypnotism seems to help hot flashes

Here's an article from SouthBendTribune.com about the use of hypnosis to treat the hot flashes experienced by women who’ve had breast cancer.

A study randomly assigned 60 breast cancer survivors who had an average of eight hot flashes a day to be given weekly hypnosis or to receive no treatment while on a waiting list for hypnosis.

Hypnotism sessions of 50 minutes each included suggestions for relaxation and coolness. Women also were encouraged to use imagery and positive suggestions during self-hypnosis at home.


After five weeks, based on a standardized scale incorporating severity and frequency of hot flashes, scores dropped by an average of 68 percent among women who’d been hypnotized, whereas the others experienced little or no change in hot flashes. The hypnosis group also reported less anxiety, better sleep and improved ability to function day to day, compared with the others.



If you're interested in trying hypnosis yourself and you're located in the Los Angeles area, visit Gregory Stacy's website at www.hypnotistlosangeles.com and make an appointment for a free consultation to answer any of your questions.

Hypnotherapy as a Treatment for Depression

Here's an article from a 2007 issue of International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis examining the use of hypnosis as a treatment for depression.

Depression is not to be taken lightly. Depression is often defined as being “down” for more than two weeks and when symptoms begin to interfere with your life. Symptoms of depression vary for people. People with depression almost always report being down and also having a lack of interest in activities they once enjoyed. Other symptoms include:

* Feelings of worthlessness

* Feelings of hopelessness

* Poor memory

* Insomnia

* Fatigue

* Guilt

It is important for those suffering from depression to seek help, because there are many forms of treatment available including therapy, medication, and hypnosis.

Last year (2007) a study was published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. The study investigated the efficacy of cognitive therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy in relation to treating depression. The study consisted of 84 participants who had been diagnosed with depression. They were randomly put into either the hypnosis group or the therapy group. All participants received 16 weeks of treatment.

Before the treatment began, the patients completed three tests: Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Beck Hopelessness Scale. These three tests determine the severity of the symptoms experienced by the participants and provided a baseline comparison.

Results of the study showed that both groups greatly improved their scores and thus greatly decreased their symptoms of depression. However, the group that received hypnotherapy received a 6% reduction in depression, 5% reduction in anxiety, and 8% reduction in hopelessness compared to the cognitive-behavioral therapy group. The results of this study were maintained during the six month and one year follow-ups.

What is so important about this study is that it “represents the first controlled comparison of hypnotherapy with a well-established psychotherapy for depression, meeting the APA criteria for a ‘probably efficacious’ treatment for depression.” The fact that this is the first quality study performed using hypnotherapy to treat depression also means that more should be done to realize the full benefits that hypnosis can have on people suffering from depression.


If you're interested in trying hypnosis yourself and you're located in the Los Angeles area, visit Gregory Stacy's website at www.hypnotistlosangeles.com and make an appointment for a free consultation to answer any of your questions.