Session FAQ

Not unless that's what you have specifically requested me to help you achieve! The barking like a dog/ clucking like a chicken thing are what define the differences between Hypnotherapy and Stage Hypnosis. Hypnotherapy and stage hypnosis are two distinct practices that utilize hypnosis but serve different purposes and employ different techniques. Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic modality aimed at addressing various psychological and emotional issues, including anxiety, phobias, smoking cessation, and weight management, among others. In hypnotherapy sessions, the individual works with a trained hypnotherapist to enter a state of focused attention, allowing them to explore and address subconscious patterns and beliefs contributing to their challenges. The focus is on promoting positive change and personal growth through guided imagery, suggestion, and cognitive restructuring techniques tailored to the individual's specific needs and goals. On the other hand, stage hypnosis is primarily entertainment-based and is performed in front of an audience for amusement and spectacle. In stage hypnosis shows, a hypnotist invites volunteers from the audience to participate in a series of entertaining demonstrations of suggestibility and altered states of consciousness. While participants may experience a trance-like state similar to that in hypnotherapy, the goals of stage hypnosis are purely recreational, often involving comedic or theatrical elements designed to entertain the audience. The volunteers who 'perform' in a stage hypnosis setting are also subconsciously consenting to participating in the experience as willing parties- no mind control or brainwashing is at play here. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis and if they wanted, they could stop at any point and exit the stage.

There is a variety of experiences when you are in hypnosis. It may feel like you are listening with eyes closed, feeling deeply relaxed and calm. You may feel sensations, like heaviness in your eyelids or your limbs. You may, at some point, feel so deeply relaxed that you think that you fell asleep…but it’s not sleep. You may be sitting there calmly, hearing everything I say, at other times, you may not be. You may feel lightness or heaviness. And your experience may vary from session to session. This is normal because hypnosis is not a feeling. It is a state of mind- one of focused attention.

Hypnosis is a state of focused attention. It is not sleep, and it is not relaxation, though relaxation can be a nice way to enter hypnosis for many. Hypnosis is a vehicle to help facilitate the change you want. My job, as your hypnotherapist, is to be your tour guide as you take responsibility and use the limitless resources of your subconscious mind to regain control of your choices.

Although I can give you some estimates based on our Discovery Call, I really don’t know until we start working together. Every client situation is unique. Some clients need less time, some need more. I have session options and packages I can suggest appropriately. I teach every client tools so you can be empowered to maintain control of your own life, both during our time together and once your goal is achieved. My promise to you is to deliver the most efficient process in the best use of your time. We will not be doing months and months of sessions at a stretch.

Hypnosis is not mind control. You are free to decide when you want to go into hypnosis, how long you stay there and when you want to emerge. Or if you want to at all. Hypnosis is a state of focused attention, and it is a naturally occuring state that you go in and out of several times a day already. Think of me as the tour guide of this experience. I can guide you, but you have complete control of whether you would like to be guided or not.

All hypnosis is self-hypnosis. I can't force you do go into hypnosis if you don't want to, in the same way, I can't control your mind or suggest something to you in hypnosis you didn't come to achieve. You don’t have to believe that hypnosis will work, but you DO have to want the change you seek. A good way to think about it is like you are the driver of the car and I am in the passenger seat. We know know your destination, and I can guide you, but you have to follow my guidance and also be responsible for steering the car to your destination. I have no magic wand, no silver bullet- you and I will be working as a team.

Let me preface this by saying that I am NOT a neuroscientist. But. I do nerd out on neuroscience and I like to stay abreast of the latest evidence based tools to use with my clients during hypnotherapy sessions. That said, as more and more incredible research and evidence coming out now about how and why hypnosis works as effectively as it does, I am going to be borrowing the words of Afik Faerman, Ph.D. a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University, to explain what is happening in the brain during hypnosis, as follows. Just so you know it's legit information, Afik’s research centers on identifying key neurocognitive mechanisms in clinical change, focusing on hypnosis, pain, and sleep. He completed his doctoral training in clinical psychology with an emphasis in neuropsychology, and his clinical training at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. His research was supported and acknowledged by the American Psychological Association, the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, and the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis. Enjoy this brilliant explanation he gives on brain activity in hypnosis but be warned that it the language is a little more technical. "In hypnosis, our brains shift the way they work and function differently from most of our everyday brain “states.” Hypnosis can look and feel different for different people, so brain activity in hypnosis could also look different across people. To understand how hypnosis works in the brain, we first need to understand what brain networks are. There are many networks in the brain, but three are particularly related to hypnosis: The Salience Network (SN) The SN is responsible for monitoring information the brain receives and deciding how important it is. Because of its crucial role in controlling attention, the SN participates in various behaviors and cognitive functions. The SN also allows us to be aware of our emotions, thoughts, and bodies. It is mainly represented by two brain regions, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the insula. The Executive Control Network (ECN) The ECN manages the more complex cognitive abilities, frequently referred to as “executive functions.” These functions involve problem-solving, reasoning, working memory (the ability to keep information available and “play” with it), and maintaining focused attention over time. To do that, the ECN uses several brain regions, with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) as one of its leading players. The Default Mode Network (DMN) The DMN (sometimes referred to as the “mind-wandering” network) is most active when our brains are not focusing on the here and now (for example, when we think about the past or the future, or reflect on ourselves). Because of that, the DMN is less active when the ECN and SN are engaged (when attention is directed to things that are happening in the moment). Several brain regions play a role in the DMN; most relevant to hypnosis are the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). The SN, being the “boss” of attention, helps the brain choose which network is more crucial at a given moment – the ECN (for example, when there is a problem to solve) or the DMN (when the brain thinks about things that are not happening in the moment). When something is bothering us, if we are overthinking or in pain, our ECN is probably more active (among other brain networks). Hypnosis is associated with shifts in the activity of the SN, changing the brain’s management of incoming information and its importance. In most hypnosis uses, the SN will reduce its activity as the brain reduces the constant monitoring and management of our self-awareness and information from the senses, allowing for more highly focused attention. The ECN will then start changing its activity as well, reflecting the type of change we are trying to facilitate using hypnosis. When using hypnosis, the ECN and DMN reduce their information sharing (they become less functionally connected). This change corresponds to dealing more with the here and now and less with unguided free-thinking in hypnosis. This is also why hypnosis is often referred to as involving focused attention (onto the hypnotic suggestions). Bottom Line Hypnosis is a skill your brain can use to help make changes in your behaviors, thoughts, and emotions safely and effectively. In hypnosis, you focus on promoting the change you want in your life as your brain activity changes. The way brain activity changes depends on what you are trying to change using hypnosis. In general, the brain decreases the monitoring and management of information coming from the senses (through the SN), reduces mind-wandering (through the DMN), and changes its reasoning and planning strategies to fit the hypnotic suggestions given during the hypnosis session (through the ECN)." And now... you know.

Short answer: yes. Throughout the entire COVID ordeal, my practice went 100% online and I still see clients internationally online. Here's why the hypnotic process is just as effective online as it is in-person. 1. During the hypnotic process, I'll be guiding you using artfully placed words and nuances, to systematically deliver the change you came for. Once the hypnosis begins, you close your eyes. So at that point, because your eyes are closed and you're listening to the me, it becomes the same process. 2. Even when I see clients face to face in my office, the change doesn't occur because of the room we're in. The change occurs in your head. So wherever you have your head, we can do the work. 3. There's a strength and beauty to working online and that is that we can actually affect the change in the environment where you want to experience the result. Through the power of technology, we can actually do the process in your own home/ office/ etc, and we can actually affect the change in the environment where you want to notice the result. 4. Convenience- no explanation needed for this one. If you are based locally in Singapore, then you can also choose hybrid sessions- we can start in-person and move online, or do a combination of online and in-person sessions.

You will not get stuck in hypnosis- it's not possible, and a myth. After a while, your mind would notice the silence, and would alert you to the situation. You will automatically emerge from hypnosis, at which point, we would simply reconnect and go right back to where we left off.

Yes it can be, as they are very accustomed to using and interacting with screens! However, my sessions with children, particularly those under 10 years old, are usually in-person. In some cases, I would consider online sessions with teenagers. Get in touch with me to talk through your specific needs. .

Do: - Find a spot that you won't be disturbed by anyone else (including children or pets) for the duration of the session. - Have a good strong wifi connection that supports video calls. - Set your device (computer or mobile phone) up to ensure that it can be stable and placed in a position where I can see you at least from chest up, with good natural or artificial lighting. - Find a seat (couch/ chair) that is comfortable for you for the session's duration. - Wear headphones during the hypnosis. - Keep your device plugged into a power source during the session if possible. - Before the session, visit the bathroom and then silence notifications on your device. Don't: - Lie on the bed for the session.