By Anthony Gitch
People have a wide selection of therapeutic approaches to solving a range of issues, hypnosis being one of the fastest in creating lasting results. Most people are unaware of the depth of hypnosis techniques and the fact that over time they have evolved into a variety or different modalities.
Note: there is no one size fits all approach to any challenge, issue, struggle, decision, or anything else in life. That means that hypnosis may not be a good fit for everything or everyone. Hypnosis is not a magic bullet! Hypnotists can only be considered guides or teachers and are not responsible for making the client change. When done correctly, the client recognizes that they did the work that created the change, and it is this sense of empowerment and recognition of their ability to take back control of their lives that drives them forward and compels them to continue down their new path.

There are modern and traditional techniques. You may associate hypnosis with stage performers or movies involving putting people into a trance.

Modern techniques however do not and are similar in that a direct line of communication is created with the subconscious part of the mind responsible for unhelpful thoughts, feelings, or behaviors. The work is completed without a formal induction process leaving the client consciously engaged but experiencing it from the perspective of an observer rather than an active participant. These techniques can work quickly and provide immediate and life long results for things like anxiety, imposter syndrome, smoking, anger, fears, phobias, and intrusive thoughts. These techniques represent the Gold Standard of modern hypnotic change work.

The more traditional approaches rely on the hypnotist's ability to select a pre-written script to address the issue. These approaches often take multiple sessions and can take up to a year or more for all changes to be fully realized. Most of these techniques include the client experiencing regression to cause, an abreaction (the expression and consequent release of a previouslyrepressed emotion) to find the ISE, or Initial Sensitizing Event, and then walking the client through a series of processes  for the subconscious to let go of the past and move into the present moment. Like the modern approaches the result is acceptance and the ability to move forward without the past coloring the future. The big difference is that modern approaches get results more quickly and without forcing the client to re-experience the trauma.

There are also hypnotic experiences that can provide information about the past, present, and future. 

Some practitioners and clients believe that their current negative life patterns are related to a wrong they committed in a past life and will attempt to fix the wrong by returning to the past and making amends, thereby releasing themselves and providing freedom to move forward. You may have heard of Past Life Regression to learn IF you had a past life and, IF so, what messages or learning are you able to take from the experience and apply to your life now. Past Life Regression Therapy is more complex and faceted.

There is "Life Between Lives" and "Soul Retrieval" work where the aim is to help the client reach beyond the mundane conscious awareness into the superconscious, collective consciousness, and ultimately the Akashic records to have a deeper understanding of themselves and their Sacred Contracts, or ultimate purpose and path. While keeping the client in hypnosis for up to three or four hours, the practitioner relies on Deep Trance states to establish an appropriate line of communication or conduit for exploration. These sessions always provide a profoundly spiritual experience for the client, and they never fail to amaze and inspire the hypnotist. There is also MindScaping, a kind of guided visualization which allows for a fantastic exploration of your subconscious landscaping and inner architecture through the creation of visual maps.

Anthony Gitch is a hypnotist with more than 30 years of change work experience. He has earned dozens of board certifications and won numerous awards for his work in the field. To get in touch and learn more please visit excelhypnosis.com or call  206.549.1108