Hypnossage ….an alternative ingredient to your wellness recipe by: Gwendolen Williams
What if your conscious mind, the part of the mind that analyzes the world around you could take a deep relaxing breath, pause, and step aside, to allow the subconscious mind to be an active participant? Your subconscious mind is where all memories, knowledge, feelings, creativity, and experiences are stored. Imagine if your conscious and subconscious mind could have a powerful conversation, unite, and form a greater sense of awareness and acceptance; or what is called mindfulness. Envision what life might be like if you could naturally focus your attention inward and solve problems creatively. Perhaps all that is missing is a new ingredient to combine with your self-care recipe of wellness.
Consider how combining the modalities of therapeutic massage with hypnotherapy could help you enter a deeper state of relaxation, where healing could take place that you had not thought possible. How empowering would it be to reprocess or reassociate filed memories into a new folder that no longer has the same impact on your life they once had. What if you could access a folder, where memories can be retrieved whenever you choose, or you could label them into a “do not disturb” folder in your mind for safekeeping to view later? Imagine viewing life through a new lens, in a safer, calmer, more positive, and compassionate way. It would be almost like you are viewing as a curious spectator. How transformative would that be?
What if you could reframe or reperceive, old, negative beliefs that are not serving you into powerful, confident beliefs? What if this process of reframing such beliefs promoted an overall sense of well-being and a better quality of life? Imagine what possibilities could unfold before you.
Imagine combining innovative techniques to your self-care routine that integrates the body and mind collectively? With all the various healing modalities accessible, what more than to integrate treatments of therapeutic massage and hypnotherapy, or what is referred to as Hypnossage.
Benefits of massage
Massage has numerous benefits for the mind and the body.
Some of which include:
- Enhancing tissue elasticity and slowing down the process of aging.
- Increasing circulation blood flow, lymph, and energy.
- Improving the immune system.
- Speeding up the recovery process from an injury.
- Relieving muscle tension, headaches, and pain.
- Relaxing and easing tired, sore, stiff muscles.
- Improving joint mobility.
- Boosting general relaxation.
- Diminishing stress and anxiety.
What can hypnotherapy treat
Because hypnotherapy induces a heightened state of awareness, a deep level of relaxation, and an increase in focus, it has been shown to effectively treat weight reduction, grief, pain reduction and regulation, stress regulation, smoking cessation, ease anxiety, and depression, eliminate fears and phobias, improve confidence, motivation, self-esteem, and body image, improve concentration, memory, and productivity, and enhance athletic performance. Clients report being able to achieve more goals and overcome more obstacles after receiving hypnotherapy.
Hypnossage is like taking a vacation of the mind
Clients have reported a deep sense of inner peace and have gained more insight and resolution in their lives. They became more mindful of their bodies, more in tune with their feelings, and made new, healthy connections with what their bodies had been storing in the form of tightness or tension. As Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D. states in his New York Time Bestseller, “the body keeps the score”.
A client came in for a hypnossage because she was struggling to feel motivated and find time to exercise. She felt guilty for putting herself first and lacked confidence in her body image. She felt discouraged and uncertain about moving forward in her career. After experiencing three hypnossage sessions, she noticed a transformation. Her concept of exercising shifted in a more positive light. New associations took place related to her self-esteem, as well as her willingness to prioritize food and exercise into her routine. She even incorporated this lifestyle change with her kids. She began to enjoy meal prepping and planning workouts. Her time management and productivity improved. She felt less guilty about taking care of herself and reframed her mindset to a more positive association of self-care. She noticed improvements in her physical energy, confidence, body image, and felt more determined to persevere in her career.
Releasing the armor
Hypnossage helps to “release, remove, and resolve blocks and barriers”. Sometimes we are unaware that our bodies are storing various memories, traumas, and stress, which may be a coping skill for protection. Sometimes we have lost touch with how to connect our emotions and our physical sensations, and have challenges putting them into words. It is almost like there is a disconnect or the signal from the brain to the body does not go off. Therapeutic massage and hypnotherapy help to reconnect and to bring this mindfulness to the forefront, which helps to transform and heal the person inside and out.
Another client was struggling with self-sabotage, unhealthy relationships, fear of judgment, rejection, vulnerability, and being assertive. After experiencing several hypnossage sessions, she experienced a major shift and became more confident, assertive, willing to be vulnerable and to open their heart, and acknowledged their self-worth.
Hypnossage enhances the mind-body connection
Mindfulness exercises such as breathing techniques, visualization, positive affirmations, and applying pressure points may be utilized in the session. The practitioner can teach clients these healthy tools to access from their tool belt for regulating their emotions, managing stress, and living life more fully.
A third client experienced challenges related to grief, anxiety, confidence, and trauma. It was affecting his ability to focus, remember, manage stress, communicate effectively, feel calm, motivated, happy, and see his true potential. After receiving several hypnossage sessions, he felt supported, calm, present, grounded, and less overwhelmed. He acknowledged he did the best he could with the resources he had. He became more hopeful, forgiving, trusting, better able to cope, and inspired to achieve his goals. He felt as if “a block had been released that held him back from happiness.” He felt relieved and began to find more meaning and purpose in his life.
What to expect in a hypnossage session
Hypnossage helps you access a deeper level of relaxation and understanding unattainable when solely receiving massage or hypnotherapy sessions. Since massage is a physically altered state of consciousness and hypnotherapy is both a physical and psychological altered state of consciousness, imagine the advantages of incorporating the two modalities, and how magnified the positive effects are.
When a client comes into my office for a hypnossage session, usually the hypnotherapy portion is provided first followed by the massage portion. The client has the choice to receive their massage first and hypnotherapy directly after, however, I have observed it to be more beneficial and easier for the client to concentrate by receiving hypnotherapy first, then going into an even deeper state of relaxation by receiving the massage immediately after. It is a personal preference and can be tailored to the client’s needs.
A client is in a deep state of relaxation and heightened concentration with hypnotherapy, which is why I find it ideal to divide the massage and hypnotherapy treatments into sections and not touch the client until the hypnotherapy session is complete. Touching them has the potential to startle them if they are not prepared and the goal is to keep them feeling relaxed, focused, and safe. This is not to say that some practitioners do not incorporate massage and hypnotherapy simultaneously. I have discovered recent articles where the practitioner combines both modalities and found them to be effective.
The estimated amount of time for the hypnossage session is 2-2.5 hours. The hypnotherapy portion is about an hour, which consists of discussing the client’s goals and receiving their feedback for part of the time, and the other half of the session they are in hypnosis. The massage portion ranges from 1-2 hours; however, most of my clients receive a 1.5-hour massage combined with their 1-hour hypnotherapy session.
What is so transformative about receiving a massage after the hypnotherapy session is that clients can choose to drift into a deeper state of relaxation while remaining quiet and in their zone, or they may wish to share their hypnotherapy experience during the massage. Whichever they decide, many benefits are still taking place.
The healing conversation of hypnossage…a massage of the mind
Blending therapeutic massage and hypnotherapy into one session is such a profound, restorative experience. Imagine if you could write a revised version of “your story” to help shift your perception of the world around you. Consider viewing life through a fresh, clear, focused, lens filled with unlimited possibilities. Almost as if you are observing the story through someone else’s eyes, in a supportive, accepting, non-judgmental, compassionate, forgiving, and understanding way.
Imagine if you were provided with alternative ingredients to complement your wellness recipe. You still are responsible for baking the recipe; however, you now have all the tools, the knowledge, and the inner resources for you to access and apply whenever you need. Consider how many doors could open for you to achieve goals and overcome obstacles once you discover the missing piece to the puzzle.
https://basicmedicalkey.com/recognizing-and-integrating-hypnotic-trance-within-touch-therapy-work/
https://magazine.lneonline.com/hypnotherapy-massage/
https://hypnotc.com/hypnomassage-hypnotherapy-massage/
https://www.alchemyinstitute.com/using-guided-imagery-for-massage.html