The major difference between these states and hypnosis is that in the therapeutic practice of hypnotism (or hypnotherapy) it is intentionally induced for the purpose of effecting positive behavioral or attitudinal change. Hypnosis is not only not a state of unconsciousness, it is a state of highly focused consciousness. Through the use of suggestion and the cooperation between the hypnotist or hypnotherapist and client, the subject first enters into a state of profound physical relaxation and then into a relaxation of the mind that is at the same time highly focused. This combination of physical relaxation and relaxed mental focus creates a state of optimum suggestibility which makes the therapeutic usefulness of hypnosis possible. The uses of hypnotherapy include weight-loss and weight management, smoking cessation, improved motivation and self-esteem, improved creativity through the unblocking of creative potential, stress reduction and stress management, control of anxieties and phobias such as public speaking, stage fright, test anxiety and any type of anxiety or phobia including anxieties which cause insomnia or interfere with sleep, memory enhancement, enhanced sports performance and performance enhancement of all kinds. Hypnotherapy can, for example, help optimize performance and control anxieties relating to one's job, testing as well as preparation for tests and exams. Performance anxiety is in general helped by hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy can also help to alleviate fears and anxieties concerning surgical, dental, and medical examinations or procedures, including childbirth. Help in controling addictions is another useful application of hypnosis. And there are many other applications as well. Regardless of the application, hypnotherapy is a poweful tool to help a person achieve his or her personal best. In a word, hypnosis can unleash a person's positive potential when, as is often the case, it has been held back by self-limiting fears, restrictions and negative habit formations.

Each of us has a lifetime of memories and habits that we are not conscious of. Life would be impossible if we had to constantly relearn all our habits. Imagine having to relearn the habits of safe driving each time we get into a car, or even the habits of walking, speaking, etc. Nature has protected us from unlearning the vast knowledge retained by the subconscious through what has been called the "critical faculty" or "critical editor". Old habits and behaviors are not easily changed. The problem is, of course, that not all habits are good. Along with habits of good driving and good speech, or good dispositions such as calmness in moments of difficulty or crisis, there are the reverse bad habits and dispositions. Then there are the habits of overeating, poor eating, and smoking. And cigarette and tobacco smokers who make the wise choice to quit smoking have habits based on both behavioral (or pyschological) as well as physical (or chemical) factors. There are irrational fears of crowds or speaking before groups to name only two. There are the array of anxieties in response to different types of stressful situations such as those relating to your business or job, nervousness about taking tests or examinations of all sorts. We may tell ourselves over and over again to relax, that our fears are irrational, that we should quit smoking or stop eating so much, etc. and yet to our dismay and discouragement our minds just don't want to listen and, alas, we remain a smoker and/or overeater. Our critical faculty is standing in the way. Our critical faculty is protecting the status quo: the state of affairs in our subconscious mind that maintains the constancy of our daily lives. In order to best realize our highest potential we need to move beyond the status quo and hypnotherapy can help us do that.

Hypnotherapy can bring the conscious and subconscious minds into harmonious balance. However, the subconscious will reject hypnotic suggestions that conflict with a person's values and beliefs, and when these beliefs are in a state of general disharmony indirect and subtle conflicts can interfere with hypnotherapy. As a philosophical practitioner and certified hypnotherapist, I offer sessions in practical philosophy or philosophical counseling either separately or synergistically combined with hypnotherapy. Philosophical disciplines ranging from Taoism to existentialism to pragmatism are used with the goal of achieving clarity and harmony of mind. Philosophical counseling is also complementary for clients interested in exploring past life regression. Regardless of whether the client believes that "past lives" remembered under hypnosis are real memories or are only imaginary, the real significance of the issues and patterns that are uncovered for life in the here and now is undeniable. The utilization of philosophical counseling to clarify and understand the broader implications of these issues enhances the significance of this work.

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