The experience of hypnosis can be quite subjective, there is no set rule as to what it feels like to be hypnotised.

Most people, however, describe hypnosis as a deeply relaxed and yet alert state. It is often comparable with that state each of us experiences every night in bed, the period between complete wakefulness and being fully asleep, where the lines between the conscious and subconscious can become a little blurred - but just as you would wake up from that state if you felt the need (like, if you heard a fire alarm and had to get up), you can easily leave hypnosis if you feel you want to.

A person in hypnosis is more likely to accept positive suggestions and is more able to gain control of visualisations and more likely to uncover old memories than a person in normal wakefulness. This is how hypnosis becomes useful as a tool for therapy. You remain in this state while the therapeutic part of the session takes place - be it visualisations, suggestion work or analysis.

For more information, see Roy Hunter's extremely comprehensive Hypnosis FAQ.

Keeping it simple, standard hypnotherapy 'puts stuff in' and hypnoanalysis 'takes stuff out.'

There is often a blurring of the lines and the two can go hand-in-hand; some level of analytical exploration is needed to decide on the style and content of suggestion used in a course of hypnotherapy, and likewise a course of hypnoanalysis incorporates elements of and is usually ended with a session of standard hypnotherapy.

Some people describe themselves as 'too clever' or 'too stubborn' or as having a mind that is 'too active,' and that therefore they cannot be hypnotised. Comments such as these can come from a number of places - a misunderstanding of what hypnosis is, an irrational fear of hypnosis, a resistance to therapy and to change, etc.

The fact is, almost everyone is capable of achieving at least a light state of hypnosis.

Entering hypnosis is a choice. It is easy to resist going into hypnosis - if you simply choose not to then nobody can 'make you.'

So if you are not able to be hypnotised, it is most likely because you have, at some level, decided you do not want to.

In these cases, the hypnotherapist can work consciously to help resolve any concerns you have regarding entering hypnosis. If after this time you are still unable (or perhaps more accurately, 'unwilling') to enter hypnosis, then it may be that the hypnotherapist you have chosen is not a good match for you and you would do better to find another with whom you feel more at ease. Or you may decide that hypnotherapy is not for you and to seek a resolution of your issues via another mode of therapy.

No. You cannot be made to do anything against your will.

There is an axiom among hypnotists, that "all hypnosis is self-hypnosis." The choice is always yours to enter or leave the hypnotic state.

Hollywood has done a lot to scare most people away from hypnosis. The truth is, it's more like meditation than magic.

If you want to enter hypnosis, you make the choice and do so. And if you want to leave hypnosis, you can do so at any time of your own volition. You remain quite aware of what is being said to you while 'under' and if you don't like what's going on, you can stop everything and leave the hypnotic state very easily.

The word 'hypnosis' comes from the Greek 'hypnos' which means 'sleep,' but this is something of a misnomer. You do not really fall asleep in hypnosis, so there is no need to fear falling asleep forever.

Sometimes it is possible to drift from hypnosis into sleep (though usually what happens is that you rise from the hypnotic state and then fall into sleep, all without opening your eyes so that the transition appears seamless). The most that will happen then is that you will wake as you always do after sleeping.

Someone in a very deep state of hypnosis can often be difficult to rouse, not because they are trapped in that state but simply because it is so relaxing and peaceful that they do not wish to come out. Qualified hypnotists have techniques to bring clients out of even the deepest of hypnotic states. But even if left on their own, the hypnotised person would, in their own time, return to full waking awareness - most likely because of the need to use the bathroom or to eat.

Zanshin Centre abides by privacy laws with regards to the handling of personal health information, and in addition hypnotherapy sessions are all carried out following the Codes of Conduct of both the Australian Clinical Hypnotherapists Association and the Australian Association of Clinical Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy.

For a full list of prices and session lengths, please follow this link.

Zanshin Centre understands many people experience financial difficulties. If you are interested in our services but think you cannot afford them, please call to discuss your situation and we may be able to offer concessions based on your individual circumstances.

If we cannot find a mutually agreeable solution, we can happily provide you with contact details for other organisations offering low-cost psychotherapeutic care.

The overall duration depends on the presenting condition and the mode of therapy selected. It can also vary depending on your individual progress.

The goal of hypnosis-based therapies is not to keep you in therapy for an indefinite time, but to help resolve your problem and let you move on with life.

Standard hypnotherapy can last from 1 to 4 sessions, not including the free initial consultation.

Hypnoanalysis can take anything from 2 to 10 sessions, but is never continued beyond 15 sessions. Again, the initial consultation is not included in this figure.

Some conditions may require medical attention and possible surgery or medication, or the supervision of a more specialised therapeutic practitioner. Hypnotherapists are not qualified to make medical diagnoses, and for a number of conditions potential clients will be required to seek assessment and approval from their GP before any therapeutic sessions can commence.

For some mental conditions, such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, a medically qualified specialist may be necessary. In these cases, your GP should be your first point of call for information. Your doctor can make an assessment and then refer you to a psychiatrist who might be able to provide the assistance you require in taking a handle on your situation.

Zanshin Centre is a growing and changing centre, with new practitioners coming on board all the time. If hypnotherapy is not to your liking, there may be other modes of treatment you would like to try, such as acupuncture or massage, to help with your issue.

If other modalities at Zanshin Centre cannot meet your needs, we will happily share any information we have available to assist you in finding suitable treatment elsewhere in Melbourne.