About Hypnotherapy
Hypnosis, also referred to as hypnotherapy or hypnotic suggestion, is a trance-like state in which you have heightened focus and concentration. Hypnosis is usually done with the help of a therapist using verbal repetition and mental images. When you’re under hypnosis, you usually feel calm and relaxed, and are more open to suggestions.
Hypnosis can be used to help you gain control over undesired behaviors or to help you cope better with anxiety or pain. It’s important to know that although you’re more open to suggestion during hypnosis, you don’t lose control over your behavior.
Hypnotherapy can be an effective method for coping with stress and anxiety. In particular, hypnosis can reduce stress and anxiety before a medical procedure, such as a breast biopsy.
Hypnosis has been used for:
- Pain Control – Hypnosis may be beneficial for pain associated with cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, temporomandibular joint problems, dental procedures and headaches.
- Hot Flashes – Hypnosis may relieve symptoms of hot flashes associated with menopause.
- Behavior Change – Hypnosis has been used with some success in the treatment of insomnia, bedwetting, smoking, obesity and phobias.
Hypnotherapy is also a very effective tool to look more deeply at the “trance” of personality. Often we identify ourselves with our likes and dislikes, the stories we tell about who we are and our past, present, and future. Through guided inquiries that dive into the direct felt perception of the here and now it is possible to directly discover who and what you really are without the “trance” or “hypnosis” of your beliefs.
This work by its nature is very relaxing and is guided by the experience of presence of both the therapist and client. It can be oriented toward personality transformation, egostrengthening, or egotranscendence. Sessions are creative and can use music, voice dialogue, nondominant hand writing, and movement. The client is asked to participate with awareness so that the transformations that occur are conscious.
Hypnotherapy is very effective in dialoguing with the subconscious mind and often uses age regression to access causes of preexisting conditions. Guided imagery, suggestion, conscious use of language, storytelling are all ways that a hypnotherapist can use to facilitate change and healing. Some people are convinced that they cannot be hypnotized yet it is my experience that through tuning into a client a way to work with the subconscious is always revealed through language, breathing patterns, body language, and silence.
Hypnotherapy is a broad category of processes that work with perception and the experience of deepening into the truth. Through sensitive listening and being guided by the client, a hypnotherapy session can be a doorway to understanding healing and the nature of a human being. Guided imagery and healing suggestions are potent tools for talking to the subconscious mind to harness its support in all healing.
Susan Bambara - Clinical Certified Hypnotherapist and Clinical Consulting Hypnotist
Susan Bambara is a Clinical Certified Hypnotherapist and Clinical Consulting Hypnotist, offering 
Hypnosis services, since 2005, first in Universal City, California and then locally in East Hawaii since 2011.
Susan’s clinical Hypnosis experience started in a dental setting including at the USC Dental School Low-Income Outreach Care, while in study of Pain Control Hypnosis Techniques, also Hospital, Hospice and In-home experience including work with PTSD relaxation techniques, sleep support, Pre-and-Post Surgical, as well as Cancer Chemo/Radiation, Health and Wellness support using Clinical Hypnosis techniques to provide support in symptom reduction of pain, nausea, and anxiety, as well as empowering clients to take an active role in the management of their, procedures, processes, treatments and/or positive health life changes for the body, mind and spirit.
Hypnosis is an effective supplemental therapeutic modality for mind, body, and spirit support not limited to, but including:
- Management and successful empowering tools for worry, sadness, anger, and frustration,
- Management of pain, fatigue, and insomnia,
- Management of side-effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, such as nausea or sleep improvement needs,
- Visualization to promote health improvement, easeful surgical procedures, speedy recovery and healing.
By successfully addressing these areas, studies have shown that hypnosis improves the individual quality of life and life expectancy. Hypnosis helps “ordinary people with ordinary problems” as well as can help in the management and improvement of clinical issues, wherein sometimes a doctor’s prescription will be requested.
It is an amazing and wonderful process that I absolutely love to share with others in both group and individual sessions.
Mahalo, Peace & Blessings,
Susan
What Others Say
I learned about Breathwork, it was great, and have been slowly decreasing my meds. In two weeks, my Ativan dosage is lowered from 2 mg to NONE and I’m slowly lowering my SSRI dosage. I think my EFT sessions with Lilia were most beneficial, a lot came out in those. Although I only had a few sessions of The Work, I find that I am able to use those tools, of understanding my thoughts, often.
I received more affective psychotherapy treatment from Lilia in five sessions than going to my therapist back home for weekly sessions over a year and a half. My first Reichian Breathwork session with Dr. Baylac healed my deep grief about losing my father two years ago. I have felt peace about him ever since. I received great insight and perspective on anything that had been upsetting me over the past 15 years.
Breathwork and EFT were most beneficial for me. I had been to counselors before and had not made much progress. My issues were on the surface at the retreat and both techniques really pulled stuff out. They were like an emotional castor oil pack – drawing the impurities out of my soul.
Part of my therapy for the month that I was there was breathwork. I had emotions that Dr. Baylac helped me discover and then let go of. Without going into too much detail I had a less than favorable childhood with an abusive father. The gently supportive breathwork helped me open up my blocked emotions that I held in my throat and my stomach.
At Hawaii Naturopathic Retreat we discuss feelings, learn mindfulness, process the past, grief and pain and explore ways of coping with anxiety, depression and fear. Don’t let the past or future paralyze you. Live the life you deserve!