What is Hypnosis? What is Hypnotherapy? And Most Importantly, How Can it Help You?

I’m Simone Gordon, a Board Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist with a private practice in Santa Monica, California. I specialize in helping people of all ages overcome anxieties and fears by helping eliminate limiting beliefs. Hypnosis is a state of heightened relaxation, awareness, and focus.

This mysterious, little understood phenomena goes by many names- trance, hypersuggestibility, altered consciousness, etc. All of these terms simply refer to this relaxed, focused state in which a person is more suggestible.

Everyone can be hypnotized! As a matter of fact, we experience hypnosis multiple times a day, every day. When you first wake up in the morning and are in that hazy state bordering between being asleep and being awake, to that time right before you fall asleep at night are both examples of the hypnotic state. Hypnotherapy is the therapeutic use of hypnosis to treat a wide range of conditions and issues. How exactly does it work?

We as humans are of two minds, the conscious and the subconscious. The conscious mind, which makes up roughly 10% of our mental and emotional experiences and content, is a combination of our logic, willpower, linear thinking, and analytical abilities. We are most aware of this state because it's where we function in the majority of our waking hours. The subconscious mind, which accounts for roughly the other 90% of our mental and emotional content, is the repository of our dreams, automatic habits, early associations, creativity, fears, and anxieties. It can be thought of as our autopilot- how we automatically navigate life. I work with the power of the client’s subconscious mind to replace unwanted habits and beliefs. Hypnotherapy can be extremely effective in helping people to quit smoking, lose weight, let go of fears, phobias, and anxieties, gain confidence, increase focus, and many other issues.

My clients include teens, young adults, new parents, and children. I’ve helped teens overcome anxiety around test taking and social situations. I help people of all ages eliminate fears and phobias that have been holding them back. To book an appointment, email simone@westsidehypnosisassociates.com or call (310) 773-1278. To learn more about how hypnotherapy can help you, visit www.westsidehypnosisassociates.com.

Simone Gordon, C.Ht.