FAQ

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What technique do you use?

I was trained in traditional hypnotherapy, although I prefer the ease and effectiveness of Guided Interactive Imagery, as it's practitioner guided and client led.

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What's the difference between Hypnosis and Guided Interactive Imagery?

Traditional hypnosis emerged in the 1800's, and typically requires clients to enter a deeply relaxed, sleep-like state while a therapist provides helpful subconscious suggestions. In contrast, Guided Interactive Imagery was popularized by Carl Jung in the mid-20th century, and is more a form of "flow state" rather than hypnosis. Guided Imagery is easily accessible via eyes-closed visualization - with clients remaining comfortable, awake, aware and always in control. Additionally Guided Imagery is often considered more effective, as it shifts the role of the individual from a passive recipient to an active conductor of their own experience. ​​​​

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How does Interactive Guided Imagery work?

Guided Imagery is practiced with a practitioner, as it requires the gentle flow of neutral, open-ended questions to help anchor the client within the imagery of their mind's eye. So rather than painting a mental picture for the client, e.g. - "Imagine you're in an old growth forest, with beautiful towering cedar trees." - the practitioner guides the session with something like: "What does the landscape look like? Are there any trees or structures? If you turned to your right, what do you notice there?", etc. By allowing the mind to construct its own self-generated imagery and mental map, we enable the unconscious mind to do what it does best - comfortably resolve emotional and mental blocks, and access inner wisdom.​

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Do I need special visualization skills?

​One does not need special visualization skills to practice Guided Interactive Imagery - although those who are able to create mental pictures tend to have the most success with Guided Imagery. But it's important to note, this is a sensorial technique that uses all senses, not just inner vision. If an individual has difficulty creating mental pictures, they may be still be able to access their unconscious via sounds, emotions, bodily sensations, or simply a conveyance of information, i.e. flashes of insight.

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How does the Conscious & Subconscious work?

The Conscious mind is our analytical and "everyday self," the one that returns emails, goes grocery shopping, and plans vacations, etc. While our unconscious (the Subconscious and Superconscious) is the more expansive part of us that functions outside our conscious awareness. The subconscious (while some think is the monster under the bed) is actually more like a protective, but sometimes overzealous guard dog - working tirelessly to keep us safe and comfortable. And our Superconscious mind is our inner wisdom, often called our, "Higher Self" - the egoless aspect of our consciousness that has the ability to get an incredibly deep and insightful top view.​

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​The Conscious Mind (Your Everyday You & Logical Self)

• Handles daily decision-making, and problem-solving.

• Uses analytical and linear thinking to process information.

• Only able to focus on a few things at once, or often just one complex task at a time.

• Lower bandwidth - can process about 40 to 50 bits of information per second.

• Believes it's in charge, but the Subconscious is the primary driver.

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The Subconscious Mind (Your Loyal Protector & Archivist)​

• Is non-verbal and communicates via sensations, imagery, metaphors, and dreams.

• Higher bandwidth - can process 20 million to over 400 billion bits of information per second.

• Holds all of our memories, experiences, and beliefs that have been stored since our beginning.

• Operates from a place of instinct to help us avoid anything it perceives as threatening - although can become

       "over-protective" if holding onto unprocessed wounds (which can cause emotional and mental blocks.)

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The Superconscious Mind (Your Inner Advisor & Healer)

• Our highest level of consciousness - a state of deep insight, awareness, and inner wisdom.

• Functions beyond the individual ego, and is what is often referred to as the 'Higher Self.'

• Communicates via intuition - i.e., gut feelings, inner knowing, "aha moments," synchronicities, etc.

• Offers immediate understanding of complex problems, often bypassing analytical thought.

• Is believed to be the source of creative problem solving, original inspiration and innovative ideas.

• Can facilitate a mind-body connection that activates self-healing & improved immune response.

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How does Interactive Guided Imagery tap into such a healing sweet spot?

Traditional hypnosis and Interactive Imagery both utilize relaxed, eyes-closed states to access the unconscious, but they differ in their brainwave focus and level of cognitive engagement. Traditional hypnosis bypasses the critical mind (Beta waves) and typically stays within the Alpha range to accept positive suggestions. While Guided Interactive Imagery also bypasses Beta, it additionally fosters a dynamic "flow state" simultaneously engaging Alpha, Gamma, and Theta brain waves. Interestingly, we enter into Alpha anytime we are relaxed (listening to beautiful music, reading a good book, or even simply closing our eyes.) In contrast, Gamma waves spike when we are fully engaged in solving complex tasks (like working on a puzzle or performing music, etc.) But more interestingly is how and when we access Theta waves - as this typically only happens briefly twice a day (the 5-10 minutes prior to falling asleep, and the 5-10 minutes just before we wake up.) While this handful of time might not seem like much, it is the true "sweet spot" as it is commonly associated with receiving 'mental downloads' - often described as sudden flashes of insight, vivid imagery, or creative solutions that pop into the mind right before we open our eyes prior to waking.

 

This is considered the bridge to our inner wisdom (the Superconscious or 'Higher Self') where clients uncover their own insights and solutions. With Guided Imagery we extends this natural Theta state from its usual 5-10 minutes up to 2 hours by keeping the mind engaged enough to not drift off to sleep (active questions), yet relaxed enough to stay in a meditative state (eyes closed.) The relaxed yet focused nature of this flow state visualization allows for spontaneous deep insights that can truly provide profound shifts.

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How many sessions do I need to create shifts?

One session is designed to provide significant inner guidance and emotional resolution, although additional sessions can be used for further exploration if desired.