I am James Horine, Ph.D. I am a licensed psychologist in private practice. I have been practicing psychology for 30 years. I have specialized in hypnosis for 25 of those years. My education is a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. My approach to working with a client for hypnosis involves identifying the area that we are going to work on in that first session. I get as much background information related to this issue as possible. Then I explain in detail the information about hypnosis. I discuss the theories of hypnosis, induction techniques (how hypnosis is induced) and how the suggestions are given. After explaining everything and answering all your questions, we'll do the hypnosis on that first session. As we are doing the hypnosis, we will record the session on an audio cassette tape or CD. That recording is then yours to keep and listed to on a daily basis. It is important that you do the hypnosis in repetition. As you listen to the recording at home, you will experience the hypnosis, hear the specific suggestions related to your issue, become familiar with the different induction techniques and how the suggestions are given, namely positively, so that eventually you can do the hypnosis on your own without needing to listen to the recording. Hypnosis is basically a relaxation technique. The idea is that your mind is more receptive to suggestion while you are in hypnosis. Some theories suggest that hypnosis is a form of cognitive restructuring, which basically means the more you encourage a thought or cognition in your mind, the more it affects your behavior. Or, to say it another way, you are what you think you are. There is another theory which I think helps explain how hypnosis works: a classical conditioning model. You might have studied about Pavlov's dog in psychology class. Just as Pavlov paired the bell and the food to create salivation (a conditioned response), so too does hypnosis pair the relaxation with the suggestion of reaching your goal. The idea is that the more relaxation suggestions are paired, the more an association is attained. The more relaxed you are, the better able you are to reach your goals. What is very important in both of these theories is that it be done in repetition and the audio recording allows you to do this at home. Usually clients just require one session with the therapist, but again, it is important to listen to the recording at home in repetition. Hypnosis works great for some people and some people it doesn't, it is not 100% effective for everyone. Can you be hypnotized? Yes, unless you have experienced brain damage, suffer from schizophrenia, have a very low IQ in the mentally retarded range, or are a young infant. In reality, you experience hypnosis on a daily basis when you daydream, watch a movie or read a book. You are using your imagination, concentration and suggestion. Smoking and weight control are very common problems. There are countless areas of personal development that hypnosis may help you with such as: fears, sleep problems, sexual problems, tension and stress reduction, confidence and public speaking, memory and study concentration, alcohol and drug abuse, bedwetting, sales enthusiasm, dental fears, childbirth and labor. Common questions people ask about hypnosis:
The fee is $110 for the 60-90 minute session. I am located on the Country Club Plaza (see our detailed driving directions) and I am here Monday through Thursday during the daytime. Appointments outside of these times can occasionally be arranged. Please call if you have additional questions. |
