Yes. Hypnosis does not mean being unconscious or “out of it.” You can hear what is happening, speak, and respond to what takes place during the session. Many people experience hypnosis more as a state of focused attention.

A person is always in control of what happens to them during hypnosis. Often the hypnotist with ask questions and the client will answer. 

People differ in how easily and how intensely they experience hypnosis, and hypnosis does not feel the same for everyone.

For my work, reaching a particular “depth” of hypnosis is less important than your ability to engage with the process and our finding an approach that works for you.

No. Hypnosis does not override your personal values or your ability to make decisions. You remain able to respond to what is happening and to reject something you do not want to do.

Hypnosis can be used to work with anxiety, stress, inner blocks, difficult habits, and persistent emotional or physical patterns of response, among other concerns.

Whether hypnosis is appropriate for a particular issue is best considered individually. Not every problem requires hypnosis, and the same approach is not right for everyone.

Hypnosis can be one part of my work with stage fright and performance pressure, but it is not necessarily the only approach I use.

Performance difficulties often involve an interaction between thoughts, emotions, breathing, muscle tension, perception, and learned responses. Depending on the situation, I therefore combine different approaches.