Hypnosis and Guided Imagery

Hypnotherapy, Hypnosis and Guided Imagery

Whether you’re using hypnotherapy, hypnosis or guided imagery, it’s important to understand the definitions. They are all similar in that they involve a natural state of relaxation, similar to daydreaming. By relaxing the conscious mind, we have access to the subconscious part of the mind, which is the storage for everything we’ve ever experienced, thought, heard or felt. Here is where therapeutic suggestions can be given for improving the conditions that are in the way of you reaching your goals.


Hypnotherapy is a powerful and effective process that uses hypnosis to guide you into relaxation and a more positive direction when dealing with life’s everyday challenges. Of course, the outcome is designed with your wishes, desires, needs and goals in mind. Sessions of hypnotherapy are a therapeutic alternative aimed at creating positive changes in ones life.

As a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, Dianne is not diagnosing, prescribing, or treating any physical, mental or emotional ailment or condition, either in private sessions, on CDs, or mp3s. Hypnotherapy is a highly effective healing modality for most people.


Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness characterized by focused concentration, similar to that experienced when daydreaming or concentrating and oblivious to distraction. It allows access to the highly suggestible subconscious mind. Research has shown electrical changes in the brain during hypnosis; the brain waves of a hypnotized person are usually different from those of a person in the normal waking state. Most people can be hypnotized, although the ability varies from person to person. Techniques vary but usually involve deep relaxation accompanied by the focusing of the mind.

Self-hypnosis is a naturally occurring relaxed state of mind which can be defined as a heightened state of focused concentration. All hypnosis is actually considered self-hypnosis, as one will accept only those suggestions that are congruent with personal ethics. That being said, it naturally follows that each person must accept full responsibility for personal choices, actions, and outcomes.

Guided Imagery

Guided Imagery is a technique of using mental imagery to help reach goals. Guided Imagery and hypnotherapy are not limited to physical problems or health issues and are commonly used for emotional healing. Both are useful in resolving a wide variety of mind/body issues.

Guided Imagery is sometimes considered a form of hypnotherapy. A trained practitioner, either in person or on a CD, gives “seemingly” simple imagery suggestions which are actually healing metaphors when understood from a therapeutic point of view.


Parts of the Conscious Mind

Brilliant scientists have been studying the mind for many years and still no one knows for sure exactly how the mind works or exactly what the parts of the mind are. The definitions I’m giving you have come from many years of studying human nature, the mind’s patterns as a hypnotherapist, as well as studying my own mind as a longtime meditator.

Deepak Chopra—a world authority in the field of mind/body medicine—says “It (consciousness) creates, governs and controls all events in the material world, —most especially the human body.”


The conscious mind is the level of mind that we normally use in our everyday life. At this level, there’s a small analytical voice that’s always in the background speaking to us, judging what’s being said, and noticing what’s going on around us, remembering something or projecting into the future. It’s always thinking about something. It’s always analyzing. This is the part of the mind that becomes relaxed with hypnotherapy.


The subconscious is like a giant container and its job is to record everything. It doesn’t care what’s being recorded. It doesn’t analyze. It cannot differentiate what’s ‘real’ from what’s ‘imagined’. It simply records and accepts. This means that everything you think, hear, say, and feel, has been and is being recorded. This information forms your belief system and MUST produce for you that which has been recorded—that which has been your focus—positive or negative.
The language of the subconscious is images (pictures) and the feelings those images produce. The subconscious is the part of the mind that readily accepts the therapeutic guided imagery suggestions used in a hypnotherapy session or with a therapeutic CD. This is how transformation can take place.


The superconscious refers to the Wise Mind, the Higher Self that is within each of us just waiting for us to open to the potential that awaits us. The superconscious is greater than the sum of our parts. It refers to a connection with the Divine. For a person who has a belief in the Divine, this area of the mind/body can be a helpful partner, leading to success in all areas of life.


The unconscious refers to that which came with us into this world at birth. Certain tendencies, soul karma or energy we have—perhaps from previous incarnations and/or within the DNA. The unconscious refers to processes in the mind that occur automatically. In a hypnotherapy session, these inclinations can be examined and in many cases, if the person is willing, redirected toward more positive outcomes that lead toward reaching the intended goal.


Why CDs/mp3s for Healing Are Effective


Once the conscious mind is relaxed using techniques of hypnosis, we’re able to gain access to the subconscious mind where beliefs are held. Using hypnotherapy techniques we can guide a person into the relaxed state of hypnosis and assist in redirecting thoughts (beliefs or conditions that no longer work) toward a healthier, more positive view and therefore a healthier, more positive life experience. Since the language of the subconscious is images and the feelings those images produce, we can use guided imagery to redirect negative conditioning and images, and substitute more positive images.

Our subconscious cannot distinguish between thoughts that are created by external events (reality) or imaginary events. So, if you merely imagine in your mind that you’re filled with confidence, your subconscious will accept that as true. And when repeated often enough, your behavior will change. That is, you will become the person you imagined yourself to be. On the other hand, we must avoid imagining the negative events, or conditions—because our subconscious will accept them as true.

Many CDs speak to the Higher Self or the superconscious as a guide for assistance with improving the condition or situation. Hypnotherapy and guided imagery are useful for redirecting most all tendencies, if you are willing and wish to make those positive changes.


What Happens in a Hypnotherapy Session

We talk confidentially about what you’d like to explore and the changes you’d like to make. You learn powerful methods for redirecting your life. Then you experience deep relaxation or hypnotherapy. Here we get in touch with your deep inner mind and create opportunities for your healing. Often you will receive a personalized CD created during your session. Daily listening supports and reinforces your positive changes.

A hypnotherapy session helps you determine if your life is working the way you would like. If it isn’t, you may want to look toward your self-talk and your thoughts; all of which produce the feelings you live with each day. Some of which, you may not consciously choose to have guiding your life. Some of these words, thoughts and feelings are there because of what an influential or authority figure may have said to you (usually as your were growing up) and which, on some level, you accepted as true.

With hypnotherapy, we have the ability to quiet the conscious mind, providing access to the subconscious. Once the conscious mind is relaxed and quiet, we can investigate the belief system. We can even discover how certain beliefs came into being, and if you’re willing, we can assist in redirecting thoughts toward more healthy, positive beliefs and therefore a healthier, more positive life.

With this knowledge, comes great empowerment! Once this concept is understood, it becomes of the utmost importance to be mindful of the thoughts we think and the words we say.

“The highest form of meditation is to stand guard over the quality of your thoughts.”
– Buddha

For more information,
private sessions in person or by telephone,
contact Dianne at DKShort7@aol.com or call 510-741-7727.