COMMUNITY
Only nine states in 2024 regulate the practice of hypnotherapy. Connecticut and Washington are the only states with laws mandating registration to practice the therapy. The others have looser guidelines. Unfortunately, the Grand Canyon State isn’t one of them. “Arizona is one of 41 states that is not regulated for hypnotherapy,” Huskins said. “That means you can go anywhere for a weekend certificate.” The state legislature does not provide a definition for clinical hypnosis. The Arizona Administrative Code only includes information on registration for homeopathic physicians. For Huskins, this could be a problem for prospective clients. “A lot of my clients come in for self-esteem, anxiety, being in narcissistic relationships,” she said. “Self-confidence goes into that, self- esteem, trauma, childhood trauma. I tell clients, if you don’t want to work with me, that’s fine but be careful who you’re working with.” It’s pseudoscience It’s legit Unsure Table 1
CONFESSIONS FROM AN ANXIOUS SOMNAMBULIST I have been in and out of therapy for nearly two decades. After leaving abusive relationships and years spent living with both clinical depression and general anxiety disorder, walking into a therapist’s office is not a new experience. This, however, is my first hypnotherapy session. It’s a light session, focused on progressive relaxation to ease tension in the body and reduce stress and anxiety. Maricopa-based hypnotherapist Christian Huskins walks me through what to expect and what I may experience. Whatever you feel in your hypnosis is your experience. Everyone experiences something different. Some cry, some have a visceral reaction, like the client before me who sat straight up from a reclining chair mid- session. Another patient envisions a pink fish during every session. Others simply struggle to relax or let go at all. Whatever it is, Huskins says to just let it go. It has no meaning; it has no bearing. A lot of times our subconscious shows us things that just are. She conducts a brief quiz to see the type of trance I may enter. Have I ever walked in my sleep? Do I tune out
18% Unsure
LEGIT OR JUST PSEUDOSCIENCE?
someone who is talking to me? Am I an auditory or visual learner? As it turns out, I’m a somnambulist, one who can slip into a deeper state of trance and become open to suggestibility. Great for hypnotherapy, not so much when around negative people or situations. From here, I settle into the reclining chair, cover myself with a blanket and throw pillow and try to relax. Huskins directs my view to the ceiling fan’s pull-chain. Her voice softens and walks me through controlled breathing — inhale, hold, exhale — and I close my eyes. She directs me to release tension in my muscles from my crown down to my toes. Good luck, I always feel an anxious pressure deep in my chest. My words become your thoughts, and your thoughts are a part of your reality. my shoulder muscles loosen and my hand slip from the pillow. The pressure lightens. You are listening to me today because you are ready for a positive change in your life. We walk together to a crystalline waterfall, a descending staircase and a tranquil beach. I pinpoint specific places from my memory — the seasonal waterfall at Tonto Natural Bridge, the grand staircase from I feel my jaw unclench,
Downton Abbey and a quiet, end-of-season beach at Rocky Point — and we linger in each spot. All the while, I still inhale, hold, exhale. You’re ready for growth and self- improvement and that starts with feeling calm. Half an hour of soothing imagery and positive affirmations, and we sit in silence for a few minutes. She walks me back up the staircase, closes the door on my subconscious and counts me out of the trance. Zero, one, two, three, four, five. Eyes wide open. I open my eyes and look at the ceiling “I feel relaxed,” I say. I wait another beat and say, “I heard what you were saying but I ebbed and flowed a little bit. It felt like my brain started floating somewhere else.” She smiles. That’s really every session. It’s a very deep relaxation. It’s giving you that safe space to go through this healing journey. After sipping some water and debriefing, she walks me to the door. That ease, that calm and light feeling in my chest continues on my drive home and into the next day, and the next after that and I think, maybe this is the next step, maybe this is the space I need. Monica D. Spencer fan for a beat. My chest feels light.
20% It’s legit
In spite of the personal anecdotes and studies claiming tangible results, the average Maricopa resident thinks hypnotherapy is complete quackery. In an unscientific August poll of more than 200 InMaricopa readers, nearly two-thirds said they believe hypnotherapy is little more than pseudoscience, even if some semblance of medical merit existed. One-fifth have faith in the practice, while about 1 in 6 are undecided.
62% It’s pseudoscience
Success story Burritt said he has continued to see improvements in his daily life, recently celebrating 14 months of sobriety. “I was just sabotaging myself and I didn’t want to be that person anymore. It was unfair to the people I loved, and I wanted to better myself,” he said. “I realized I am enough, I am worthy and I am a good person.” Huskins said realizations like this are acts of self-love. “Some people say God forgives everyone,” she said. “But we often don’t forgive ourselves It’s pseudoscience It’s legit 62 20 18
Unsure
We often don’t forgive ourselves and this allows you to have that conversation with that subconscious so your mind can think differently about what happened. It doesn’t get rid of [the trauma], it just helps you
Category A
and this allows you to have that conversation with that subconscious so your mind can think differently about what happened. It doesn’t get rid of [the trauma], it just helps you heal from it.”
heal from it.” CHRISTIAN HUSKINS
found that combining hypnotherapy with mindfulness — the practice of actively observing and paying attention to one’s present thoughts and feelings without judgement — had positive results for people experiencing high stress. A group of participants who received mindful hypnotherapy reported a much larger decrease in stress and a significant increase in mindfulness, as well as more satisfaction in their sessions, compared to those who did not receive the hypnotherapy treatment. Not only emotions are unregulated The only real catch? Making sure you find a hypnotherapist who is actually trained in the practice. “The biggest thing is education,” Huskins said. “How do you even know a person is eligible to teach hypnotherapy, let alone treat clients?” Huskins completed a three-year program with the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in Los Angeles requiring 720 credit hours to complete. She’s also a member of the American Hypnosis Association and the American Board of Hypnotherapy.
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InMaricopa.com | September 2024
September 2024 | InMaricopa.com
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